The Nightmare Wars
by Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX
Summary: Beyond chaos and humanity, one being stands in the form of both. Tojiro Ankoku. From mere human to powerful Demigod of Death: Legacies of chaos and war begin. Good and Evil shall face his wrath: The Multi-Verse shall never see peace again. SAGA I: Complete.
1. Chapter I

**_CHAPTER ONE: THE UNSETTLING BEGINNING_**

**DISCLAIMER: GREETINGS! Another epic story and another epic beginning; I've been thinking how bothersome all this editing may get, but it's fun nonetheless! HOWEVER! I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story/chapter except for Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Ryu Kaze; all other characters belong to their respected creators/owners! There will be times where original characters of my own will take the stage in the story, so as you can see from above, I shall always list the names of my characters so you won't go to the trouble of Googling or Binging them so you can find out what they look like, XD. I do hope all you readers enjoy the story to your full content, and do please review afterwards! The story will get M RATED later on, so be on guard! ENJOY THE STORY!_  
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In the absence of sun, a single person found themselves on a dark path through a forest. It was bathed in moonlight, this forest. Fireflies circled through the forest, making small illuminations with their useful lights. Crickets chirped in this nighttime setting of stillness and calmness. However, in this new journey, silence can…and will be…_disrupted. _In the end there was always something like this. Yet, there was always the caster of such settings. By now, however, there was one unlikely candidate for that exact spot.

A series of small explosions blew in a straight line, taking down about twenty trees. A pair of feet landed on the ground. The body of the caster was entirely cloaked. His face was not seen by the darkness he created in the hood of his ebony cloak. On the back of his cloak was a symbol. A symbol of the first evil…the first personification of _death_. The symbol was a crescent moon, the points going down, and two toothpick shaped marks going into opposite diagonal directions under that crescent moon shape. This was the symbol of a long gone nation that left a scar on this world. They were called; the Great Shade Empire. The one to bear this mark on his cloak, and on his very forehead the moment he was born was Nightshade the Cloakmaster. His real name, however is Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. The ancient demigod of eighteen looked from the left and then to the right, surveying his destruction. However, it was not like it was anything he's done before. The Demigod of Death was in his hedgehog form, making travel _much_ easier and _much_ faster. He began strolling forward through the clear open line in the forest. It was strange for him to walk when he can break the sound barrier by simply running. This night, however, gave him the opposite side of the argument.

Tojiro was the type of person who didn't like injustice, disrespect, or people who were over obsessed with something. He saw that people need to learn from nature and make their lives worth living…and especially honor the lives they been given. People have been given a chance to live in this world, and there are some who disrespect that gift and are judged. Tojiro, is the executioner…and the jury! Most of the people in his past adventures gave him complications…and annoyances, but yet he could tell what their personality was shaped like. It bragged away at him…a lot. Not enough, however, for him do to something out-of-the-ordinary. The demigod came to a sudden halt, he grabbed the handle of his sheathed sword that was once used by his very own father. He tightened his grip on the fabled sword known as Dragon's Bane. It began to emit a red glow around it. His eyes tightened in a glare of anger and suspicion. In front of him formed a black mist mixed with black and purple. It appeared as if a lightning storm was taking place in the dead center of it. Nightshade unsheathed the blade, and the mist finally formed into a solid appearance. Nightshade kept his sword out, and raised by holding it sideways. There stood a cloaked man, his face was also unable to be seen. Nightshade's eyebrows raised up, and he stood in a straight posture, and the red glow around his blade vanished.

"It is good to see you after such a long time…" said the familiar voice.

Nightshade sheathed his sword and crossed his arms. "Tojiro Neo Ankoku." uttered Ryu Kaze.

Ryu Kaze was the real Nightshade thousands of years ago. People dubbed him this name due to the event of him losing control to his Werehog form, one of many animal forms he had, and for three days straight he heartlessly murdered anyone he saw. For such an act…humanity despised him, and now before him, stood his mirror image.

"The sudden meeting is appreciated Ryu, but I'm busy now." Nightshade began sternly, walking forward.

Ryu hovered slowly out of the way. "I'm glad that you've become more enlightened." Ryu said.

"Yeah. Good for me." said the Cloakmaster, stepping over a fallen tree. Ryu began hovering forward to follow him. Ryu slowly came to a pace by the walking Tojiro, who had just lowered his hood. His blank white eyes stared up at the sky, and they tightened.

"Is there anything on your mind Nightshade?" asked Ryu, looking down at the last Cloakmaster.

"You call me by _that_ name?" Nightshade said persistently.

"Does it bother you, Tojiro?" asked Ryu.

"No. No one's called me that for months now. It's just a bit unorthodox to hear it again, especially from the _real_ Nightshade." replied the ignorant hedgehog.

"I see your point. Yet it makes me confused." said Ryu.

"What part? My birth, my crimes, my murder spree…or possibly just my birth." said the Nightshade picking up a fallen tree and simply tossing it to the side.

Ryu watched the tree crashed into the ground, then he looked back forward to see Tojiro continuing his way. Ryu swiftly flew forward and stopped by Nightshade's side, and continued the stroll.

"Now if you could answer me two questions." Ryu began.

"They better not be in the same sentence. Don't waste my time with tricks." said Nightshade stubbornly.

"I will do no such thing Tojiro, trust me." Ryu replied.

"Then go ahead." spat the Nightshade.

"I am surprised you left _that_ planet. Why is that?" asked Ryu, ducking under a tree.

Nightshade grabbed two trees, holding them with both his hands, he tossed them both to the right and continued his walk.

"It was indeed a peaceful life on that planet. Daisy and I sure got a lot of time together and the time with the book I'm writing. It sure has been convenient back on Sargasso." Nightshade answered.

"That's good. Then why are you _here_?" asked Ryu.

"I'm the type of person who can't stay in one land for so long. I had to leave and come back to Earth. I must journey…and journey." Nightshade explained.

"That's interesting. It does bring up a lot of questions though." surveyed Ryu.

"Then keep them in your head. I'm focusing right now." said Nightshade.

"You have been known to focus too much. That is what gives you trouble in your journeys, Tojiro." Ryu stated.

"Then let them come. A challenge is a challenge. A great amount of people threw challenges at me…and I still made my way through them. No one keeps me in control. **No one**." stated the demigod.

"Like the battle against Dark Quake? Would that be what you call a _prime example_?" Ryu questioned.

"I never once had my mind set on _his_ origins." Nightshade retorted.

"Does that mean you wish to know?" asked Ryu, stopping in Nightshade's path. Nightshade's blank white eyes glared at the cloaked man. Nightshade moved him out of the way and continued making his way along this dark dirt road of silence.

"I still sense confusion within you, my friend. Is it due to recent events?" asked Ryu.

"It's none of your concern and that's all it is!" Nightshade barked at him, turning around to Ryu with his eyes full of glowing red anger.

Ryu wasn't surprised Tojiro would react in such a way, this would happen with just about any person who would've used the same usage of words. Nightshade's eyes went back to blank white, and he turned around to continue marching, flipping his hood over his head.

"Is it probably due to your mishap with Sonic?" asked Ryu, catching up to him.

"It doesn't matter. My spirit was split from Orion while I was in my hedgehog form, and just ironically…my spirit found home to use Sonic's. It's clear already, so quit your pestering before I get serious." Nightshade barked.

"I understand. My apologies. What do you plan on finding in this forest anyway?" asked Ryu.

"I'm just going where I believe I must go. Simple as that." said Nightshade.

He suddenly felt a pulsation in his head, ticking away at him.

"I take it you felt that pulse?" asked the motionless Ryu.

"Yes. It's as if a demon exorcism is taking place nearby…somewhere." Nightshade said, slowly shifting his head left and right.

"I feel it. It seems demonic…but it also seems…lost." said Ryu.

Nightshade unsheathed Dragon's Bane, the red symbols along both sides of the sword glowed with red.

"And you don't care. Not surprising." said Ryu, scratching the back of his head.

"I smell the damn thing…and it's bothering the hell out of me. Whatever is trying to exorcise it must not be trying too hard." said Nightshade, jabbing Dragon's Bane into the ground.

"And you plan to simply find…and kill it?" asked Ryu, suspecting the answer. Nightshade flipped his hood over his head, his blank white eyes looked forward. He saw black smoke rising into the clouds above.

"Why not?" he muttered to himself.

Nightshade removed Dragon's Bane from the ground, tossing it into the air, then having it land back in his right hand, then immediately dashing forwards, aiming to silence the beast that is causing such annoyances…for the Demigod of Death.

A monstrous charred foot stomped down onto the ground. The beast was a monstrous flame demon. It's circular head turned down, staring at the temple it saw in the distance. A blue shine glowed in it's path, making it stop and growl angrily. Down at it's feet stood two nuns. One Haruka Amanogawa and Sakura Sugai.

"I thought we're supposed to deal with lost spirits…not demons!" exclaimed Sakura vaguely.

"We can't just let this thing continue to burn down everything it sees! Besides, I sense a spirit in it!" Haruka replied.

The blue light barrier that stood in front of the fire monster was broken through once it punched it's fist through. The beast's lanky body stepped forward and roared down at the girls, revealing embers and fire within it's mouth.

"What are you two doing? Get back here now!" exclaimed their teacher, Jotoku Kawahara.

"Haruka! Come on!" said Sakura, nudging her shoulder.

The two nuns quickly ran back to the temple in haste, while the monstrous flame monster kept marching forwards. In the temple grounds stood Ikko, Chitose, Yuuko, Hinata and Sumi, watching the monstrous beast of flames continue towards the temple.

"Just what is that thing suppose to be?" exclaimed Ikko.

"Whatever it is, I've never seen anything like it." said Yuuko, holding her staff up.

"We have to stop it, there's no way we're going to let it continue!" said Chitose, holding her staff up as well.

The flame demon stopped, glaring down at them all. It opened it's mouth, releasing a stream of flames. "Scatter!" screamed Chitose.

The group quickly spread out in different directions to avoid the explosion the blast of flames had. The beast turned towards where Sumi and Hinata were.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Sakura, noticing Sumi and her little sister to be in the sights of the angry monster.

The vicious beast stretched it's hand down at them. Sumi and Hinata held each other, in fear of the burning eyes of this mammoth demon. However, the entire hand suddenly dropped down in front of them. The cry of the demon made both Sumi and Hinata open their eyes, and watch it back away. A burning liquid was spraying from where it hand was cut off. Leaping towards the demon's head was none other than Nightshade. He held Dragon's Bane in his right hand. He came up to the side of it's face, and drove his legendary sword right into the creature's left eye, making it scream in agony. Nightshade landed on the ground in front of Sumi and Hinata. Nightshade raised his hand up, and Dragon's Bane appeared back in his hand. The angry beast had both it's hands to it's face, growling in horrible distasteful agony.

"This is definitely a lost cause. Time for hell." Nightshade said.

The beast glared down at Nightshade, shooting a massive fireball down at the three. "HINATA!" screamed Sakura.

The flame impacted with just precision and a huge explosion, reflecting in the eyes of the others.

"No." stutered Sakura, in shock.

"Sakura?" said Hinata's voice.

Sakura lifted her head up, turning her head to the left, seeing Hinata and Sumi laying over Nightshade's shoulders, to which he was much larger at this point, he was in his Werehog form. He grabbed the two girls off his shoulders and put them down, immediately to which Sakura ran over to embrace her sister. Nightshade walked past them, while Sakura and the others all looked at him, baffled. Nightshade sheathed Dragon's Bane, and clenched his large fists.

"Damned beast…you're from hell aren't you?" he said. The beast let out a curdling growl of anger at the demigod.

"Fine then. Your foolishness…has finally caught up to you." he said.

The demon charged forward. Nightshade roared to the sky, then leaped up at the demon. The demon lifted it's right hand, but Nightshade stretched his left arm to grab onto it, swing around the beast's wrist, and then over the monster's head. Nightshade then drove both of his red glowing fists down into the creature's skull. The demon let out a burst of flames, catching Nightshade on fire. The Demigod landed on the beast's shoulder and immediately grabbed the demon's head, and began pulling tightly. The demon began to fall over sideways. Nightshade then jumped back, pulling the demon to the dirt with an echoing bang. Nightshade was still on fire, he wouldn't let something like pain stop him now. Nightshade jumped on top of it's face and began beating his fists into the creature's face, causing embers of fire to spark up for every single punch. Nightshade changed tactics, tearing away at the beast's face with his bare claws. Nightshade showed intense hate. He began seeing images of fire and death. The village he grew up in, covered in flames. His father, exploding into flames. A pile of corpses, in flames. Malformed corpses telling Nightshade to kill them. Nightshade then punched his robotic fist straight down into the creature's face. The fire that enshrouded the demon immediately extinguished itself. Still covered in flames, Nightshade rose to his feet. A drippy liquid, almost appearing like lava, covered his hands and fingertips. He then punched his fists together, using Airbending to silence the flames that burned against him.

Nightshade hopped of the creature's face and walked over to pick his Rosario off the ground. He put it back on, and he automatically reverted to his hedgehog form. The demigod also immediately flipped his hood over what was probably his skeletal face. He quickly turned around, holding the handle of Dragon's Bane. There stood Chitose, followed by everybody else. He growled angrily at them, looking at each and every single one of them.

"Just what the hell are you all looking at? Huh?" he exclaimed.

"We-we just wanted to…"

"How did you just do that?" Ikko interrupted Chitose.

Nightshade removed his hand from Dragon Bane's handle, and stood in a straight posture, seeing no threat in them.

"It's none of your concern. Leave me be." Nightshade said, crossing his sleeves into one another.

"Did you know that creature?" asked Jotoku, confronting the demon.

Nightshade glared irritably down at the old woman. "Like I said…it doesn't concern you." Nightshade, getting into Jotoku's face.

Of course she showed no fear, it's just not her. Nightshade reared his head back.

"You saved my sister back there…I'm grateful for your help." said Sakura, bowing.

Nightshade huffed, "Don't be so foolish. Its smell was bothering me enough." Nightshade replied.

"Did he just make fun of Sakura?" Yuuto whispered to Sumi.

"I don't believe it is right to say such things, young man." Jotoku stated, her staff in hand.

"Point?" Nightshade asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Maybe you should be an inch more kinder!" yelled Sakura, confronting Nightshade, glaring down at him.

"No really…where's the damn point?" he asked.

Sakura gave him a very upset glare. "Come on Sakura, breath, breath." said Haruka, slowly pulling her away.

"Don't you get involved! Let me hit him just once! Let me go!" screamed Sakura's voice as she was being pulled away.

Everyone looked nervous, yet still in small laughter.

"Would you be able to stay tonight? We have to pay our respects for your actions that saved our temple." said Chitose.

"Heroic." Hinata added quietly.

"Yeah! Even though you kind of angered Sakura, you should at least join us!" Sumi suggested to the demigod.

By this time, Nightshade was already walking away, not a single care.

"Hey!" exclaimed Chitose, running after him.

"Is it just me, or do I think there's trouble brewing?" said Ikko.

"Shut it Ikko." Yuuko snapped.

Chitose stood in Nightshade's path.

"You should answer to someone's questions when they are asked. Don't be so disrespectful!" Chitose told.

"I didn't ignore your questions…I _refused_ to even speak. Now move." Nightshade said.

"How could you be so inhuman? You're despicable!" Chitose barked.

"Uh huh." Nightshade replied, lowering his hood, shocking Chitose.

His entire head was bone, even his quills. The small beady red eyes in his eye sockets resonated, and glared up at Chitose. Nightshade then put his hood back over his head.

"Learn to deal with it." he stated, walking around her, and into the forest.

Chitose turned around, still shocked by such an image…and such a sight, that'll probably be burned into her memory. Another life affected…by the dreadful Cloakmaster; Tojiro Ankoku.

**XXXXXX**

Rain fell…and thunder boomed across the black sky. The moon was full this night, and the sudden silhouette of a certain demigod was seen jumping past it. Nightshade landed with water splashing when he touched down onto a skyscraper's roof. His hood was down, and the blank white eyes of him in his hedgehog form was a regretful sight. He walked to the edge, staring over the edge. He saw many lights from the passing cars below, and his eyes tightened.

"Why? Why does it seem there is something wrong?" he asked mentally, looking up at the sky, watching the lightning reflect off his eyes.

He heard a sudden curdling of movement behind him. A hand of water, with three fingers pierced through his gut. He glared down, huffing calmly. The swiped his hand, dissipating the water. Nightshade turned around, facing a ten foot tall water demon, with bright blue filled eyes. In the center of it's chest was a red orb that appeared to look like molten lava. Nightshade looked at it's right hand, noticing it was crimson red due to the beast striking it's claws through his gut.

"I've never seen _this_ before. Oh well." he said, unsheathing Dragon's Bane.

The beast let out an angry growl. Nightshade stood in a stance, ready to charge. The beast stretched it's two hands out. Nightshade's eyes flashed, causing both it's arms to rupture. The beast screeched, and retreated back. Nightshade leaped towards the monster. The demon quickly kicked Nightshade, throwing him off the building. Nightshade saw the water demon jump of as well, seeing that it had created two new arms. Nightshade turned himself around, straightening out his body, shooting down like a torpedo. He landed on a house, then quickly jumped off it, towards another. The beast crashed onto the house's roof, creating a severe pound in the roof. The beast quickly held it's hands up. Several particles of rain turned into ice and shot down at Nightshade. Two suddenly impacted into his back. Nightshade slipped up, and slid down a roof, and onto the top of a car, growling angrily. The beast stretched it's two fists from overhead, pounding Nightshade, and causing the car to explode into flames. The beast landed on the ground in front of the flames. Nightshade dashed out of the flames in ball form, and impacted the water monster, causing it's liquid body to implode. Nightshade exited ball form, sliding to a halt, turning around in the process. The beast quickly reformed, and charged at the demigod. Nightshade grabbed a light pole and smashed it down on the beast, however, the creature slithered into a stream of water, grabbed Nightshade by his leg and tossed him far across the sky. Nightshade smashed against the ceiling of a house, then crashed off the hood of a car, and ending with a smack against a light pole, causing it to fall over, sparks flying from the bulb.

The beast suddenly appeared in front of Nightshade, and drove a long staff of ice right through his gut, and out his back. Nightshade coughed in agony, and quickly used Chaos Control to vanish off the bloodied piece of ice. Nightshade reappeared somewhere in a forest, gripping his chest.

"That…that felt like a type of…magic. What is going on?" he questioned himself, slowly getting up.

A barrage of ice shards suddenly found themselves impaling the ground around Nightshade. Nightshade quickly ran forward, grabbing two of the ice shards in the process that stuck out of the ground. Nightshade looked over his shoulder for a quick moment, noticing the angry beast charging after him, keeping the chase tense. Nightshade leaped into the air, turned around, and threw both ice shards at the beast with intense speed. Both shards hit their spots. One in the demon's left eye, and the other simply penetrated through it's gut. Nightshade used Chaos Control to teleport down onto the ground before the beast, which was on the ground, removing the shard from it's glowing blue eye, now pitch-black. Nightshade shot a single ray of dark Chaos energy at the beast, causing an explosion and cloud of smoke to spread. Nightshade charged towards the smoke. He came out the other end, nothing. Nightshade suddenly was grabbed by two of his quills and smashed against a tree. The water demon still lived. It grabbed Nightshade by both his ankles, but the demigod of hate aimed up, and shock the beast with a bolt of blue lightning from his fingertips. The beast stumbled back in fierce pain. Nightshade quickly jumped to his feet, and jumped at the beast, grabbing it's arms, and surging a powerful dose of lightning onto the water demon. Unfortunately, Nightshade used all his power on this attack, and also shocked himself due to him being drenched in water. Both demons were shot opposite directions, sliding across the muck that glazed the ground. Nightshade was left with a cloud of smoke resonating from his body, and bolts of lightning randomly sparked. He got up, but fell back to one knee, spitting out blood from his mouth. The water demon's hand wrapped around Nightshade's skull and then Nightshade let out a burst of flames, knocking the water demon back. Nightshade grew tired of this nonsense. He grabbed the rosary around his neck and yanked it off. A red aura along with blackness wrapped around his body. He grew to ten feet tall, his eyes filled with an angry red.

The demigod let out a momentous roar, fiercer than a lion, and as fearful as a dragon. Nightshade knocked the water demon to the ground then grabbed it's legs, freezing them. Nightshade smashed both his fists on the frozen legs, shattering them to pieces, causing the beast to roar in pain.

Nightshade then grabbed the beast's face, and froze the rest of it's body. Nightshade stood up straight, and roared to the heavens above, right before shattering the frozen water demon into oblivion with his metal fist. Nightshade stumbled across the ground, and grabbed the rosary putting it back on. He fell to his knees, in his human form, watching the rain pour down upon him, and watch the lightning spark and crackle…as it reflected in his eyes. The demigod fell over sideways, weakened by the sudden release of power that was his Werehog form.

**XXXXXX**

It felt like hours or days to him. It was always this way for the loathing Demigod of Death. He couldn't bare to awaken from this mystery, for he was unable to even muster up the strength to solve it. No one else would help him, mainly because he wouldn't _let_ them and simply because he didn't _believe_ in assistance from others. If Tojiro had made it this far on his own, what should stop him now? Nothing seems to ever phase this heartless being, nothing seems to bother him, but when a new journey begins, that is when the spirit of a person is _truly_ tested. It reveals what limitations people have, and just how far they stretch. Unbeknownst to Tojiro, however, those limits were already being torn apart. Tojiro's eyes opened, his orange pupils blinked, looking from the left to the right. He found himself sinking in a bottomless ocean! His eyes tightened, his orange pupils vanishing from his eyes and glowing red filling them up. His hood fell over his head as soon as the demigod of hate dashed upwards.

"Who dares to dispose me like trash? They…will surely pay!" he said in angry thought, giving one final boost up through the murky depths.

The burning wreckage of an airplane crashed into the water. A massive aircraft carrier passed by, smoke trailing from both its' sides. The anti-air weapons lit the sunny sky up with lead, piercing into the jet black ship that loomed overhead. From the red patterns, hundreds of crimson beams shot down, blasting into the water or blowing destroyer ships to bits.

"We just lost two more destroyers sir. If the **Neuroi** keep this barrage up, we'll next!" said the sailor.

"Don't worry…we got Witches in the skies. They'll stop that damn ship." said the captain, looking up at the ebony ship, suddenly sputtering a few explosions.

Flying with the power of the Striker Unit was Yoshika Miyafuji. As she passed over the ship's top hull, she fired type 99 aircraft gun with no hint of stopping. A sudden barrage of lasers came for her. Miyafuji yelped, ceasing her barrage and dashing straight up to avoid the blasts.

"You okay there Miyafuji?" asked the squadron leader of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Mio Sakamoto.

"Yeah! I'm fine." she replied, quickly dodging another barrage.

Sakamoto quickly worried about herself when seeing a massive barrage of red lasers coming for her. The blasts hit against her projected magic shield. She growled against the power the Neuroi was giving. Sakamoto ultimately caused the blasts to finally dissipate. She dashed down, driving her katana through the right wing, causing an angry moan to come from the Neuroi ship.

"She hurt it!" yelled Miyafuji.

The wing slowly began to regenerate. Sakamoto knew the Neuroi were persistent, but not for this long. The beams shot down at Sakamoto, and her only. She created another shield of magic, but this time, it blasted right through her.

"SAKAMOTO!" screamed Miyafuji, with tears in her eyes.

As the fateful squadron leader slowly fell down towards the ocean below, she could not help but think, she may die a noble cause. In the ocean depths, a certain demon finally saw light on the surface.

"Finally." he mumbled, gripping his chest. Tojiro changed into his Darkrai form, his turquoise eye burning brightly. He gave one final boost, and he blasted up out of the water, quickly spotting Sakamoto falling towards him.

"What the hell is this?" he asked himself.

Nightshade couldn't help but let the girl safely land in his arms. He soared higher and higher, glaring at the girl. Her eye slowly opened up, recognizing her savior.

"W-Wh-What are…you?" she asked.

"That's one way to start an introduction. Whatever _you _are…it can't be a pilot…you're not very good at it." he stated.

"Just who do you think you are?" she said, raising her voice.

"Bye." Nightshade said, letting her go, watching her drop down.

The squadron leader quickly used her Striker Units to stop in mid air, glaring up at the demigod.

"Who is that? What does he want?" she questioned.

Nightshade faced the massive ship, as it let out an angry grunt. "What? You pissed?" he asked.

The ship shot a mass of red beams at the demigod. Nightshade automatically created a barrier of crimson red Chaos energy around his entire body, and staying exactly where he was.

"What kind of power is that?" questioned Miyafuji.

The barrier lowered, Nightshade grabbed and unsheathed Dragon's Bane, the symbols along both sides of the blade were glowing red.

"So be it…fool." muttered the last Nightshade.

The ship shot out a hundred beams at the demigod of death. Nightshade charged forward, pointing his sword forward, which simply deflected any beam that came his way.

"None of this fits. I'm fighting a magic water demon…the next thing I end up in some unknown dimension. Just who the hell is trying to kill me this time?" he said in angered thought.

Nightshade finally pushed through the beams and plowed straight up through the Neuroi ship. Nightshade circled around in the air, looking down at the ship. The massive hole he created slowly filled itself. A whole barrage came and smacked Nightshade out of the sky, however, he wasn't ready to quit. Nightshade shot a humongous bolt of electricity out of his right hand. It wrapped the entire ship in a deadly conductive force, making it groan and shriek in agony.

"Regeneration, huh? Then I'll just test out how much this thing CAN TAKE!" he roared, charging back at it. The ship let out yet another ferocious barrage.

"There's no way…he's going straight into it?" exclaimed Sakamoto.

Nightshade easily flew into the deadly onslaught of lasers, spinning in circles, and easily dodging every single shot as he flew through the hellish rain of power. He made it through the storm, and raised his sword up as he came towards the ship. A single beam, at a gigantic diameter, enveloped the demigod, creating a massive explosion in mid-air. Sakamoto stared in awe at the brilliant light. It finally dimmed, and there revealed; Nightshade. His cloak torn to shreds at the sleeves, revealing his right arm, and in all it's metallic entirety. Nightshade sheathed his blade and charged for the ship, hitting it with amazing force, causing to fling down towards the ocean water. The ship landed on the water's surface, and down came the demigod of death. He drove Dragon's Bane deep into the middle portion of the humongous ship, creating a massive explosion of red light. Nightshade was up in the air, watching the crimson glow slowly vanish.

"What?" Nightshade exclaimed.

The ship was still in tact, and it sent a barrage of red lasers up at Nightshade, blasting him out of the sky, and into the ocean.

"This just doesn't stop getting stranger." stumbled Yoshika.

"Are you alright?" asked Sakamoto, flying up to her.

"Yeah! Just fine!" she replied.

A sudden blast from the Neuroi ship caused the two witches to quickly split apart to avoid potential damage.

"The damn Neuroi don't know when to stop, don't they?" said the admiral of the fleet carrier below.

The Neuroi ship aimed for the fleet carrier.

"It's aiming for us! All guns, OPEN FIRE!" ordered the admiral.

The anti-air weapons all shot out, but the ferocious blasts from the Neuroi ship easily broke through, hitting the deck of the carrier, rocking the entire ship. "The ship is capsizing sir!" said one of the sailors.

The massive carrier slowly began to tip over sideways. Several fires broke out, including a series of some explosions.

"NO! The ship!" exclaimed Sakamoto, flying towards it. A sudden blast from the Neuroi ship hit her in the back, causing her to fall unconscious, down to the ocean.

"Sakamoto! NO!" screamed a tearful Yoshika. Sakamoto splashed into the water with intensity, and sank to the bottom. Sakamoto slowly opened her eyes, seeing a massive red glow shine in the ocean depths. She then saw, a pair of large slit shaped orange eyes, coming up towards her.

The Neuroi ship was ready for the final mark, that would destroy the fleet carrier. "Abandon ship! Save all that you can!" ordered the admiral.

"Roger that, sir!" said one of the sailors.

The ship was only feet from finally tipping all the way into the water, until a massive force suddenly stopped. Everyone in the bridge were shook by the sudden force.

"Just what the hell was that?" said the admiral, walking over to the window on the left.

The admiral saw a massive silver creature risen up, holding the ship from capsizing with its right hand. The creature stood a massive one hundred feet tall, it was none other than Nightshade, transformed into his mecha form. In his large left hand was Sakamoto, unconscious. Nightshade spotted a dangerous hole in the ship's hull where the water was getting in from. He waved his head, causing a glob of water to cover the spot, then freeze it. Nightshade pushed the ship back to it's original position. Nightshade rested Sakamoto on the deck, and he turned his angry intentions toward the Neuroi ship. His orange eyes burned angrily. He let out a thunderous roar, revealing a burning fire in the back of his throat. Nightshade stormed through the water, and leaped up, to grab both wings of the Neuroi ship. He tugged down, forcing it down into the water. Nightshade began to carelessly pound away at the ship. Nightshade tore both the wings off, tossing them away at random portions of the oceans. Nightshade then creaked his mouth open, revealing a surge of fire from within his mouth. Nightshade tore off a good section of the ship, revealing it's core. Nightshade then gulped, and blasted the wave of fire down at the core. It created a massive explosion of fire. The gigantic cloud of orange, red, and yellow sung up into the sky, at least over a hundred feet. The rest of the Strike Witches have arrived, witnessing such an event. The huge silhouette of Nightshade turned around, facing the ship. He then roared up to the sky, while the dangerously amount of fire swarmed behind him. The Strike Witches landed on the ship, Perrine being the first to hurry by Sakamoto's side. Yoshika also landed, removing her Strike Unit, and rushing to Sakamoto's side.

"God, is she okay?" said the frightened Yoshika.

"She better be!" exclaimed the defensive Perrine.

The rest of the crew, including the admiral hurried onto the damaged deck of the fleet carrier.

"Is the Major okay?" asked the admiral.

"Still unsure." answered the frail voiced Shirley.

The admiral looked out to the ocean, noticing that Nightshade had gone. "What? Where did that thing go?" he asked.

Suddenly at the front of the ship, Nightshade's massive hand gripped hold, shaking the ship, and everyone on it. His other hand gripped hold too, revealing the giant drenched demigod, his eyes flaring with anger and hate. He stood over the ship, glaring down at it.

"Holy…" Francesca began, but Lynette covered her mouth just in time.

Nightshade's eyes blinked, he looked at the massive rosary that was implanted in his chest. The stone was blinking orange. He suddenly gripped it, his eyes tightening. A light surrounded him, and he appeared on the other edge of the deck, in his human form, entirely cloaked. Tojiro moved forward to the Strike Witches.

"Can we trust him?" whispered the uncertain Yoshika.

"I wouldn't want to doubt it." said Minna, giving Tojiro a very distinct glare of tension.

Tojiro stepped inside the circle that surrounded the Witches dear major, and he kneeled down on one knee.

"Turn her over." he mumbled. The Witches didn't quite get his message.

"Do you wish for her life to be wasted? Turn her over, I said!" he exclaimed suddenly.

Perrine and Yoshika turned the major over, revealing a horrible wound in the Major's back. "Oh my! Major!" shrieked a frightened Perrine.

Tojiro stripped the material off the left sleeve of his cloak and rested it on the wound. Tojiro then rested his right hand on it, creating a sudden blue light. The Witches all stared in amazement at the wondrous light. Tojiro finally lifted his hand up, then rose to his feet. Perrine and Yoshika turned the major back over on her back, and her eye began to open.

"Major?" said an eccentric Yoshika.

She was alive, and all so well. Tojiro blinked a few times, hidden by the shroud of darkness in his hood. Tojiro looked at his right arm. It was still cloaked, but steam puffed out from the sleeve. He tightened his eyes on the sight, then looked back at the Witches rejoice over their major being so fortunate, or just as lucky that the Cloakmaster was there.

In the sick bay of the carrier Akagi, sat a very fortunate Sakamoto.

"I'm so glad that you made it through Sakamoto! You had everyone worried!" exclaimed Yoshika out of joy and care.

"I wish I could understand what happened. Who was it that saved me?" asked the Major.

"Ohhh, that's what we're all confused about right now." noted Yoshika.

Sakamoto sat back in her bed, looking out the rounded window to her left.

"And what of the other Witches?" asked the Commander.

"They were all ordered back to base. Minna said I could stay here and wait until you would wake up….she was the most worried out of us all." said Yoshika, lowering her head an inch or so.

Sakamoto quickly shifted gazes from the window to the young witch. Sakamoto smiled regardless, and laughed. Yoshika looked up in confusion, soon sharing a smile, and a series of laughter with her Commander.

The door into the sick bay suddenly creaked with an odd noise. The two witches looked at it. Suddenly, the door was kicked down, and Tojiro walked inside, his sleeves crossed into one another.

"Honestly, is it so difficult to use a door knob, instead of that damn wheel?" he cursed.

The two were still staring at him, big surprise there! Tojiro appeared shorter, he was in his hedgehog form at this time. The demigod switched gazes between the two Strike Witches, deep in thought of why they were still giving him such looks. However, it was probably something of a sarcastic manner, no surprise there either.

"How's your back?" he asked in a monotone.

"It's fine. I'm grateful. But who are you?" said the Major questioningly.

Nightshade sensed this easily, though he had no regrets of answering her, not anymore that is.

"My name is Tojiro. You're very lucky by living through that shot." he said, lowering his arms.

"Sakamoto has been through a lot! That's why she makes such a great leader!" said Perrine, suddenly entering.

"Perrine?" said a surprised Sakamoto.

Perrine almost tripped while walking inside, noticing the broken down door.

"And I have noticed that…either she wouldn't have made it to this room. Be grateful for the small things." Tojiro said, turning half way to the girl.

She huffed, already disagreeing with Tojiro's attitude.

"What is this place? If you don't mind me asking." asked the demigod, facing Yoshika and Sakamoto again.

The two Witches exchanged glances.

"You may ponder all you wish…I am NOT one of those things you ladies faced." Tojiro said, reading their thoughts.

The two looked stunned, that was what the two Witches were doubting of the demigod. Tojiro glared continuously, not knowing an answer would come. Tojiro turned back around, seeing an angry Perrine up to his face, and her fists clenched by her side.

"Does everyone hear send more glares than I do? Dear god!" Tojiro thought mentally.

"Tojiro…was it?" said Sakamoto. The demigod turned around upon hearing his cursed name.

"I will give you the answers you seek later. For now, Yoshika, show him to one of our available rooms." Sakamoto answered. Tojiro's eyes tightened, as a sign of thankfulness.

Yoshika and Tojiro exited the room, the two walking down the hall side by side. Tojiro kept an estranged face, hating being put into a dimension he had no idea about, just look at the past. However, it was good on Yoshika's part that she didn't have to see such an angry grimace, for the demigod may take the Witch's life, or something possibly lesser. Not much is known for what is going on within the mind of this heartless being, maybe because no one lived to even utter a word, not without Tojiro 'permission.' Yoshika took a quick look at the fearless warrior, to which he suddenly glared at her. Full of nervousness, she looked back forward. Tojiro kept his eyes trained on her, seeing much indifference and bias in the girl, but it's not like he cared.

"How do you like the base so far?" asked Yoshika, a bright smile.

"I don't see much interest in many things." he replied suddenly.

Yoshika's eyes dripped, expecting such an answer. Who could blame her? Tojiro stopped at one door, quickly turning to it. Yoshika stopped after noticing his halt.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Tojiro gripped the door, and gripped it tight.

"Something's not right on the other side." he uttered, tearing the door from its hinges, and tossing it aside.

Yoshika quickly ducked from it. In the room was Shirley and Francesca, both in a bath. However, it was Francesca who was performing more 'physical' gropes on Shirley's chest area.

"Damn. Luck…curse you." Tojiro said, standing in a straight pose.

"What the hell are you looking at?" shouted an embarrassed Shirley.

"Two fools, and the one fool who is allowing so much access to her own body. That's what I'm looking at." he said.

Shirley threw a shampoo bottle, which hit Tojiro in the forehead, very hard to be more specific. His head was forced into an upward position.

"Ouch." he mumbled pointlessly. He looked back forward, bent down to grab the door he kicked down.

"My apologies. Please…_continue_." he said kindly, before putting the door back in place. Tojiro sighed heavily while looking off to the left. The demigod then looked back at Yoshika, her mouth gaped, and her face crimson red.

"What?" he shrugged.

**XXXXX**

Yoshika led Tojiro to an empty room for him to use. "Here we are!" she declared joyfully.

Tojiro walked in, grumbling as he observed the room. Yoshika believed he was 'testing' its quality. Tojiro came to the desk, resting his metal hand on it, remembering how hard he worked on writing his book, chronicling his journeys as a tale of aftermath from many experiences. Tojiro gripped the sheathed blade of Dragon's Bane, holding it with both his hands. Tojiro carefully rested the sword on the desk, and rested a small booklet on it as well. The booklet was black, and the symbol of the Shade Empire was on it. It was obvious he made it. Yoshika was still at the door, her hands clasped behind her back.

Tojiro turned around to her, "Yes?" he spoke up, expecting Yoshika to comment.

"I have to thank you for saving Sakamoto! So thank you very much!" Yoshika confessed, bowing to him.

Tojiro was busily scratching his head at such quick thanks. "Thank you for the hospitality. Good night." he said, bowing back.

Yoshika quickly gasped, noticing she was still bowing. Yoshika quickly stood straight, giving him one last smile before shutting the door.

It was night, and the moon was full. Sanya, one always put on night patrol because of her exceptional ability to easily spot Neuroi, was up above the clouds, using her magic to make sure the perimeter was clear, and to deal with any Neuroi if spotted. Tojiro was in his room, looking in his journal which he laid out. Dragon's Bane was laying out on the desk, and it was the only he had brought with him. He entrusted his good friend, the super Spartan Daisy, to take care of his other weapons back on Sargasso. Tojiro's hood was down, his blank white eyes glazing across the pages of his journal. Sometimes they changed, sometimes they remained in an intense glare. Yet his distinct looks all connected to one single topic, his dreaded past of vengeance. A vengeance against those who put this curse upon him. The Great Shade Empire, the people we was born into, the people he was raised by, and in the end, betrayed him.

Can he even come to the point of interest where even he must consider his own nation a nation of lies? He was vengeful to Dominic, for being a leading cause to rid of him before he even became Nightshade. He was vengeful to his father, who was brought back from the, and he was forced to murder some while ago during that fateful night in Tokyo…

_Tojiro's bloodied and beaten father fell to the illuminated ring that was created around the near top of Tokyo Tower. Nightshade came over to Ultimatus, his father's given name as a Nightshade. _

"_What will you do, my son?" he questioned. _

_Tojiro held his Energy Sword in his tight grip. "I never wanted any of this. And yet…I was brought back to give you a reason. That one reason…that would ultimately make this world suffer. I did not want that!" said Ultimatus. _

_Tojiro looked "slightly" heartfelt at his father's dying words. _

"_I…I needed to fight you. Not because…not because of why I was brought back…but…but to make you fight like a man…who was already dead." he said. _

"_Is it true then? Was I born with this mark?" Tojiro asked, resting his hand on the symbol on his forehead. _

_Ultimatus's eyes shook with fear. A fear of answering such a question. "WAS I OR NOT, FATHER?" roared the angry Nightshade. _

"_Yes. Yes…you were. I entrusted that you would learn love…from your dear mother…but…but…" he trailed off. _

_Tojiro's eyes burned angrily. Blood suddenly dripped from Tojiro's eyes, angered and sad at such memories. Tojiro lifted up his Energy Sword, "Welcome to the future…father." he said, driving it forward into his father's heart._

The vision suddenly ended, just as Tojiro closed his journal, and keeping his hands positioned in such a way. His eyes were completely shook, and they were shaking.

"I control…my body. It…does not control me." he thought in painful angst.

Tojiro put the book down, then opened his eyes back up. They were full of red glowing energy. He looked out the window in front of his desk, staring at the full moon that soon reflected in his eyes once red flowing energy in his eyes went back to clear white. The room suddenly shook. He growled, getting up from the seat, and heading out the door to see what the noise was came from.

_**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**_Ryu: "I'm afraid this isn't over, Tojiro."

Tojiro: "And what of it? What power in this world can even try to challenge me?"

Sakamoto: "Just what are those two up to? Yoshika, you got a minute? What are those two talking about?"

Yoshika: "I'm not sure, Sakamoto. Whatever it is, it sure sounds serious."

Ryu: "Fear. With chaos and fear, **_he_** will make his rise to power. It is now your responsibility to uphold your role in this world, Cloakmaster Ankoku!"

Tojiro: "**Chaos Fear? Nightmare Scythe? **This better be worth what you speak, Ryu.

Ryu: "Much like yourself, I wouldn't dare speak a lie."

Tojiro: "Then let the Nightmare Wars begin."

NEXT TIME! **_THE BECKONING WAR!_**


	2. Chapter II

**_CHAPTER II: THE BECKONING WAR_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku a.k.a. Nightshade and Ryu Kaze! All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners! You know, I'm just going to use parenthesis from now on when one of my originals pop up! In the past I didn't use them at all, but I just decided I will use them, XD. Enjoy!**

In the Strike Witches hangar, Shirley, Francesca and Barkhorn were working on their Strikers.

"Could you try and lessen the damn noise you make from that thing, please!" complained Barkhorn.

"Calm down! She's making it more better! What's so wrong with that?" Francesca defended.

"It's night, everyone's asleep! I can't believe I'm doing this!" said Barkhorn, fiddling with the inside components of her Striker Unit.

"So what do _you_ think of that thing who saved our butts earlier? He seemed kinda like a jerk." said Francesca, sitting on top of a steel crate.

"He saved the ship, and the Major. But what he turned into, that was just too crazy!" said Shirley.

"Do tell." said Tojiro's voice.

The three Witches yelped, and Francesca fell backwards off the crate, and her Striker Unit fell on top of her, making even more raucous.

"Am I honestly surrounded by fools?" he declared soundly.

Francesca's hands gripped the edge of the crate and her eyes were in swirls.

"You shouldn't scare people like that!" exclaimed Barkhorn.

"Trust me, I've done far worse that are worse than _scary_." he stated.

Shirley ignored his comment, and went over to help Francesca put her Striker Unit back up. Tojiro was observing Shirley's, tilting his head at it with _some_ curiosity.

"You've never heard of us before?" asked Shirley, approaching the demigod.

Tojiro turned to the girl, seeing her hands on her hips.

"Exactly, who are you, then?" he asked.

"The Strike Witches! You've really never heard of us? Where've you been this whole time?" she said shockingly, more confused of how he could've not heard of their famous group.

"No, I truly haven't. From the sound of it, you act as this world's only hope, am I right?" he replied.

"You got it right! We've been fighting the Neuroi for a while now!" Shirley replied graciously.

"Neuroi. Are you referring to that ship that _I _destroyed?" he asked.

"Yes, that's them. _Dumb ass_." Shirley replied.

Tojiro sensed her muffled two words she said mentally, making his eyes twinge, but he easily shrugged it off.

Tojiro later found himself climbing. He was climbing up the Strike Witches base, feeling he needed some exercise. Tojiro stopped, his metal claws dug into the concrete, while in his flesh normal left hand, had his Nightmare Claws dug in to support himself. He turned to the right, noticing the puffy clouds slowly drift by the moon, while it's enticing glow shined through them, and sparkled on the water below.

"Where is that one Witch? I sensed her primitive wave patterns earlier." he thought to himself.

Tojiro looked up the spire he was climbing, his other clawed hand into the concrete. "Dammit." he cursed.

Tojiro pressed himself against the surface and jumped, changing his Nightmare Claws back into his normal fingers. A black mist surrounded him, and he entered his Darkrai form. At the same time, Tojiro spun in a corkscrew and dashed across the sky, and towards the clouds, feeling a growing sense in the back of his head that he had to be somewhere. As the Demigod of Death soared through the soft clouds, he began to feel an uncertain pattern in the air. A sense of something troublesome…something otherworldly. Tojiro's turquoise glowing quickly looked forward, after hearing a very loud explosion. Tojiro shot forward like a rocket. He burst through the cloud bank, and Sanya came flying into his arms, badly hurt.

"What the? What has done this?" he said.

His reflexes tingled. Tojiro's eye widened, and he immediately used Chaos Control to teleport himself. A massive array of red lasers burst through where he was just hovering. The Demigod reappeared in mid-air, looking upwards at an diagonal angle. He was two large Neuroi ships coming down.

"They will suffer for shooting at me." he mumbled to himself. Sanya's eyes slowly began to open, noticing the Cloakmaster.

"You were ambushed. I thought you could handle these fools." Tojiro said immediately.

"Not this time." she said weakly.

The Cloakmaster huffed ignorantly, "I guess luck doesn't last forever." he said, looking back at the two incoming Neuroi ships.

"Looks like this may prove difficult, huh." Tojiro thought to himself, noticing that this will be one very challenging battle.

With his arms full, literally, Tojiro swerved from left to right, up and down. Whatever direction there was, he used it to dodge the barrage coming from the two persistent Neuroi ships. Tojiro's eye shined, shooting a straight beam of green that hit the belly of the closest Neuroi ship. Tojiro quickly flew to the left, keeping Sanya tightly locked in his arms. Tojiro headed for the ship on the right.

"Can you move at all?" he asked, keeping a strained focus on the ship he was planning to attack.

"Yes. But not…for long." she said.

"Then you're going to have to trust me for a second. Ready that oversized weapon of yours." Tojiro spoke, dashing higher into the sky.

Sanya readied her modified rocket launcher, known as the Fliegerhummer, and aimed it forward. Tojiro gave one final boost, creating a heavily powered red spherical barrier around the two. Tojiro pierced straight through the underbelly and out of the top.

"Here we go!" he said, tossing Sanya up into the air.

The Strike Witch aimed her weapon down, knowing where Tojiro pierced the hull, revealed the core. Sanya quickly aimed, but she lifted her head quickly to notice the other Neuroi ship had already fired at her. Tojiro came in it's way, taking the shot, as his smoking body flung past Sanya.

"TAKE THE DAMN SHOT!" he called, recovering from the hit.

Sanya quickly fired three rockets at the Neuroi's core. White dust sparked from the dangerous explosion. The dying scream of the Neuroi ship filled the nighttime air, then it imploded in a cloud of white. Tojiro turned his head to the left, seeing another blast come from the last remaining Neuroi ship. He fired a large bolt of blue electricity which collided with the Neuroi's blast, causing a massive explosion, pushing Tojiro back through the air. He lowered his X crossed arms from his face, his eye glowing brightly, and very angrily. Sanya fired five rockets from her weapon, which exploded against the right side of the ship, causing the ship to cry out in pain. Tojiro held his hands over his head, creating a large sphere of stormy energy. It was black and dark purple, with a shining red core in the center of it. Tojiro lowered his arms, firing the ball forward. The sphere of energy passed through the sky, and began to grew in size. The sphere ripped through the Neuroi's right wing, causing it to turn downwards. It fired a barrage at both Sanya and Tojiro. Sanya put up her shield just in time, and Tojiro safely put up his barrier. The shooting at Tojiro suddenly halted, and he looked confused. The same amount of fire then shot at Sanya.

"Damn it all!" he roared, lowering his shield, and charging over to Sanya's position.

The overload of blasts were inches from Sanya, her shields weren't going to hold up such force. In just mere seconds, the red glow of the Neuroi's laser reflected off of Sanya's eyes, and in came Tojiro; quickly grabbing her and safely making a safe getaway from the Neuroi's firing range.

Tojiro spun around, coming to a stop, and he let Sanya go, as she hovered in mid air with him.

"I'm going to finish this. YOU stay here!" he said.

A sudden red beam hit him in the back, and he kept his position, only that he was bending forward.

"Tojiro!" exclaimed Sanya.

"Stop being foolish. That was nothing." he said, turning around.

Sanya gasped at the huge burn mark in his back, which also tore a perfect circle in his cloak. Tojiro charged towards the ship.

"Tojiro! Wait!" Sanya cried out.

"The fool. I will not stop." he muttered.

The Neuroi ship let loose hundreds of red blasts at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro was hit in the shoulder, than smacked back by another. Yet he still recovered, by flying in a loop, and kept flying forwards.

"Those who get in the way of MY vengeance…" he began.

Tojiro raised his cloak's right sleeve, revealing his metal arm. With his left hand, he grabbed the dial at the side of the metal arm's shoulder. Tojiro then dashed up into the sky. He appeared in front of the moon, and turned the dial a few turns.

"THOSE WHO STAND IN MY WAY OF VENGEANCE…WILL DIE!" he roared.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A bright orange light surrounded him. Rays of light broke through the clouds, and Sanya shielded her eyes from the blinding rays. Tojiro was in his massive mecha form. He was at thirty feet tall, as he nose dived towards the Neuroi ship. The blasts he took from the ship merely bounced off his sturdy armor. Tojiro then got himself into an elbow drop position, and smashed right onto the ship, immediately sending it down towards the ocean below. White streams of dust sprang off from the ship.

At the Strike Witches base, Shirley, Francesca, and Barkhorn were standing outside, witnessing the fall of the mighty ship. The ship crashed into the water. Tojiro was still in his mecha form, and he began to sink due to his immense weight and proportion. Tojiro's orange slit eyes turned off, a white light surrounding him, turning him into his human form. His eyes opened back up, and a sudden needle attached to a long tail stabbed him in the gut. His orange pupils appeared in his eyes. The long tail was coming from the darkness of the ocean depths. Suddenly, the tail began to rise. Tojiro noticed a cloaked figure coming up, his right arm was the tail that was being driven into his ribs. "Greetings…Cloakmaster." said the sly male voice.

"Who are you?" Tojiro roared.

"Me? You will learn…soon enough. It is a gracious honor that I've finally gotten to meet you. Is that surprising?" continued the cloaked man.

"No surprise included once you confront a murderer or a demon." Tojiro snapped.

"And I suppose you're in-between, yes?" said the man, raising his left arm.

Tentacles came out of his sleeve, and wrapped around Tojiro's neck. "You may not know Hell Shade…but I'm going to be _very_ important in your _future_ endeavors." he said.

"We shall see…devil." said a familiar voice.

The cloaked man looked up, a ray of golden light ran right into him, breaking the stinger like tail that impaled Tojiro, as well as the tentacles.

"Ryu." muttered the cloaked man.

The real legendary Nightshade hovered down, and grabbed the weary Tojiro by the hood of his cloak and charged for the surface.

"I will have my revenge. You can count on that…**brother**." mumbled the evil voice of the man, as he slowly disappeared in the black ocean depths.

On the runway of the Strike Witches base, Sanya met Francesca, Shirley and Barkhorn, while questioning over how to get Tojiro back. However, Ryu slowly hovered down in front of the Witches, and carefully rested Tojiro down. That problem was solved! The Witches hurried over to the two.

"He'll be alright. There is no need to worry." Ryu proposed.

Tojiro's face was revealed to them. They were mostly confused by the bandana around his forehead, with the Japanese symbol of Death on it. It frightened them more than it did shock them. Sanya, moved the bandanna up, revealing the black symbol of the Shade Empire on his forehead, shining red. Ryu tilted his head at this.

"What did he do this time? Why is he after Tojiro?" Ryu questioned himself mentally, looking up at the shining moon, hoping he would find answers, because a certain Cloakmaster was definitely going to ask them once he awakens.

Tojiro sat up immediately. He looked left and right. He was in a bed. His cloak was resting on a chair next to the bed. Tojiro huffed, ruffling his black hair with his fingers. He looked down, at his rosary.

"That checks out." he said.

Tojiro removed the sheets that covered his legs. He reached into the pocket of his black baggy cargo pants, and pulled out his black journal. Tojiro's eyes turned solemn. He rest his hand on the book, then opened it. His eyes tightened at the page he opened to. Tojiro sighed, and closed the book, then put it back in his pocket. Tojiro's black T-shirt was sitting next to his cloak. He quickly snatched it and put it on, then took his chain necklace rosary, making sure he was wearing it over his shirt. Tojiro went for the door, opening it. Yoshika, Francesca, Perrine, Sanya, and Shirley had their ears at the door, once it was closed of course.

"So…you actually wondered of my situation? How foolish." he said, not surprised by their attitude.

Tojiro was walking down the hall, holding the sheathed Dragon's Bane in hand.

"Just who was that? And where the hell is Ryu?" Tojiro questioned in thought.

"Hey! Tojiro, wait!" called Lynnette.

He turned around halfway, watching her suddenly trip. Tojiro slid across the ground, and caught her. Her blushing face in his chest. She swiftly backed away out of embarrassment, looking away with her eyes closed.

"You call?" he said. Lynn quickly exited her nervousness, and looked at the Cloakmaster.

"You forgot this." she said, handing him his headband.

Tojiro looked at the symbol of Death, his eyes tightened. He grabbed it, and stuffed it in his cloak pocket.

"If you're curious, there's a cloaked man with some staff in the lunch room. He said he knows you." Lynn informed.

Tojiro's attention was finally caught by such information. "Could you lead the way? I must speak with him." he replied.

"Sure! Follow me." she replied, not expecting a kind reply.

Tojiro moved out of the way, and Lynn walked forward, and lead the curious Cloakmaster to Ryu, so he could finally get his questions on this mysterious new threat he encountered in those murky waters.

The cloaked Ryu was speaking with Sakamoto, who had recovered just recently.

"If I may ask of you…I only presume that I stay for a day or so." he began.

"You seem questionable enough by a lot of people here. How can we trust you?" replied Sakamoto.

"Because I have nothing left to fight for. I would not engage in a fight that'll permit me nothing but uselessness. You can trust me Miss Sakamoto." Ryu presented.

"Well then, I will allow it. But what of your friend, that Tojiro character. He protected this base, and saved Sanya last night." Sakamoto explained.

"My, my! Are you actually thanking the lad? No one has done that for centuries!" laughed Ryu, not in an offensive way though.

"Since you know him so well, will he be able to keep calm while he stays here?" asked Sakamoto.

"Do not worry! The boy has had learned much, suffered much, lost much…" Ryu suddenly trailed off.

Sakamoto looked at him with confusion.

"Tojiro isn't a human being anymore. But I'm sure, he can change!" Ryu said, changing his voice to a happier tone.

The doors to the lunch room were immediately kicked down, and they flung forwards into the room. Tojiro put his right foot down, and stormed inside, with the rest of the Strike Witches standing behind him, bewildered.

"It is best if you don't speak to him. Tojiro! I know you have questions-" began the glorified Ryu only to be silenced when Tojiro aimed his powerful revolver, Black Death at Ryu's cloaked face.

Sakamoto steadily rested her hand on her katana's handle. Tojiro quickly looked at her, and he unsheathed Dragon's Bane with his right hand, and swinging it, but keeping it inches from her neck. Sakamoto froze, gritting her teeth at this risky position.

"Ryu, a mere bullet may finish you, if I try. You, all I need is one hand and my sword to perform a decapitation, so don't think about it." Tojiro said.

Sakamoto slowly removed her hand from the handle of her katana.

"Let us all calm down! Tojiro, I am willing to give you answers, but please lower that weapon of yours." Ryu explained.

Tojiro lowered his gun, and put it in the holster, then he sheathed Dragon's Bane, not noticing the angry Strike Witches behind him for threatening their trusted leader. Tojiro sat down on the opposite side of the table, and Ryu sat down as well.

"I know this may sound difficult…but this _slightly_ involves the Crescent Moon Kingdom." Ryu began.

A red aura immediately grew around the demigod.

"Simmer down, only slightly." Ryu noted again.

"What concerns me is that the word _slightly_ means exact, Ryu. Why are they involved?" Tojiro snapped questioningly.

"Because it also concerns you, my son." said Ryu strongly.

Tojiro lifted an eyebrow. He wasn't surprised that the problem was situated around him, but he pondered why it was. Tojiro left his reasoning behind, and carefully listened to Ryu's explanation.

"At the midpoint of your life, the Crescent Moon Kingdom would've tried anything to get rid of you." Ryu began.

"But they were running low on resources and excuses. That forbidden Chaos energy could've been used to kill me easily." said Tojiro.

"Like you say, they could have, but it was forbidden to use it. That power can truly reveal a lot about a person; **Chaos Fear**. That's what it was called." Ryu said, sounding lost in his own words.

Tojiro understood his awkwardness, knowing he was the real Nightshade, and the single one who dealt with these problems eons ago.

"When Orion managed to capture you…he was ordered to bring you to the Gates of Hell, correct?" Ryu continued.

"Yes. He was lucky I didn't wake up, the cursed fool." Tojiro grumbled angrily.

"He persuaded King Minos to send you to the Ninth Circle of Hell; Treachery. Minos agreed immediately, knowing no better place to send your cursed soul."

"But it was all for time, right?" replied Nightshade.

"It may have seemed that way. You woke up, and I can take you were very angry?" Ryu asked.

"I was in Hell. Who goes to Hell in a good mood? I walked through that frozen tundra of Hell, fighting demons and the giants that laid there!" Tojiro up roared, standing up.

The Witches looked confused out of the whole situation.

"The tale is not done yet, please, sit down and continue." Ryu proposed.

Tojiro sat back down, resting his arms on the table, shaking his head with frustration.

"I had to fight my way up through **all** Nine Circles. I saw torture and death. I even saw the souls I have murdered and condemned…and they still deserved it." Tojiro explained.

"And that journey up through the Blind World, how long did it take for you?" he asked.

"An entire week, to say the least bit. But how does this include the Crescent Moon Kingdom?" questioned the Cloakmaster.

"I only said that to include this moment of your past. The reason for that mysterious figure to attack you was on a whole another level." Ryu answered.

"Well go ahead and tell me. No world can hold me." Tojiro stated.

Ryu took in a heavy sigh, not knowing what he was getting himself into at all, but it was imperative that Tojiro knows, or else.

"Lucifer, the singular evil of all Hell…has been dead now for some centuries. A new evil…sits in his place." Ryu revealed.

"Are you saying that the man who ambushed me in the water is the new devil?" asked Tojiro.

"He does not appear as a monster, nor does he appear human. He is nothing. Complete darkness shutters itself around him. Tojiro…I'm afraid that the multi-verse will need your help again." Ryu said, nodding his head at the Cloakmaster.

Tojiro removed his arms from the table, and crossed them across his chest, hating the sound of such news. Tojiro's beliefs didn't allow him to believe he's a hero, he has done too many wicked things to the world, he hates the word 'hero' than anything else.

Tojiro and Ryu were outside, standing at a cliff side, that was on the Strike Witches island base.

"This new devil is called the 'Shinigami of Nikushimi'." said Ryu.

"The Death God of Hatred? What's his real name?" asked Tojiro.

"His name is Akuma, no surprise there, right?" said Ryu.

"I'm not going to help." Tojiro said, stopping.

Ryu turned around in confusion. "W-wh-What? You must! He'll stop at nothing until this world is his!" Ryu exclaimed.

"You can become overly dramatic all you want Ryu, it isn't my problem." Tojiro said.

"It is your problem Nightshade! He'll torture you every time about your past! He will taunt you until you're ready to start this war!" Ryu shouted.

"What makes this 'war' so damn important?" questioned the Cloakmaster.

"Akuma will use the power of the most evilest weapon on the face of the planet to begin his new reign. The Nightmare Scythe is that weapon." began Ryu.

Tojiro growled as Ryu's persistence.

"Tojiro…if he retrieves it before you…"

"WHO SAID I'M HELPING! This world has done plenty enough to try and rid itself of me!" yelled the angry Tojiro.

"It does not matter. The past is THE PAST!" roared the godly Nightshade.

Tojiro was silenced by Ryu's sudden outburst.

"You once said you would leave the past in the past…along with your other demons. Are you going against your own word now? There are people in this world that show passion to you. Don't turn your back on them, Tojiro."

Tojiro immediately turned around, resorting to his hedgehog form.

"Are you going to run?" asked Ryu.

Tojiro's shoulders were beginning to burden him, as he breathed heavily, unable to control the anger dwelling inside him.

"Get this one damn thing straight you unholy spirit…there are only **two** people I will forever cherish; Victoria! And my mother! Neither of them deserved their fate! It is because of ME that they are dead!" roared the angry Cloakmaster, dropping to his knees, and smashing the ground with both his fists.

Ryu looked solemnly at the Cloakmaster, but he could not forgive him. Who could forgive this wicked soul? This wicked soul who had murdered and condemned so many lives that almost half of hell is filled with.

"Rise…Cloakmaster." said Ryu.

Tojiro hesitated for a moment, but he rose to his feet, his hood lowered. The black furred Cloakmaster with his blank white eyes turned to Ryu, giving off an angry visage.

"You are right Tojiro. You are not a hero. You are not one who protects those in need…because you don't believe in heroism. You believe in guarding the lives of those who deserve peace…and for those who don't, you destroy them. I understand you know…but will you be able to understand that this world…is being threatened by the supernatural forces of Hell itself…and be able to reconcile within yourself…that this world… doesn't deserve to suffer? Be not our hero Cloakmaster Tojiro Ankoku…**but be our guardian**." Ryu spoke highly.

Tojiro looked at the ground, knowing this journey could answer many questions of his, it could finally resolve his vengeance against the sins of his past, so he can finally put his eternal demons to rest. Tojiro finally looked up at the first Nightshade Ryu Kaze, and he answered,

"_**Let the Nightmare Wars…begin**_." his eyes filling with glowing red.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You simply cannot go to the Blind World, Tojiro." began Ryu.

A few minutes later, the two were found walking along the cliff side.

"The Gates of Hell are afraid to reopen their doors? Then I'll break them down." inquired Tojiro.

"Times have changed Tojiro. With Akuma the new lord of Hell, he's changed things up a bit, especially by getting into Hell." Ryu replied.

"Then how?" snapped the Cloakmaster.

"It's the Scythe…you must destroy it." said Ryu.

"I see. I must retrieve it to enter Hell?" Tojiro hypothesized.

"No. You must not go there, yet. To find the Nightmare Scythe, you must first find the three Nightmare weapons." explained the god.

"And with them? How will they assist me?" questioned Nightshade.

"For many matters! They will help you on this great quest once combating the forces of Hell. The main reason for collecting them is that once all three are brought together…they reveal the location of the Nightmare Scythe." clued in Ryu.

"Interesting." mumbled Tojiro.

"After you find the first Nightmare weapon, it will reveal the location of the next." Ryu continued.

"How will I find the first one then?" questioned Tojiro, stopping by Ryu's side, as they viewed the ocean.

"It is here in this world." he announced.

Tojiro quickly looked at him with surprise. "Where? Tell me its location." Tojiro demanded.

"I'm afraid it is too late for that, my friend. Akuma already has plans for the Chains of Fear." said Ryu.

"The Chains of Fear?" said a confused Tojiro.

"They are the first Nightmare weapons you must find. The Chains of Fear are a pair of kusarigama that deliver electric stings and are able to tear the sanity out of any being." Ryu explained.

"Then why do you mention Akuma?" asked Tojiro.

"Who else would be able to do _that_?" said Ryu calmly, pointing his staff outward to the ocean.

A huge whirlpool was beginning to form in the ocean, and in the dead center, a red light began to shine.

"What's happening now?" complained Tojiro.

"Akuma is using those alien ships to summon them, and attack these girls you've met. Hoping to eliminate you as well." Ryu answered.

Tojiro huffed, and threw his hood over his head. "I'd like to see them try." he growled, unsheathing the mighty sword of legend; Dragon's Bane.

"Akuma is merely leading you on Tojiro. You mustn't attack yet." said Ryu.

"I don't care anymore, Ryu. Worry about yourself." said Tojiro.

He crouched down into a jumping position and sprang forward into the air.

"Tojiro you fool! Wait!" called Ryu, his hand extended.

"Mr. Ryu! Where is Tojiro going?" asked Yoshika, with Lynn by her side.

"A new threat is posing itself against you and this island. Tojiro…wants to lead the charge." said Ryu, lowering his head.

Tojiro waved his hand. A patch of water frozen into an icy platform. Tojiro landed on it, then stood straight up, gripping his lowered blade in his left hand. "Show your face devil scum! Let me repay the favor for cowardly ambushing me!" Tojiro exclaimed.

A sudden slew of mythological harpies came out of the whirlpool. "What is this? You damn coward!" Tojiro called, pointing his sword out.

The angry harpies all charged for the Cloakmaster. Tojiro leaped up, cutting through the horde of harpies, removing their wings, decapitating them, and even slicing them straight in half. Tojiro released a huge array of dark crimson energy from his eyes, that blew through the harpies. Tojiro then stopped, hovering in mid air. A pair of harpies gouged their claws into Tojiro's back, then back began chewing into his flesh. Tojiro's eyes filled with red, and the two harpies suddenly burst into flame, flapping away from Tojiro's evil entity. Tojiro swung his sword, knocking three harpies with a slash shape of Chaos energy. He then grabbed a harpy by the throat, and snapped it's neck, then tossing it away. He began spinning like a mad tornado, cutting through multiple harpies, but more came to replace the dead.

"Akuma is the leader of Hell, Tojiro…you don't know what you're getting yourself into!" said Ryu's voice, in Tojiro's head.

"I could care less if he shows up or not. As long as he knows what demon he just unleashed…he's definitely going to pay with his cursed soul. So take your telepathy AND SHOVE IT!" roared Tojiro, firing a gigantic beam of Chaos energy through a whole horde of harpies.

He lowered his right hand, as static shocked around it. "Damn it all. Damn…it…all." he said in slight pain, holding his arm.

He suddenly turned around, seeing a much larger harpy, behind him. It's furious red eyes glared at him with clear and decisive anger. It flapped it's massive white wings, trying to force Tojiro back, but he quickly changed to his Darkrai form, to use this flying form to the best of his ability. He sheathed Dragon's Bane, and then used Chaos Control.

He reappeared the massive beast, and fired a fireball out of his left fist. The ball of fire lit the harpy's right wing ablaze, and Tojiro decided to make the final move. Tojiro charged towards the screaming beast's back, forcing it down towards the ocean. Tojiro quickly used Chaos Control and reappeared inches over the deck of the ocean. He swirled his hands upwards, creating a massive icicle that pointed up. However, this harpy wasn't going to go down so quick. It flapped it's huge wings once, and it stopped, and continued to keep flying so it could gain some altitude. Tojiro fired a bolt of lightning, but the harpy dodged to the right and then screeched. The horde of smaller harpies heard the cry of their immense sized leader, and all headed for the Cloakmaster, chirping and screeching away, desperate for hunger. Nightshade quickly swung his sword like a windmill, releasing a cyclone of red Chaos energy, which blasted straight through the harpies, killing all of them. Nightshade turned around, seeing the dangerously sharp talons of the queen harpy come after him. He cut off two of the harpy's toes, causing it to screech and retreat back. Nightshade flew forward, readying to swing his sword. The harpy smacked him out of the sky with one of it's wings, and throwing him at a fast pace towards the water below. Nightshade waved the clenched fist of his left hand, forcing a pillar of earth to spring out of the water for him to land on. The queen harpy was already inches away from attacking again. Acting as swift as a blur, Nightshade, jumped backwards into the water, then latched onto the pillar of earth's side by impaling it with Dragon's Bane, which he held in his right hand, and using his left hand to hold on. The harpy instead perched itself on the rock pillar, pecking at Nightshade, hungry for his head. Nightshade fell into the water on purpose. He remained in his Darkrai form. Like a jet going supersonic, he beamed down to the ocean floor where the rock pillar sprang up from. He gripped Dragon's Bane in his left hand this time, and looked up the rock pillar.

"What do you think you're doing Tojiro? Where have you gone?" asked Ryu's voice through telepathy.

"Silence yourself you fool…I know what I'm doing." replied Tojiro.

The Nightshade swam halfway up to the midpoint of the pillar. His blade was doused in red Chaos energy and he swung at it, slicing it in half. He quickly sheathed Dragon's Bane, and flew under the sliced off half, holding it up. His glowing turquoise eye glowed brightly. He shut it due to all the weight on his shoulder.

"Damn bird is heavy." he mumbled angrily.

With all his force, he began flying up. The queen harpy that sat perched began flapping it's wings wildly. The pillar with the massive harpy on it was rising up into the sky. The harpy quickly flew away from the massive stone pillar. Nightshade looked out the corner of his eye in pain, as he continued his plan. Nightshade gave a final push, sending the pillar high into the air. A slew of harpies suddenly ambushed the Cloakmaster. He let out a burst of unstable Chaos energy from his body, killing the harpies. Nightshade was suddenly smacked by a head butt from the queen harpy, and causing the rock pillar to flip over, and fall down. Nightshade beat his right fist into the creature's eye, causing it to yelp in horrible agony. Nightshade grabbed the eye of the harpy and began pulling with all his power. In a fountain of blood, Nightshade tore it's eye out of it's socket, coating Nightshade in it's red clear blood. The harpy flew back in furious pain.

Nightshade took the advantage and headed upwards toward the falling rock pillar. He aligned himself to strike through it at an diagonal angle. He cut through the earth in a blur. Nightshade teleported far below the falling pillar, ready to make the pillar's tip form like a spike. Suddenly, the harpy grabbed the demigod in it's mouth. Nightshade growled angrily, holding it's jaws up. Saliva and the stench of the creatures' last meal doused Nightshade, but this only angered the demigod of death. Nightshade grabbed Dragon's Bane, and shoved it up through the harpy's mouth. The harpy opened it's mouth, and Nightshade flew out, and charged back up to the pillar. He crossed through it at another diagonal angle, making it form into a sharp spike. Nightshade appeared behind it, then sheathed Dragon's Bane. The Cloakmaster pushed the pillar even faster now. The still suffering harpy looked up.

"TO HELL DEMON!" roared the Cloakmaster.

The massive stone spike gut itself into the harpy, and impaled it. It was forced to plummet down through the water at intense momentum, along with Tojiro. The massive corpse with the stone pillar impaled through, the harpy floated to the top, the demigod no where in plain sight. Yoshika, Sakamoto, Lynn and Barkhorn were surveying to see if they could spot him, but there seemed to be no hope at all.

"Where did he go? Where is Tojiro?" said Sakamoto, scanning the water carefully.

Blood started to coat around the harpy's dead corpse.

"He has to be somewhere!" exclaimed Lynn, searching carefully as well.

"Major Sakamoto, what was that thing just now?" asked the admiral of the Akagi over the intercom in her ear.

"I have no idea." replied Sakamoto in a grave voice.

The water exploded, and out came a serpent like creature, it was completely covered in Neuroi armor, it was; a Hydra head. It's blank white eyes spotted the Witches and it opened it's mouth, revealing a blast charging up.

"Whatever it is…AVOID IT!" ordered Sakamoto.

A huge beam of red came up it's throat and towards the Witches. They quickly scattered, and watched as the red beam collided through a destroyer ship, and through another, blowing both to pieces.

"Did that Neuroi freak really take out two ships with one shot?" noted Trudy.

The beast dove underwater, then came up directly beneath Yoshika. Yoshika fired her heavy machine gun into it's face as she ascended upwards, just avoiding it's jaws. Sakamoto readied her katana, and drove it into the side of it's head. The beast began to shake and buck wildly, as Sakamoto clinged on. Sakamoto flew downwards, cutting down through the Hydra's neck, then dislodged her blade. On the red patterns on the crown of it's head, released twenty lasers. Sakamoto put up her magic shield, being pushed back by it's barrage. Trudy fired her dual wielding MG42s, causing the Hydra head to screech in pain. Suddenly, the water below Trudy opened up, and another Hydra head covered with Neuroi armor came out.

"Barkhorn! Below you!" screamed Minna, who just arrived.

Trudy looked down, firing into it's eyes, causing it to cease it's charge. However, the other Hydra fired it's lasers from the crown of it's head. Trudy created a shield in just mere seconds, and was sent flying across the sky. A third Hydra head came out, ready to catch Trudy in it's mouth.

"NO! TRUDY!" screamed a tearful Minna.

The Hydra head suddenly lowered it's head, and appeared to be coughing.

"What is going on with that thing?" said Lynn confusedly.

Its belly began to bulge, and it looked back forward, firing a huge beam of red energy. "No." whispered a shocked Minna.

The massive red beam made Trudy's body became a silhouette. The blast wiped through, and after a short few seconds, it finally dissipated.

"Trudy. Not…Trudy. It can't be." muttered Yoshika in a sad tone.

"You're right." said a stubborn voice.

All the Witches spotted Nightshade holding and unconscious Trudy in his arms. His hood was cut off, and a large slash across his cloak, that dug into his flesh as well, and the sleeves of his cloak were ripped off. To top it all off, he was bleeding from the cranium. Nightshade hovered over to Minna, who couldn't get over at the blood that trickled over Nightshade's eyes.

"You've been fighting these things, right? So these ugly freaks shouldn't be ANY difference!" he said, before flying towards the middle Hydra head.

"Tojiro. What are you?" whispered Minna.

The Demigod of Death punched the Hydra head in its large nose, the right Hydra head lunged for him. Yoshika fired her weapon to stop it, causing it to growl in pain and set its sights on her. Nightshade quickly jumped to the crown of the Hydra's head, raising his right hand up, ready to strike. However, he was hesitant. The red pattern on it's head shined and glowed brighter.

"Crap." he admitted annoyingly, creating a defensive shield which was utterly useless once the series of red lasers launched Nightshade into the sky.

The Hydra head on the left stretched up towards Nightshade, however, the Demigod kicked his left metal foot across it's face, causing it to halt. Nightshade fired red beams from his eyes, blasting the Hydra head back. It quickly released a series of red beams from it's neck. Nightshade unsheathed Dragon's Bane, smacking every blast that shot up into the blue sky. Nightshade then threw Dragon's Bane into the right eye of the Hydra, causing red electricity to spark around the spot. The Hydra head roared thunderously. A series of machine gun fire from Yoshika, and Lynn's Mk. 1 Boys Anti-tank Rifle. The Hydra head suddenly began to shine from every corner of it's body. Nightshade charged forward, grabbing the handle of Dragon's Bane, and ripped it up through it's head, revealing the core in the crown of it's head. Nightshade threw his right clawed metal hand into it, and crushed it. The Hydra head began spinning sporadically. Nightshade held onto the open core spot, and looked behind him, and saw the two other Hydras firing a massive blast of red Chaos energy out of their mouths. Nightshade launched himself into the air, knowing he left his precious sword behind.

Nightshade flew right up to Yoshika, "I need this." he said, snatching her gun from her hands.

Nightshade then dashed back downwards, on a collision course with the Hydra on the left. Nightshade began to open fire. The bullets smacked into its armored body, and it backed away in pain. Nightshade landed on its snout, walked up to it's left eye, and fired with craze. The Hydra roared in pain. Nightshade looked to the right, seeing the Hydra grab him in its mouth. Nightshade aimed the gun noticing the core in the back of it's throat.

"Open wide you scum." he said, pointing the gun and firing.

The core began to crackle as the lead ate through the sensitive core. The Hydra finally began to have several red rays come from every spot on it's body.

"Chaos Control!" exclaimed the Demigod. Nightshade reappeared in mid-air, and watched the two Hydra heads explode into bits of white pieces, like any other Neuroi would explode into.

The last head shot an amount of thirty lasers to all its targets. The Witches easily readied their shields to protect themselves. Nightshade, however, flew directly into the fray.

"What is he doing? Tojiro, stay away from it!" said Sakamoto, lowering her shield once the barrage had ceased.

Nightshade showed no fear for this foe, he immediately latched onto the snout of the Hydra and pulled it down into the water. It's long snake like body whirled around, as Nightshade dug his Nightmare Claws into the snout and tore off a piece of armor, making the beast bellow in anguish. Nightshade shoved his right hand into the hole and released a surge of lightning, shocking both of them. Nightshade cringed his eye in pain, but the Hydra took the full blunt of the pain. Nightshade was blasted back through the water, black smoke trailing him. He suddenly got the sight of his sinking Dragon's Bane. He stuck his left hand out, his Nightmare Claws changed back to his normal fingers. An orb of red light appeared in the palm, and through Chaos Control did Dragon's Bane appear back in his grip. Nightshade saw the angry Hydra lunge for him. Nightshade flew to the right, and flew past the Hydra's long thick body. Nightshade's Dragon's Bane was doused with a red aura of extreme power. As he kept his speed up, he drove the blade into the Hydra's body, cutting a tremendously long scar. The beast growled furiously in agony. Nightshade flew away from it, and spun his left hand in circles, creating a spear of ice. The Hydra spun it's head around, and saw the spear being drive into it's forehead, easily piercing the metal armor. Nightshade then backed away and readied to strike with Dragon's Bane. However, the Hydra fired a huge beam of red energy out of it's mouth, firing the Cloakmaster out of the water, and high sky.

"Finally! There he is guys!" Yoshika screamed out.

Blood from Tojiro's body fluttered through the air, his eyes shut, and his teeth gritted tightly together.

"Why was I chosen? WHY?" he exclaimed in thought.

He found himself in a place surrounded by darkness. He was chained by his wrists and ankles.

"I'm…I'm…not human." he muttered.

Two massive clawed hands stomped down in front of him. A pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness. Its red eyes shined on Nightshade like a spotlight. Nightshade was in his human form.

"I'm…not human…aren't I?" he questioned

.

The rosary on his chest snapped into pieces.

"I…I'm a monster…aren't I?" he questioned. His cloak began to tear into shreds, his arms grew large and fuzzy.

"I AM THE DARKNESS OF ALL EVIL!" he roared, breaking the chains. The massive unknown creature roared and lunged for him. Nightshade leaped up at the beast, letting out a thunderous roar of anger.

Back in reality, the Hydra head gulped Nightshade into its belly, swallowing him whole. "It just ate him! That has to stink in there!" exclaimed Francesca.

The Hydra opened it's mouth, ready to release another blast. The Witches readied their weapons, and aimed. However, the Hydra lowered it's head, closing it's mouth. From the middle of it's chest, the tip of Dragon's Bane came out, glowing furiously. It went up ten inches, then went back inside. Two large hands grabbed the sides, and began to pull apart. Bright led liquid squirted out at this point.

"That is disgusting. Honestly. Wow." noted the glum eyed Perrine.

The chest was ripped open, and the angry Cloakmaster roared in vicious madness, as he was covered in this bright red liquid. Nightshade stood in the hole, looking up at the Witches, who sent him the same looks. His right arm was steaming with fumes, and dripping with bright red slime. Nightshade fell down towards the water, having released such power so suddenly. He splashed into the water, and discovered his rosary.

"I'm not leaving…I am not leaving my life so suddenly." he said, reaching for it.

The blue stone in the middle shine brightly once he grabbed it in his right hand. "I'm sorry…mother." he said, as he suddenly fell into an unready sleep…of nightmares.

"I remember coming into this world. Even as a newborn…I witnessed my father's death. He sacrificed himself…for me? A force of nature that was created to hate this world…and those that live in it. Why? Why was I given this accursed mark? I lived my life…as a human. I was destined by fate itself to become the one reason fear exists…the one reason people can't sleep at night. I am the single most entity of evil. Heroes…pitiful. They can take their so-called heroics and go to hell with them. I am in no such position to consider my actions as heroics. I have disrespected life for all my life…that has changed. Now…I'm back to where I started…the hated life form of death and anguish.

I fought…as a warrior…as the Demigod of Death, I had to uphold the promise of what I was tasked to be born with. Heroes…will stand for what's right…they stand for saving lives. Villains…stand for what they want…what they desire…creating chaos and ruining the lives of millions. There are some…that stand as a watcher. They don't have an alignment…they despise both sides. They call them vigilantes. I, however, believe there is no such thing. That is…because…because…I am the one that separates the angels from the demons. I have died…as a Demigod…I have returned…as a heartless creature. I WILL have my REVENGE!" said the voice of the Cloakmaster, as numerous flashbacks of torment and violence were shown from the heartless Demigod's life.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro:Nothing surprises me anymore. Literally. Nothing.

Ryu: You may not wish to call karma's name, Cloakmaster.

Tojiro: And of what? This damn journey you just lined up for me is already annoying enough! What else can be worse?

Yoshika: Tojiro! Tojiro! Someone's attacking the base, and he looks just like you!

Minna: Don't tell me you know each other?

Tojiro: God. Of all times! YOU! You've finally decided to come after me. How goes your life?

Orion: It is because of you that I have been BANISHED from my Kingdom! I'm taking your life, Tojiro. And none of your pathetic allies will stop me!

Ryu: I won't blame you for anything that happens to the base. Honest.

Tojiro: Just shut up, Ryu.

Orion: My fear...my banishment...IT IS NOW MY REVENGE! Face me Demigod of Death! FACE ME!

_NEXT TIME!_

**THE RENEGADE, THE BANISHED!**

**ENTER THE BOUNTY HUNTER: ORION!  
><strong>


	3. Chapter III

**_CHAPTER III: THE RENEGADE! THE BANISHED!_**

**_ENTER THE BOUNTY HUNTER: ORION!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Orion, and Ryu Kaze. They are my original characters and are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners!_  
><em>**

Tojiro sat up in a bed once again. "Damn it. Witches believe me to be injured? How foolish of them." he said, throwing his legs over the bed.

Appearing in his human form still, Nightshade rose out of the bed. His cloak was still ripped and torn.

He couldn't put his hood over his head, so he grumbled angrily, "How damn convenient." muttered the Demigod bitterly.

Tojiro headed for the door, and opened it, finding Lynn and Yoshika holding breakfast for him. "Greetings…and good morning?" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Are you feeling well?" asked Lynn.

"Yeah, never better." he commented, walking back inside his room, to sit down at the table.

He removed his journal, and placed his bandana, the sheathed Dragon's Bane, and the holster with his revolver Black Death in it, all on the table. "What? Is there something wrong with you two?" he asked.

"OH! No! Nothing at all Tojiro." said Yoshika, bringing the food in, with Lynn following.

They set them on another table, and turned to Tojiro. Tojiro looked at the food, then the two Strike Witches.

"Thank you. You may leave. I'll be fine." said Tojiro calmly.

"Are you sure?" asked Lynn, pointing at his head.

There was a bandage around his head. He grumbled to himself.

"I know very well that I don't belong here with you ladies. The kindness of _trying_ to help me is _not_ needed, got it?" he said, looking between the two.

The Witches were all to confused, not knowing why he had such an attitude, but they could see he wasn't in a good mood. The two left his room, and closed the door.

"You think he belongs here?" asked Lynn, as they walked down the hall.

"I'm not sure. I sure am proud that he protected the base, but…I really wonder what he thinks about any of us." said Yoshika.

"You sound like you can't trust him, I'm beginning to feel the same." said Lynn.

"We shouldn't say such things…that'll probably get him upset." darted Lynn's voice.

"The others sure seemed proud of him. If they can trust him…than I can too!" answered Yoshika.

While eating his food he was so graciously given, Tojiro heard their everywhere, even though they kept walking down the hall.

"Kind am I? Huh." he huffed ignorantly.

Tojiro walked over to the other table, and grabbed his journal, opening it to a certain page. On that page was a picture of his mother; Okiku.

"Why of all people? Why were you the first to die?" he asked.

Of all the people in his life, no one showed him more kindness than his unforgettable mother and his deceased love Victoria. He closed the book on his past, and rest it down on the table.

"All my memories…old and new reside in this book. It is all I have that is left." he said in thought.

"It'll take some time before I get back the energy I have lost. Until then…I must survive in this world at war. Let the challenges begin." he contemplated in thought, as he was looking out the window.

After finishing his meal, Tojiro ventured off and found himself outside, and on the runway. A puff of steam came from his right arm, bright red liquid began to drip. His eyes formed into a glare. He grabbed the bandage around his head, which had fully healed itself by now, and wrapped it around the spot where it began to bleed.

"More discharge. I shouldn't have overdone my power limits." he contemplated to himself with blame, looking at the palm of his right hand. A quick zip passed by the runway, as well as two more.

"What are they up to?" he said with a raised eyebrow. Tojiro reverted to his Darkrai form and flew off after them, letting his curiosity take hold for once, just this once!

Perrine, Sanya, Eila and Francesca were flying through the air. Down below on a green hilltop stood Sakamoto and Minna.

"Training and more training, huh? You sure are pushing it now, Mio." said Minna with a smile.

"What we faced today made me do this. I'm not going to let this team take risks now." advised Sakamoto.

"I understand. Don't push them too hard though." replied Minna.

A sudden boom came from behind them. The two Witches turned around, seeing Tojiro to have landed, his head lowered.

"Tojiro? Is that you? How come you're up already?" questioned Sakamoto.

"First; I'm not hurt. Second; don't be ordering. Third; I'm not part of your group. How long was I even out?" he asked.

"Well…only twenty minutes." answered Minna.

"Okay…that's workable I guess." he said, slowly getting up.

"Aren't your legs hurt?" asked Minna.

"Got none." he said, revealing that he had no legs in his Darkrai form.

"What's with that?" responded a quick Sakamoto.

"Don't know. At least it's convenient." shrugged the Demigod, lowering his cloak, and watching the other Strike Witches pass by above.

"_Are_ they training?" asked Nightshade.

"Indeed they are. They must always be ready when the Neuroi attack." replied Sakamoto.

"However that thing from yesterday…it changed your mind?" said Nightshade.

Sakamoto turned to the Cloakmaster in a slow fashion.

"I won't pass judgment and blame you for what's happened recently. You saved our base and Trudy during that fight. Yet you shouldn't try and assume who your threats are…and aren't." Sakamoto said defiantly.

* * *

><p>Nightshade huffed at her well performed response. He looked at the passing Witches, and saw something forming in the clouds. He spotted a very small section of the clouds suddenly open up. Nightshade lunged towards Sakamoto, standing in front of her. Nightshade stomped the ground, creating a large pillar of earth. He then launched it upwards.<p>

A blast of silver Chaos energy shot down through the spot Nightshade saw, and collided with the earth pillar in a blinding flash. Nightshade held his cloak up to his mouth, as the passing smoke drifted down his way.

"What's happening?" asked Minna, approaching the two.

Nightshade left hand shaped into his Nightmare Claws.

He held them up to his face, "Something personally insane." muttered the demon, as he reverted into his hedgehog form.

The dirt cloud immediately vanished, and a figure could be seen, releasing a series of silver streams down onto the group. Nightshade swung his Nightmare Claws, releasing yellow slashes that collided with each of the wavering blasts.

"Get you and your friends outta' here." he said, lowering his hood.

"Why? What's going on?" questioned Minna.

"I WON'T repeat myself!" snapped Nightshade, without turning around.

Minna looked arguably confused at the Cloakmaster, but she took his advice. The other Witches that were training in the air quickly pulled back and returned to Minna and Sakamoto.

"Major, what's going on?" asked a curious Perrine.

"No time. It seems someone's attacking." Sakamoto informed.

"But who?" Yoshika asked.

"That's Tojiro's business. Now let's go Witches!" ordered Minna, running away from the training field. With the other Witches in a state of half confusion untrustworthy minds, they pulled back.

"I am hardly surprised you would act so cowardly to attack me when surrounded by others." spoke out Tojiro.

No reply came, even if he didn't expect one. Nightshade treaded forwards, not taking care of what this foe was trying to do, or what intentions they carried. Tojiro stopped in his tracks. His blank white eyes carefully traced the area around him. His Nightmare Claws stayed ready, ready to pierce the flesh of the cowardice this foe had. Tojiro turned around, empty air was all he saw. He took in a deep breath, shutting his eyes. In that instant, his eyes snapped back open. Tojiro swiftly turned around to clash his claws against the blade of a very familiar, and long time rival; Orion.

"We meet again…CLOAKMASTER!" he roared, pushing him back with his fabled katana known as Silver Wind.

Nightshade was thrown into a back flip, and landed back on his feet. Orion donned a gray cloak, where it was torn at the sleeves, and the lower part that fluttered behind him. The hood was down, his eyes formed into an everlasting stare of hate.

"What happened to _you_?" asked Tojiro, sounding surprised.

"I was banished! Banished because of YOU!" he exclaimed, firing a massive slash of silver Chaos energy from his sword.

Nightshade sped to the right, then shot a fire ball straight at the bounty hunter. He swung his sword that released a blue wave, extinguishing the fire.

"You were the fool, Orion. Dominic warned you the consequences…and you let your anger consume you. You pitiful idiot." Nightshade hissed.

"HOW DARE YOU! I will throw your disgusting soul back into Hell!" roared the angry Orion, releasing a full burst of silver Chaos energy from his body.

Nightshade held his arms up to his face. The energy swiped through them, yet he still stood his ground. Smoke drifted off from his body, signaling terrible burns that were on his arms. Orion charged forward and began swinging his sword. Nightshade ducked, then kicked Orion back. The bounty hunter immediately lunged forward, to punch Nightshade in the chin, then grab him by the throat, and drive his sword into the demon's gut. Nightshade's eyes turned fully red, and he released a surge of dangerous blue lightning, that blew Orion away, as well as his sword being removed from his abdomen. Nightshade grabbed the ground, releasing a several orange streams of light to surge through the earth. Once they reached Orion, it exploded into a cloud of smoke. Orion, however, was out of the danger just in time. Orion shot two beams of silver energy out of his eyes. Nightshade swung his claws, to slice them in half, then quickly making the move to leap upwards at his foe.

Orion swung his sword five times, releasing slash shaped blasts of silver Chaos energy. Nightshade stuck his right hand out, collecting all the energy, then shooting a massive white beam back at Orion. Orion used Chaos Control, to pass through it, and grab Nightshade's face, then releasing a surge of Chaos energy that launched him all the way back to earth. In a quaking boom landed the demon Demigod. Nightshade saw Orion clear through the smoke cloud, and lunging his blade forward. Nightshade did a back flip, kicking the blade out of his hands, while getting back on his feet. Orion landed behind Nightshade and ran for his sword. Nightshade waved his hands up. Several rock pillars spurred up from the earth. Orion bashed through one, then jumped from one to the other in five singular patterns. He then came to a massive rock wall. Orion's fists glowed with silver and he smashed through the wall, landing in front of his sword Silver Wind. He grabbed it, turning around in the process, only to see the Cloakmaster to kick him directly in the face.

Orion stepped back, but quickly raised his sword to block Nightshade's claws from piercing through his flesh. Nightshade head butted the bounty hunter, but the angry hedgehog quickly kneed the Cloakmaster in the stomach, then grabbed his throat. Nightshade eagerly punched Orion his right fist, in the stomach. Orion shoved Nightshade away then lunged his sword forward. Nightshade grabbed both sides and then released a bolt of blue electricity through Orion's sword and to the bounty hunter himself, causing him to be flown far back.

"I always thought I'd find myself fighting you again! Do you realize that!" exclaimed the bounty hunter.

"I've only realized that you have only sought cold hearted vengeance which has consumed your idiotic mind! Hold your tongue…and let me drive my claws through your damn skull!" shouted Nightshade, charging forwards.

Nightshade swung his claws, to which Orion moved backwards and lunged forward with his sword. Nightshade stood off to the side, then punched Orion with his right hand, then grabbed him by the face with his right hand, and shove him to the ground. Nightshade raised his claws over Orion's head. The bounty hunter, drove his sword up into Nightshade's shoulder, causing the Demigod to back away in pain. Orion punched the sword, so the blade came out through his back. Nightshade raised a stone out of the ground and smacked Orion with it, throwing him across the dirt. Nightshade quickly grabbed the handle of the sword and removed it from his gut, then charged forward with the sword that was covered in his blood. Nightshade threw it down, that launched a wave of dark Chaos energy. Orion held his hands out, and gathered the energy in his palms, then shot it back at the Cloakmaster. Nightshade quickly jumped up, then launched Orion's sword back at Orion. Orion gritted his teeth, ceasing his attack. He caught the sword with both his hands, which was inches away from piercing his heart. Nightshade appeared in front of Orion, and began pushing the sword forward. Orion, however, was in a power struggle to keep his life going. Orion then surged his power through his sword, which shot Nightshade away. Orion charged forward, holding his sword backwards. Nightshade was mid way through a back flip while flailing, and he saw Orion lunging up towards him. Nightshade finally found himself right side up, and kicked him with his left metal leg, throwing the rival to the dirt. Nightshade created a tornado of air around Nightshade which launched the bounty hunter sky high. Nightshade reverted to his Darkrai form, flying up towards him.

"This time…you WILL suffer!" roared the angered Demigod, shooting fifteen red Chaos spears out of his left hand.

Orion was able to regain focus, and start slashing his swords at these volatile projectiles. With connected swing, the Chaos Spears exploded into black clouds mixed with red light coming from within. Darkrai came to face with Orion. Darkrai punched Orion across the face, then right across the cheek, then shot a blast of lightning, shooting the bounty hunter away. In fear of going down without a fight, Orion shot a sudden barrage of silver Chaos Spears. Nightshade crossed his arms across his face, and his head hid itself, like a Darkrai would do in defense. The projectiles smacked into him, not all perfectly taking a hit. Nightshade's head came up, and saw Orion lung his sword forward. Nightshade flew around him. Once a few feet behind, the Cloakmaster shot a large fireball from his left fist. Orion turned around, holding his sword up to create a white barrier to distinguish the flames. Nightshade held his hand up, creating a whirling ball of air. He then swiped his arm down, making it cut through Orion. His eyes shook, and a diagonal scar of blood suddenly formed on his face. Orion pointed his sword up. A bolt of white lightning shot up from his sword and into the clouds. Nightshade quickly changed his claws back to his fingers and charged forward, with spheres of red Chaos energy in both palms. Orion pointed the furiously glowing sword forwards, and shot a massive beam of intense blue Chaos energy. Nightshade stopped in mid air, preparing a barrier. Suddenly, a cry of rockets came down from above, blowing the beam apart.

"What? Who dares?" said a confused Orion, looking up. There was the hovering Sanya, with Eila by her side.

"What the hell? Those fools!" yelled Nightshade in thought.

"Those who dare to stop me…shall die." muttered the angry Orion.

"Stay focused on me you punk!" shouted Nightshade, tackling him.

The two struggled on their way to the ground. Orion elbowed Nightshade in the face, then grabbed his face, pushing him away. Nightshade's eye glowed furiously by the bounty hunters persistency. Nightshade then shot a sudden red beam from his eye, firing Orion down to the ground.

With a loud boom he impacted, bouncing across the ground, taking bits of rocky debris with him for each bounce. Nightshade teleported up to the two Witches.

"If you don't mind…stay out of this fight. He's too much for the both of you combined." Nightshade informed angrily.

"It was her idea." said a shy Sanya, pointing at Eila.

"What? No it wasn't!" yelled a blushing Eila.

Nightshade quickly formed a barrier, to block a blast from Orion's sword. "I will take their lives just as I will take yours Cloakmaster!" roared the angry Orion, as he was soaring up towards the three.

"Back off you two. He'll probably keep that promise." said Nightshade, diving down towards his long time rival.

Nightshade spun in circles, with his arms extended, forming himself into a red drill of Chaos energy. Orion did the same with himself, but sheathed his blade first. The two tightened their eyes, and finally collided with each other, resulting in a humongous explosion of light and fire. From the hangar doors of the Strike Witches base, the explosion brightened so.

"What kind of power is that?" Lynn voiced in awe.

"Whatever it is, this fight can't go on forever." Sakamoto added.

The corpse of Orion suddenly slammed onto the front of the runway, and paved through the earth, until he finally stopped. The bruise covered, dirt reddened, and blood stained bounty hunter rose to his feet.

"That dammed…Tojiro." he cursed.

He turned around noticing the Strike Witches.

"Of course. The arrogance of those he runs into. What a wonderful advantage." he said with a grin.

The Witches readied their guns. Orion unsheathed his sword. "Is that all you got?" taunted Erica, firing her MG42s.

A barrier formed in front of himself, easily deflecting the bullets. Orion lowered the shield, and launched a beam of Chaos energy out of both his hands. The Witches hit the deck, letting the blast shoot into the hangar, and causing a fiery explosion. The girls opened fire once again, some taking to the sky. Orion used Chaos Control to teleport himself from one spot to another in an extremely fast pace. Orion appeared before Yoshika and Lynn, grabbing them both by their shirts, and holding them off the ground.

"You dare to come in-between my fight with that murderous…THING? You should realize where you stand!" he exclaimed.

"Let them go now!" threatened Sakamoto, readying her katana.

"All of you shouldn't doubt me. Nor should any of you stand by that freak's side!" Orion exclaimed again, letting the two girls go.

A sudden light came from above. Orion looked up, seeing a stream of red Chaos energy. Orion shot beams of silver Chaos energy from both his eyes. The powers collided in an explosion of flames. Orion readied his sword Silver Wind in his right hand. Nightshade appeared in front of Orion, grabbed his blade and tossed him down the runway, then ran after his flailing corpse.

"Can we…trust Tojiro?" said Yoshika, hindering thoughts on Orion's words.

Nightshade punched his fist down, attempting to slam and cease Orion from tumbling, but he easily used his arms to spring off the ground and into the air. Orion began swinging his sword several times, releasing a slash of Chaos energy. Nightshade quickly jumped back, and the slashes of energy were whirling towards the Witches on the ground. Nightshade growled and teleported himself in the path of the projectiles. He swung his bare hands to cause the slashes to become distorted and vanish. Nightshade dropped to the ground, on his knees.

Yoshika sprinted up to his side, "Are you okay there?" she asked.

"Worry about yourself." he said in a gruff tone, putting his left hand on her shoulder, and using her as support to get up.

He removed his hand, revealing blood on Yoshika's shoulder. She gasped, and looked at Nightshade's hands. Smoke drifted off from both palms, and blood continuously dripped from the palm of his left hand, while electricity sparked uncontrollably from his right metal hand.

"Keep an eye on yourself than blatantly risking your neck." he stated, jumping into the air once again.

Nightshade began shooting a series of powerful fireballs, all to which Orion swerved left and right to dodge. Orion swung his sword down, Nightshade flew back and punched Orion in the face, across the skull, and then grabbed by the throat and tossed him towards one of the spires of the Witches base. Orion smashed into the spire with great force, leaving him lodged into it. Nightshade tackled Orion, smashing straight through the spire. As the two fell down, Orion grabbed Nightshade by the shoulder and smashed him against one spire, and their fall continued. Nightshade did the same technique to Orion, blowing away half of the spire, but then smashing him through the entire center of another, causing the spire to fall to the ground and echo with a quaking boom that sounded like thunder. Nightshade was thrown out of the ever spanning cloud of smoke that came from the tower that fell. Nightshade slammed against a wall, and quickly used Chaos Control to avoid a beam of energy shot from Orion.

Nightshade appeared in front of Orion, giving him punches from left and right, but then punched him right up the chin. Orion was thrown into a back flip and landed on his stomach. Nightshade grabbed him by the hood of his cloak, and dragged him across the ground. Nightshade then began sprinting, and came up to a wall, slamming Orion skull first into the concrete wall. Nightshade stepped back, and grabbed Orion's blade, holding it over his heart. Orion spun across the ground, then kicked Nightshade off his feet, then leapt feet first into Nightshade's gut, shooting the Cloak master a few feet back across the dirt. Orion grabbed his sword and shot a lightning bolt of silver at the demon Demigod. Nightshade was struck in the shoulder and crashed through a low window, bounced through the hall, and out the opposite hall, covered in debris and dirt.

"And these damn wounds from earlier just healed up too." he growled, feeling his head, then noticing it was coursing with his own blood. Orion came flying from above, and launched a hellish bombardment of Chaos Spears.

"Mom…" he muttered.

In a single lasting light, the Chaos Spears culminated upon Nightshade's position in one single blast. Orion watched as the light reflected off his eyes, as well as some flames and white smoke.

"Enjoy the Ninth Circle." said the loathly bounty hunter, sheathing his sword. A sudden force wrapped itself around his body. It was a large black hand. He was suddenly jerked back towards the ground, and smashed with fierce momentum. He was lifted back up and turned around to the furious red eyes of Nightshade's violent Werehog form. Nightshade raised his left hand up, which was clenched.

"Death…has its eyes set on _you_ this day." said the angry Cloakmaster, dropping the rosary out of his left hand.

Nightshade ran forward, smashing Orion into one piece of debris after another. The Cloakmaster then leaped up, slamming him through a wall, and ending up in one of the many hallways of the Strike Witches base. Nightshade crashed through another section of the wall, and growled vigorously at the bounty hunter.

"You believe your revenge is all that matters! You damn filthy vermin!" shouted Orion.

Nightshade grabbed both sides of the wall and tossed both slabs of debris at the bounty hunter. Orion punched both into even smaller bits, and shot a blue beam of swirls forward. Nightshade took the blast then charged forward. Orion punched Nightshade right in his snout, then grabbed him by the furry chest and tossed him through the wall to his right. Nightshade stretched his arm and grabbed hold of a ledge. Orion came to the hole, spotting his outstretched arm and drove his Silver Wind sword into it. Nightshade roared with painful agony, and quickly sprung himself higher. Nightshade lunged past the hole Orion stood, who quickly dislodged his sword. The demon flew higher until he latched onto the middle spire of the Witches base. Nightshade suddenly felt Orion's sword pierce through his back, and into his spinal cord, right in-between. Nightshade's eyes quaked, and he let out a ferocious roar. Nightshade's fang like teeth gritted, and he turned around, grabbing Orion by the face. Nightshade did a back flip and tossed him straight toward another spire, crashing through it, and crashing onto the top of another. Nightshade fired numerous red Chaos Spears. Orion was pounded by the majority, but he quickly used Chaos Control to finally avoid the rest. Beaten and battered, the bounty hunter reappeared in mid-air, still eager enough to fight his dreaded foe. Nightshade formed surges of dark red energy around his hands.

"You believe my revenge is solely based on madness? It is what I must do!" yelled the angry Cloakmaster, firing a vile beam of the foulest of Chaos energy; Chaos Fear.

"No!" exclaimed Orion, making himself vanish out of thin air.

The beam shot out and hit nothing but the wind. Nightshade continued to breath uncontrollably, his eyes burning with deep hate. He looked at his hands.

"How did I call upon…that forbidden power?" questioned the demon. He lowered his hands, and looked over his shoulder at all the damage.

The sword in his spinal cord, suddenly vanished into a series of sparkles.

"That damn bounty hunter. Curse him to Hell." said Tojiro, hovering down towards the destruction. Tojiro landed and found his rosary, picking it off the ground.

"I'm actually beginning to lose it huh? We'll see…we'll see." he mumbled, as he put the rosary back on.

Out of their Striker Units, the Witches surveyed the ruined sections of their base. "Where is he?" said an angry Trudy, her arms on her hips.

"How could they have done all this damage?" said Lynn, crouching down, tracing her fingers across the debris.

From up ahead, a slab of earth was pushed down, and out walked Tojiro, in his human form, and his hood down.

"Listen here pal! You better start rebuilding all of this!" exclaimed Perrine.

"_This_ is not my base. I'm _not_ on your team. It is _not_ my responsibility." he said, stopping in front of the group.

"Then could you start by telling us who you were fighting?" asked the Major.

"He is my business. Let me handle him." Tojiro informed, walking forward.

Minna stopped in his path. "You may know it or not, but this is our home! You have no right to have your problems intrude our base, and nearly getting one of us killed!" she declared.

"Are you blaming me?" Tojiro asked calmly.

"Of course I'm blaming you!" she exclaimed.

"Good then." he replied, walking around her, and continuing on.

Minna turned around, possibly more angered than confused by the demon's attitude.

* * *

><p>At night, Tojiro was found flying across the sky, after making Sanya wasn't going to be ambushed on her night patrol. Tojiro slowly came to a stop on the runway, reverting from his Darkrai form and into his human one. His hood remained up, and his face was visible. His orange eyes scanned the runway as he walked down it. The holster with his powerful revolver Black Death was being sported by the demon, as well as the sheathed blade of legend; Dragon's Bane. Tojiro walked with his sleeves crossed into one another, slowly taking pace, not in any rush whatsoever.<p>

"There are three of them out somewhere. Unexpectedly, I was told by Sakamoto to watch over the other Witches…just in case. What foolishness." Tojiro thought to himself.

He suddenly stopped, and turned around. His eyes tightened. His fists clenched by his side. The Demigod turned around, spotting nothing but the night time air.

"They better be careful. They truly are magnificent…for protecting this world from war…or the land that remains." he continued to speak to himself mentally, before turning back around, and walking towards the base.

Tojiro noticed Lynn sitting at her favorite spot. He tilted his head, "One after another, the foolishness refuses to cease." he said, turning his attention to Lynn, beginning to walk over to her.

"Why did Yoshika have to go along? It gets pretty boring around here…sometimes. I wanted to talk to her at this spot….but I guess chance offered it's hand first." Lynn spoke out loud.

"Oi, why are you sitting out here?" he said, grabbing her shoulder. Lynn immediately jolted, and fell forward off the steep drop!

Tojiro reached down, and grabbed her ankle, "Chaos Control." he mumbled Lynn reappeared back on her feet, by Tojiro's side.

Her eyes were still closed, and she appeared she couldn't open them again. "Excuse me…you're not dead Lynn, open your eyes already." Tojiro said. Lynn opened one eye, then the other.

"Oh, wow! Thanks for helping out there!" she thanked with a smile.

"What are you doing out here at the dead of night? You mortals shouldn't be out in the night, go to bed!" Tojiro told her honestly.

Lynn was taken back by his sudden tone, and choice of words.

"You…look human too." she said. Tojiro raised an eyebrow, uncomfortable by such words.

"I wouldn't agree with that." he replied.

"So how did you even end up here?" she asked.

"It's complicated." he quickly answered.

"Oh, I see. I'm surprised you're still here."

"Is that suppose to mean something?" Tojiro assumed.

"No, no of course not! You just seem to be getting on the wrong side of the other Witches." Lynn replied.

"Good for them. At least they're honest with themselves. The reason for my staying here is that I have no leads of where to start my journey." he explained.

"And what would be?"

"It's complicated." Tojiro replied mimicked his earlier saying.

Lynn nodded her head, and sat back down. Tojiro stared off to the ocean, looking where she was. "You're worried about her." Tojiro spoke up.

Lynn looked over her shoulder with a brief noise of confusion. "Yoshika. Is she close to you?" asked Tojiro.

"Uhhh, close? What do you mean by that?" she replied worriedly, turning her head back around to hide her blushing face.

Tojiro huffed, expecting the least expected from her reaction to his sudden question.

"Tojiro…if you're so strong against not staying here…why are you-"

"Still here? I told you already…I have no leads on where to go. This is where I must be for now." he replied, crossing his arms.

"I see. So what do you think?" replied Lynn.

"Think? What do I think of what?" he said questioningly.

"The Strike Witches of course!" she said happily.

Tojiro looked off to the ocean, pondering at this.

"I have thought about it before, and it seems that this world is in good enough hands with you Strike Witches watching over it. However, these things you clash against, what are they?" he questioned.

"They're aliens known as the Neuroi. No one knows where they came from. Their intentions are also unknown. We don't even know what they plan every time we encounter them, or when they encounter us." Lynn explained.

"I see. That still leaves the question open for the Hydra." he said, his right hand to his chin.

"I've never seen a Neuroi like that. Do you know what it was?"

"I'm as lost for words as you are Lynnette. That beast, however, seemed vaguely interested in me." Tojiro said, looking at the palm of his right hand.

"This may be asking too much, but if I could try and request-"

"You will do no such thing! I am not staying here. This is your war…not mine." he exclaimed demandingly.

Lynn looked away, feeling failure swell up inside her. The last Nightshade lowered his arms by his side, and started off to the ocean.

"What is going on in these worlds?" he questioned in thought.

"Did Yoshika tell when she was coming back?" asked the Cloakmaster suddenly.

"She went with Major Sakamoto and Commander Minna on important business. Yoshika didn't mention any time. Why? Is there something wrong?" she responded.

Tojiro unsheathed Dragon's Bane, and let the tip smack the ground.

"You could say that." he said, glaring forwards.

Lynn turned her head forward, and saw two cloaked figures hovering in the air.

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!

Tojiro: Patience is a virtue? Please! With these two fools, I can NEVER guess what I must challenge!

Lynn: Should I get help, Tojiro? Tojiro? Tojiro!

Tojiro: Just run Lynn! RUN!

?: Oh, my, my, my. The herald of penance and darkness! Tojiro...it has been _so_ long.

?: Halt your taunting! We are here to slaughter this pest!

Tojiro: My half-brother...my half-sister. You twisted morons...you shall regret for EVER confronting ME!

**NEXT TIME!**

**CHAPTER IV  
><strong>

**_FEAR AMONGST MYSELF!_  
><strong>


	4. Chapter IV

**_CHAPTER IV_**

**_FEAR AMONGST MYSELF_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze, Cassandra and Vulcan. They are my original characters and are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respectful creators/owners!_  
><em>**

"State your names!" shouted the Cloakmaster.

"My, my, my, he sure hasn't changed hasn't he?" said the cloaked figure on the left, lowering the hood and appearing to be a woman with long crimson red hair and purple eyes.

Tojiro's eyes widened, "Lynn, run!" he ordered, firing a huge red Chaos Spear.

Lynn quickly rolled out of the way. The Chaos Spear was absorbed into the woman's hand, and then shot back. Tojiro swung his sword, cutting it in half, standing in a downward stance, until straightening himself back up again.

"Cassandra. My lustful and disrespectful half-sister. What are you doing here?" he began, pointing his blade at her.

"Silence yourself." said the figure on the left, aiming his hand out, revealing his left arm to be entirely made out of gold.

He shot a yellow beam of Chaos energy. Tojiro used Chaos Control to redirect it back. The cloaked man knocked it away.

"And of course, Vulcan. The greed machine from Hell." announced Tojiro.

He lowered his hood, revealing from the right side of his face and along with his whole jaw was machinery, and painted of gold. The eye on the right side of his face was glowing green, and his still human eye was white.

"My obsessive half brother. Both of you…should've been dead centuries ago." Tojiro declared savagely.

"Very true little brother…but we missed you." said Cassandra, licking her red lips.

"I see. Then let me welcome you." he said, lowering his hood, his eyes burning with shining red.

A sudden wind blew forwards, and smacked the two. "His energy definitely has become stronger, hasn't it?" said Vulcan.

"Oh it has…it definitely feels _good_." said Cassandra, opening her cloak. She appeared in clothing a dominatrix would wear, with long black boots that went up to pass her knees while the rest of her attire covered her body. She readied her whip which was practically covered in small steel barbs. A weapon she dubbed, The Whip of Tortured Souls. Vulcan opened up his cloak, revealing his chest to cobbled out of steel and colored black. He held his hands out, and used Chaos Control to make a large mini-gun cast in black steel. He dubbed it, The Annihilator.

"Shall we begin?" asked Cassandra.

"Anytime scum." snapped the Cloakmaster, charging forward.

Vulcan immediately fired the extremely loud bullets from his mini gun. Tojiro quickly stopped, and swung his sword in frantic circles to deflect the bullets that came his way. Cassandra charged forward, swinging her whip which was suddenly doused in purple Chaos energy. Tojiro quickly lowered his blade once Vulcan had ceased. Cassandra swung her whip, to which wrapped around Dragon's Bane. Cassandra pulled Tojiro up to her, and began caressing the side of his head.

"If you ever take the moment and rid yourself of that thick skull of yours, this wouldn't need to happen." she said.

Tojiro let a pulse of power extract from his eyes, and blast Cassandra back. Vulcan kept his finger on the trigger, no bullets came out.

Instead, the head of the barrel flipped open, and inside, a gold glow began to form.

"Dammit. Lynn!" Tojiro exclaimed, turning his attention to the young girl. He quickly ordered her to hold onto his back.

"To Hell!" shouted Vulcan. The massive beam shot out in circular forms.

"Hold on!" said Tojiro, running forward.

The beam continued to close in on the two. Tojiro kept running, knowing what was awaiting him. Tojiro gripped Dragon's Bane tightly in his right hand, feeding it energy. Tojiro then quickly stopped, and did a massive back flip, just missing the blast. Vulcan aimed his mini-gun up at the sky, and began firing madly. Tojiro created a red barrier around himself, so that Lynn and himself would be safe from the momentous barrage. Tojiro finally lowered the shield once landing behind Vulcan. There was a large lump on Vulcan's back.

"The energy storage for his powers and ammo, perfect." he muttered bitterly.

"Lynn, hold on for a bit longer, alright?" he said.

"Okay!" she said, wrapping her arms tightly around Tojiro's neck, not trying to suffocate him.

Cassandra leapt over Vulcan, and shot a series of sharp pins out of her left hand. Tojiro did backwards short jumps, as the pins with an ominous purple ooze of smoke emanating from each one that pierced the ground. Tojiro pointed his Dragon's Bane sword forward, releasing ten bolts of red lightning from the entire blade. Cassandra put her hand on Vulcan's back, and used Chaos Control to make themselves scarce. Tojiro lowered his sword again, sensing for their trace of Chaos energy.

"Lynn…I want you to get to the others. Tell them to stay calm, and alert Sakamoto and the other two when on their way back, understand?" he whispered, still keeping focus.

"Alright, but what about you?" she asked with concern.

"I'll be fine. It's you and the others that I'm concerned about." he said.

Lynn slightly blushed at his kindness.

"Hurry! Go!" he yelled furiously.

Cassandra and Vulcan reappeared behind the two. Lynn quickly got off Tojiro's back and quickly fled the scene, making her way to the base. Vulcan fired a sphere of Chaos energy from within his gun. Tojiro held his sword back, almost like a baseball bat. Tojiro then swung it from the right, which sucked all the energy up. As he spun around, the blade left traces of trailing yellow energy that came from the sphere. Once facing the two foes, he let out a violent burst of dark red wave shaped Chaos energy. The blast knocked the two across the runway, resulting in a cloud of smoke.

Cassandra's whip came and smacked Tojiro with a violent boom of black and purple light, knocking him across the ground. Vulcan suddenly came down from above, stomping his large metal boot on Tojiro's back. Cassandra stepped up to his corpse, and pinned her sharp heel into Tojiro's neck, making him growl vigorously.

"Akuma was right about you Tojiro, you still haven't changed." she said with a slithering tone, holding up her whip.

Tojiro let out a sudden burst of electricity. It mostly damaged Vulcan, being more machine than man. The lightning shot Tojiro's nightmarish half-brother across the runway, until he stopped and didn't move another single inch. Tojiro rose to his feet, turning around to have Cassandra's whip straddle around his throat.

"You fail to understand, don't you?" she began.

"Your words are full of filth! Now back OFF!" he roared, shooting a pair of red beams out of his eyes, shooting Cassandra into the sky.

Tojiro leaped up after her, and grabbed her by one of her ankles, then tossed her back to the ground, landing on her back. Tojiro shot down at her motionless body, Dragon's Bane aiming down. When the Nightshade was just inches away, Vulcan's blast from his mini-gun boosted Tojiro back across the runway in a series of tumbles. Tojiro punched his right fist to the ground, and immediately got up, filled with rage. Vulcan made his Annihilator mini-gun vanish, and then he readied a pair of grisly hook swords, tipped in hot steel. Tojiro and Vulcan clashed their weapons together. Tojiro shot a pair of beams from both his eyes, pushing Vulcan back across the ground. With this, Tojiro swung his blade across Vulcan's body several times. Tojiro ended his attacks with a straight punch to the face with his right fist, forcing Vulcan to be tossed across the ground. Vulcan sat up, his green eye sparkling with hateful vengeance. He smashed his hook swords into the ground, creating glowing gold cracks that spread across the ground, until they reached the Demigod of Death. Spouts of hot gold liquid began spraying out from the cracks. Before they reached the crack he stood over, Tojiro leapt into the air. Tojiro sheathed Dragon's Bane, and got out Black Death. He fired the heavy pulse pounding projectiles which smacked against Vulcan's armored head. Tojiro landed on the ground, and put Black Death back in it's holster. The flood of hot gold sprayed over at Tojiro. Tojiro squatted down, then leaped forward. Tojiro went right over it, but held both his hands back, causing the tide of gold to follow his hands. As he came back down, he launched the wide wave of burning gold at both Cassandra and Vulcan. The two easily used Chaos Control to avoid it. Tojiro landed on the ground, growling with disturbance.

"The final Nightshade. The single Nightshade who should've died, without a passion." said Cassandra's voice.

Tojiro immediately turned around and saw the two foes standing there.

"Akuma knows much more than you have ever wished to Tojiro. This war…will not involve your survival." said Vulcan.

"Like it has ever mattered you pile of trash! I don't care about death…nor do I care about life. I am the judge between both of those." advocated the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"You're too smug dear Tojiro, you won't outlast us." said Cassandra.

"_Us_? The others…are alive as well?" he questioned in thought.

"That's right. They're alive as well. The rest of the family just can't wait to get their hands on you." said a sly Cassandra.

Tojiro's fists clenched with tense hatred.

"Sometime Tojiro, you _will_ recognize your place. Bye-bye for now!" said Cassandra, blowing him a goodbye kiss.

The two vanished by the use of Chaos Control, and the in the sky began to brighten by sudden lightning. Tojiro grabbed the sides of his hood, flipping it over his head.

"They're back. Those that have caused me pain and suffering…have finally returned." he muttered in defeat.

Rain fell and the wind bowled extremely hard. Tojiro's face was concealed by the darkness. The thunder boomed across the sky like the force of an earthquake.

"They…can come. For each that stands in my way…shall fall. I will…have my revenge." he uttered, lifting his head.

* * *

><p>As the lightning struck, it revealed his burning red eyes, those that could freeze the most powerful warrior…dead in their tracks. It was morning, and the sun's ever graceful presence began to rise over the horizon. Tojiro, however, wasn't enjoying the scenery. He doesn't enjoy much of nature, for he knows he had scarred it enough, so there is nothing much he views in nature that is peaceful. Yet, the Cloakmaster who would come to hate all has only, and always found peace and care in few things. He cared for his dear mother, who was chanced by fate to be struck down by his own hand. Had it not been so long that he had regretted that nightmarish moment. If there was ever something he could truly enjoy, was when as a child, he use to sit and watch the sunset with his mother. Tojiro took a moment to stand still and observe the view, staring at the rising sun. Many moments of his past enjoyments where he sat by his mother's side and watched the bright light rise up flooded his mind, and he felt at peace. Being in his human form made the Demigod have these feelings, it was single reason he stays out of it, and only in his hedgehog form. Why now? Why was it now that Tojiro remain in this form to enjoy the sunrise? It is all left in his past; his past dreams when he existed as a normal being, before his horrible transformation into the last Nightshade, and the very last of his people.<p>

"Tojiro?" said a voice.

Tojiro opened his eyes, turning around to shoot a blast of dark red Chaos energy at the speaker. There stood Ryu, easily extinguishing the blast by holding his staff up, then lowering it. Tojiro lowered his right hand, his eyes tightened and shifted into an angry shape.

"How long are you planning to stay in this dimension?" asked the wise god.

"As long as I must. I am determined to find answers I now seek." he replied, turning to face the open ocean.

"I see. To what lengths, and to what reasons?" replied Ryu.

"Necessary actions must be taken whenever they are required. I'm beginning to expect something horrible to begin." conjured Tojiro.

"I can tell. You've never been one to be so wrapped up in denial." said Ryu.

"That's a lie. I know it. Everything I've done…was out of hate and vengeance." Tojiro said, offended by Ryu's opposition. Ryu huffed, but in a positive manner, expecting this from the Cloakmaster.

Tojiro was walking alone this time. He began to spot several gravestones, just a few in random spots. Tojiro then stopped, noticing Yoshika standing at the edge of a cliff, holding a bouquet of flowers. With a gravestone in front of her, the endearing Yoshika set the flowers down on the grave, and stayed kneeled. Tojiro tilted his head, remembering this scene as one of his own. Tojiro could not help but stroll his way over to her. Yoshika was crying tears that could not have been stopped. How could she have been in the right mind to even believe that her father may still be alive? It must be this war. It is war that changes us, but it is the duty that must be done. An irreplaceable duty that no can change or remove from their hearts, it is a burden they must carry. Thus far, the Neuroi haven't shown care for their losses, it is their brutality that drives them. Tojiro stood exactly still for a moment, thinking of these things and only found himself doubting how easily it is to break the soul of a human, to break their spirit, and turn them into something else. Tojiro looked at his right hand, knowing he was thinking about himself.

"I do not wish to ask you anything too strong Yoshika." contemplated Tojiro.

Yoshika suddenly looked over her shoulder, seeing the Cloakmaster standing still, as the wind drifted across the grass and causing his cloak to slowly drift in the air. Yoshika could not help but tell how threatening Tojiro looked, including the fact that his face could not be seen.

"I'm…I'm just a bit…confused." said Yoshika, wiping her tears, then turning her head back to the grave.

Tojiro's eyes tightened suddenly, feeling annoyed. "Is this the grave of your father?" he asked, getting on one knee beside the young Strike Witch.

"Yes…it is." she quietly replied.

"He was the reason we're not fighting a losing war." she continued.

Tojiro shifted his gaze from Yoshika, to the grave. As a point of interest and sheer demise, Tojiro has never found his mother's grave, nor one to his father. The Demigod looked back at Yoshika, who appeared to be emotionally wrought just by kneeling in front of this headstone.

"I take it he invented those devices you call Striker Units?" asked Nightshade.

"He sure did. He created them…just so he could help everyone. It's the same reason I'm serving in the military, the very same reason I want to protect the ones I care about. Isn't that right?" she said, looking at the cloaked demon.

Tojiro huffed and put his left hand on her shoulder. "It is more than just noble Yoshika…_it is right_." he said, before standing back up, and making his own way. Yoshika watched the Cloakmaster walk away until he was no longer in sight. Yoshika could not help but just stare and think about the echoing words that uttered from the mouth of a being with more nightmares and mistakes, than dreams and accomplishments.

Nightshade was in his Darkrai form, completely covered by his legendary cloak that is as strong as any armor. His single turquoise eye shined within the hood of his cloak, as he was flying over the Strike Witches base that they called home.

"If I'm beginning to feel that Ryu has a point, I must be crazy. I have a sense there is something still here within this dimension. Something I must do. What? What is it?" Tojiro questioned himself mentally.

Tojiro headed down towards the base, hoping he would find something there that would possibly enlighten him, which in many cases is indeed; Surprising. Tojiro slowly found himself going slower through the air as he neared the flat ground. He reverted to his human form once landing, keeping his hood up, and his face shrouded by darkness. All that there was his two blank white eyes staring out, a stare that easily sensed an approaching doom.

Tojiro opened the double doors in front of him, walking into a room that was filled with noise, but suddenly came to silence once the demon stepped inside. Sakamoto and Minna were in the center of the room, scanning over a map, but like everyone else around them, their gaze was set upon the Cloakmaster. Tojiro walked down the first set of steps, strolling over to Sakamoto and Minna.

"May I help you?" asked Minna, facing him.

"Trouble is coming. The Neuroi are planning an attack." he answered darkly.

"How would you know?" asked Minna swiftly.

"I'm sensing a pattern in their attacks. Ever since I'm faced them…they've become more adamant on taking this world by force…starting by killing me." he explained.

"Sounds truthful, but I have my doubts. The Neuroi have had a bad streak of attacks on us, but if you just believe they're going to attack, I can't believe what you say." replied a reasonable Sakamoto.

"Would you rather believe in me or the corpses of your comrades? Take your pick." said Tojiro annoyingly.

"Enough! I will not tolerate your foolishness in my base! Leave this instant!" yelled Minna.

It was even quieter than before. Not a single word or sound drifted it's way on this scene, it was dead silence. Tojiro stared up for a moment.

"You should learn to keep your mouth shut, you know." he said.

Minna's anger was only furthered by his rude comment. "How dare you speak like that. What are you trying to prove!" screamed Minna.

Tojiro sighed, unsheathing Dragon's Bane.

"You need to learn to take cover from your anger." he stated with a harkened voice.

The roof of the room suddenly exploded, and a horde of harpies charged their way down. Tojiro immediately leaped up, spinning in furious circles, releasing small and precise bolts of Chaos energy killing every single one. Tojiro dropped down onto the ground in front of Minna and Sakamoto, his back turned to them. Tojiro stood tall, and watched the complete roof explode. Tojiro raised his blade, creating a dome of Chaos energy, shielding him and the two Strike Witches behind him. Once he lowered the shield, the talons of a large harpy grabbed Minna! The vicious bird quickly flew back up, and into the blue sky.

"Minna!" exclaimed Sakamoto.

"You may not want to get involved. Stay here…keep everyone else safe." warned the Demon Demigod. Nightshade crouched down and made a massive leap out of the large open hole.

Spinning in circles and with Dragon's Bane sticking straight up, Nightshade neared the giant harpy that held Minna in its left foot. Nightshade grabbed hold of the harpy's right foot with his left hand. Nightshade readied his sword and plunged it up into the harpy's neck. The harpy squawked in pain, flapping it's massive wings and letting feathers fly about. Nightshade used Chaos Control to teleport himself into the grip of Dragon's Bane that still lie impaled in the harpy's neck. Nightshade quickly ran around the neck, slicing through the bone, and beheading the harpy. The headless beast began to fall, while Minna was still locked in the grip of it's foot. Nightshade used Chaos Control to appear on the left foot. He sheathed Dragon's Bane and tore the toes off, and grabbed the unconscious Minna in his arms. Nightshade then performed a back flip, falling through the clouds. Minna slowly opened her eyes. They immediately widened when she noticed the position they were in. Minna grabbed hold tightly around Nightshade's neck.

"What in the hell is going on?" she yelled.

"Just keep your eyes closed." he replied.

They passed through another set of clouds, however, there was a Neuroi Hydra head springing it's long neck up at them.

"OH GOD!" screamed Minna.

Nightshade noticed the sudden grip of Minna's arms.

"Minna…I'm awfully sorry about this." said Nightshade carelessly.

"Huh? What?" she stumbled.

Nightshade threw Minna to the left, and unsheathed Dragon's Bane. Sticking the blade downward, Nightshade dove right into the forehead of the beast with amazing momentum. The beast, however, regained it's focus and began shaking it's head in violent fashions. Nightshade then began to violently drive his metal fist into the beasts' right eye, ultimately shattering it. The angry Hydra threw Nightshade off it's head. The Cloakmaster swiftly transformed to his Darkrai form, and flew over to the still descending Minna. The Demigod easily grabbed her in his arms, just missing a sudden chomp from the teeth of the Hydra.

Nightshade turned around, hovering still in mid air. Down below in the ocean, the Hydra gave an insidious glare of hunger at the two.

"This won't be easy." said Nightshade.

"Would it be alright with you…if you put me down!" yelled Minna impatiently.

"Very well. I don't need a fools words anyway." Nightshade responded, using Chaos Control to make Minna vanish from his arms and reappear in front of the hangar.

"Commander Minna? How'd you just get here?" asked Yoshika, exiting the hangar, with Lynn by her side.

"For now, let's just trust Tojiro." said Minna quickly, watching up at the sky.

Nightshade put his arms out in front, his fingertips pointing to each other. A sphere of electricity began to form, and he held it over his head. The Hydra fired a beam of red energy from it's chest. Nightshade quickly shot the lightning sphere, causing a dangerous boom, blowing Nightshade back through the air, eventually stopping himself before making another charge towards his foe. The Hydra lunged it's open mouth forward, but the dastardly demigod punched the beast in the snout with his metal fist, causing it to lunge back. Nightshade then shot an array of lightning bolts which coursed all over the Hydra's body, causing it to roar in pain. Nightshade quickly hovered away from the suffering beast, unsheathing Dragon's Bane.

"There's no doubt this is a creation of Vulcan. How? How did he get his hands on the Neuroi's technology?" Nightshade questioned himself mentally.

The Hydra shook free the bolting lightning and launched a large red beam out of it's mouth. Nightshade swung his left hand up, causing a large wall of water to rise up before himself, and blocking the blast, but yet creating another strong quake of air to shoot Nightshade back, also leaving a large cloud of steam in the air.

Nightshade gasped and quickly flew upwards once the Hydra came through the steam with a hungry mouth. Nightshade then dashed downwards, smashing down into the beast's head, causing it to slip under the water, along with the Demigod of Death. Nightshade struck his right hand into the left eye of the Hydra, then plunged his left hand into the hole. Nightshade began to pull opposite ways, tearing the eye socket open. The Hydra continued to swing it's head in a painful rage, roaring and screeching with agony. Nightshade drove Dragon's Bane into the eye hole, creating a red light to glow within. In just a few seconds, the pressure and power of Chaos energy exploded, throwing Nightshade's loose body down to the runway, scattered and steaming with smoke. Nightshade stuck his blade into the ground, using it as support so he could rise to his feet. Nightshade sheathed Dragon's Bane, and reverted to his human form.

"Are you alright Tojiro?" called out Yoshika from far behind.

Nightshade turned around to see Yoshika, Lynn and Minna making their way over to him.

"It is good to see that you're alright. I thank your for staying safe." said Nightshade respectfully.

Minna then slapped Nightshade. Yoshika and Lynn gasped at such a move. Nightshade turned his head back to Minna, and sighed heavily.

"That was unrequited, yet I understand your sudden anger." Nightshade commented.

Minna crossed her arms, surprised by his calm response. "I did underestimate their attack. Yet the Neuroi you have witnessed won't attack you anymore. They only aim for me. It was what they were _built for_." explained Tojiro.

"That's good I guess. Then tell me this, how come it sounds like you're leaving?" questioned Minna.

"You are right to say that. I must make my leave. I can't, however, determine where my journey will bring me." said Nightshade.

"We understand. We all wish you good luck." said Sakamoto, just arriving.

"I may end up in this world again, but maybe not." said Nightshade, turning his back to them.

Nightshade stretched his right hand out, shooting a red sphere out, and creating a crimson portal.

"However, this world is in good enough hands already." he said, before lunging into the portal.

Unaware of where it will lead him he marched on. It is like he said himself, no matter how hard he tried, every path is enshrouded with danger and death. Not a single layer of peace will stand in his way, because he will be there to dismiss it. Prejudice and unprejudiced, that is the way of the Nightshade.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present Day, Outside Limits of Seito High School, 8:30 pm<strong>_

In the dead of night, the silence had been broken by a new threat. Two trees were carelessly grabbed and torn out of their roots and thrown off to the side. A large cloaked individual stepped through, and stared up at the sky. The strange being got out a red orb from his cloak pocket. The orb suddenly lit up, and the face of another cloaked man appeared in it.

"You know what to do. Akuma made his word clear, you better get this done right." said the man, with a gluttonous and muffled voice. The cloaked figure in the orb nodded his head, and vanished from within. The large cloaked man put the orb back in his pocket, and looked back up at the sky as if a presence suddenly came over him.

"You better hurry this time my friend,_ he is coming_." said the strange being, watching meteors zip across the night time sky.

Nightshade crashed onto the ground, creating a small crater on a dirt path. He rose to his feet, looking up in the sky at the passing meteor storm.

"Such tranquility…heh." he said, turning his head forward. A sudden urge hit him in the head. Tojiro unsheathed Dragon's Bane, and turned around. A blue meteor was surging downwards from the starry sky.

"Good lord…already?" complained the Cloakmaster, lowering his hood.

The meteor suddenly pulled up and shot straight forward over the tree line. Tojiro watched the blue flaming meteor zoom right over his head, turning himself around in the process. Tojiro crouched down and sped off into an intense sprint.

"That meteor had Chaos energy on it! Who the hell could it be this time?" Tojiro questioned himself as he continued to charge down the dirt road.

On the flaming blue meteor, a cloaked figure rose up. His sleeves were cut off, and his cloak was open, swaying madly at the velocity of the meteor. The figure held both his hands out to the side, creating two spheres of purple Chaos energy.

"Chaos…JUDGMENT STRIKE!" roared the man. He fired the streams of Chaos energy which shot out and swirled in constant circles while flying forward.

The beams then shot upward, and combined together. Appearing as one single comet of purple Chaos energy, the energy shot down towards Seito High School. The blast hit one of the buildings, blowing away a good portion of the building. Tojiro hastily made his way to the school that lie in sudden chaos. Tojiro quickly reverted to his hedgehog form and leaped forward in ball form. With his sword sticking forward, he began spinning down in frequent circles. Tojiro crashed through the blue meteor the cloaked figure stood upon, blowing it to pieces. Tojiro's cloak was lit in blue flames once he landed on the ground. He created a cyclone around his body, dousing the flames off his cloak and all the remaining flames around the area. Tojiro looked forward, seeing the cloaked figure in the distance. His face could not be seen, Tojiro was steadily annoyed every minute.

"You are similar in presence to me. Who are you!" Tojiro demanded an immediate answer.

"That…does not matter." he said, shooting sword blade shaped Chaos Spears.

The blasts cut through Tojiro's flesh. The Cloakmaster created a barrier of Chaos energy to block the pelting blasts. Tojiro quickly lowered the barrier, swinging his sword five times, each releasing slices of red Chaos energy. The cloaked figure blocked each one with a flick of his wrists, then charged forward. Tojiro quickly sheathed his blade and charged forward. The two held their right fists back. The two roared at the top of their lungs, punching their fists together, creating a whirlwind of fire and light of Chaos energy to expand into a dome shaped cloud. Tojiro was standing in the middle of the crater, while the cloaked figure was already up in the air, his arms crossed, staring down at the Cloakmaster.

"You're getting yourself in business that is not your own. You best get lost now." said the stranger.

"If you're so determined to get rid of me…then do it instead of talking!" shouted Tojiro, firing two beams of Chaos energy out of both his hands.

The cloaked man swiped his hands, while flying up into the air, and performing a back flip. The figure landed back on the ground, his back turned to Tojiro. Tojiro's eyes widened at what he saw. On the back of this stranger's cloak was the symbol of his people; The Great Shade Empire.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: What will you gain from this war? What will you win after killing me?

?: Nothing _too_ viable. Your persona is all that this world needs to pick itself up from the cavern of darkness it's been lying in.

Tojiro: What?

?: Yes. Surprises are treasures best left unwrapped until the last minute. Are they not?

Tojiro: Pointless threats and limericks won't foil my cause, **Julius!**

Julius: Then death perhaps? HAHAHAHAHA!

?: HEY!

Julius: Who dares to interrupt this fight? Who must I **slaughter** now?

?: I just thought I had to come back to tell _you_ that Tojiro...is more stronger than you know he is. Glad to see me, Tojiro?

Tojiro: You...how-how did you get here? Yoko?

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER V:_**

**_A FRIEND IN NEED! A HAND TO HELP!_**

**ENTER THE SHARPSHOOTING BEAUTY! _  
><em>**


	5. Chapter V

**_CHAPTER V: A FRIEND IN NEED! A HELPING HAND!_**

**ENTER THE SHARPSHOOTING BEAUTY!**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for those in this chapter), Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Julius Tsuiho, and Maximus Itami! They are my original creations and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners!**

Another Nightshade stood before his eyes. "I am finally glad to meet you Tojiro. My name…is Julius." he said, lowering his hood.

He had a black eye patch over his right eye, and the right side of his face seemed to have been badly burnt, and so a black cloth was covering that side as well, with the eye patch over the cloth. His left eye was the color of aqua, and it glared angrily at Tojiro.

"I always thought that our meeting would occur in the future, but this is good enough." stated Julius, shooting a huge black Chaos Spear out of his left hand.

Nightshade jabbed Dragon's Bane into the earth and kneeled. The large Chaos Spear was split in half, and the Cloakmaster immediately charged forward.

"You should know your place fool!" roared Julius, shooting a multitude of black Chaos Spears.

Nightshade cut through every single one while still running, and grabbed Julius by the throat with his right hand.

"You should know yours!" Nightshade said viciously.

Nightshade then spun his fellow Cloakmaster in various circles and finally tossed him towards the main building of Seito High School. Julius smashed through one glass window and through one empty room, and knocking down the door of that room, ending up in the middle of the hallway. Nightshade teleported himself in the hole of the window, and stepped inside. Julius shot a swirl of Chaos energy rings from his left eye, blasting Nightshade in the gut, yet he still stood his ground. Nightshade slowly put himself in an upward position, but he saw Julius's hand grab his face. Julius then turned around and began using Nightshade as a battering ram to knock down every floor they came up to. Finally, the two smashed straight through a wall that led to a steep fall, and down to the area of the main entrance. The two smashed into the pavement, and Nightshade kicked both his feet, sending Julius smashing into the wall, lodging him into it. Nightshade jumped to his feet, and tossed Dragon's Bane straight at Julius. The blade pierced his gut, making Julius flinch and gag at it's force once it broke through his rib cage. Julius, however, set his gaze back on Tojiro. Julius steadily raised his hand and grabbed Dragon's Bane from it's handle, and removed it from his gut, also dislodging himself from the wall.

Julius quickly swung the sword around in circles over his head and then shot it forward at Tojiro. The demigod caught it with ease and swung it down, releasing a vertical burst of dark red Chaos energy. Julius gathered all the energy in his hands and aimed his hands forward, creating a sphere of focused Chaos energy. Nightshade widened his eyes at this sight. The Cloakmaster swiftly sheathed his blade and charged forwards, globes of red Chaos energy in both his palms.

"Chaos…" Julius mumbled.

Nightshade quickly lunged forward and punched his pulsating fists into Julius's face, knocking him to the ground. However, with Nightshade preparing to pounce down at his foe, Julius fired the focused Chaos energy right into the Demigod of Death. Tojiro broke through the upper roof and high into the air. Julius followed up after him, shooting several Chaos Spears without care, as long as they caused Tojiro pain. Tojiro fired slices of air to dismiss the Chaos Spears. Tojiro formed a large fireball over his head, then gathered it in his left hand, holding it back as he dove down at Julius. Julius himself readied a sphere of dark violet Chaos energy with bolts of lightning sparking around it. In mere seconds, the two collided in a clash of power and fire. Nightshade smashed through a good section of the roof, taking masses of debris with him until he smashed into the ground behind the school. Tojiro rose to his feet, and growled heavily, feeling a slight pain in his left arm.

"Hey Kanu, who do you think that is?" said a shy voice.

Nightshade quickly turned around, holding his revolver Black Death in his right hand, and pointing it at two girls from this school. One, Kanu Unchou, one of the most feared fighters of the land. By her side, the one she swears to protect no matter what, Ryuubi Gentoku.

"Who are you people?" asked Nightshade.

"I was going to ask the same thing. Why are you attacking our school?" questioned Kanu, pointing her weapon at the Cloakmaster.

"I've expected that much to come out of your mouth, but how am I to blame? You're pointing that weapon of yours at the wrong person." noted the Nightshade.

"Oh? How can you prove it then?" said Kanu.

A humongous black lizard with several frills of fire on its back landed behind Tojiro, with piercing red eyes; it was Julius.

"That." said the calm Nightshade, pointing behind himself.

Kanu stood protectively in front of Ryuubi. The Cloakmaster turned around slowly, knowing of his oversized threat. Tojiro prepared for the worst, and it wasn't in Julius's eyes, nor his size, not even his wish to kill his fellow Cloakmaster. A fear that awakened in Tojiro so suddenly, was what he held tightly with his right hand.

"You want to make things even? Is that it Julius?" questioned Tojiro. Julius let out a monstrous roar, revealing a burning fire within his large mouth. Tojiro's cloak flapped wildly from his massive growl, yet he's seen worse.

"Very well. Then I…will get even." he said. With his right hand, he tore the rosary from it's chain, and unlocking the power of the dreaded Werehog within him.

The Nightshade fell to his knees, as his body became larger and larger. His cloak vanished to from his body, and became one with his body. Standing ten feet tall arose the Werehog turned Tojiro. His eyes remained blank white, and he growled angrily at his reptilian foe.

"Both of you…back away now." said Tojiro, punching his right fist into his left palm, then snapping his fingers.

Kanu trusted the strangers words and grabbed Ryuubi by her wrist and ran back to the school for safety. Tojiro crouched down and prepared for Julius to attack first. Julius ran forward, and lifted up his front legs, and dropped them down upon Tojiro. The Werehog quickly rolled forward and dug his claws into Julius's stomach. The blood that trickled down Tojiro's fingers were leaving a trail of smoke on them, and Tojiro appeared to be in pain. He squinted his white filled eyes and removed his claws from Julius's gut. The massive lizard stepped back and crushed Tojiro with his right foot. Tojiro created a blazing fire around his body to get the pressure of a hundred pound foot off his back. Tojiro quickly created spheres of dark purple Chaos energy in his palms and combined them together to fire a single straight beam of the vile energy. The blast hit Julius in the neck and forced him to step back. The flames on his back blazed brightly. Julius glared down at Tojiro and let loose a blast of immense orange Chaos energy. Tojiro created a spherical dome of earth around himself, however, the blast blew it up, and sent the Werehog crashing into the roof of Seito High School. Removing himself from the crumbled part of the school roof, Tojiro fired a pair of red beams from the palms of both his hands. The red beams suddenly turned into copies of his Werehog form, entirely red with no facial expressions whatsoever. The two pounced upon Julius's back, and began shocking the monstrous reptile with a great deal of red electricity. Tojiro clenched his right fist, causing the two clones to vanish. Tojiro clenched his left fist, causing a green aura to form around it. Tojiro pounded the ground with his resonating fist, releasing meteor shaped spheres of green Chaos energy to spurt out of the ground and all converge on Julius. The Hell Lizard was pounded by the explosive power of each and every blast that hit him. Tojiro ultimately leapt forward and smashed both his fists down on Julius's skull, bringing the oversized reptilian to the dirt. Tojiro then grabbed Julius by his face, however, Julius fired a burst of orange Chaos energy from within his mouth, launching Tojiro into the air. The Cloakmaster quickly found himself in an upright position and began releasing slashes of dark Chaos energy. The blasts tore against Julius's flesh, causing him to bellow in agony. Tojiro used Chaos Control and vanished from the sky. Julius veered his head to the left, and then to the right, seeing nothing in sight.

The ground beneath him, however, began to quake unsteadily. The earth around the massive lizard began to crack. Finally, the large slab of earth Julius stood on lifted up into the air, with Tojiro standing in an empty crater. Tojiro put his hands inches apart, forming a treacherous sphere of sparkling red Chaos energy. Tojiro fired the massive blast high into the sky, easily colliding with Julius, emitting a large red light in the sky. Tojiro blinked a few times, then stretched his arm to the right, grabbing his rosary. Once he had it up in front of his eyes, Julius stood in front of him, back in his human form.

The former Nightshade kicked Tojiro in the gut, launching him back across the ground. Tojiro ultimately got back on his feet, sliding backwards until he came to a stop. Julius held in his hands, a weapon known as the kusarigama. The handles were black, but the blades on both were silver. Along the lower curved edge of the blades, it glowed red to the tips.

"These…are the Chains of Fear. My weapon…which shall annihilate you." stated Julius, readying them in his grip.

Tojiro planted the rosary back onto it's chain, returning himself to his human form. Tojiro's hood was down, and his orange eyes glared deceptively at Julius. The two charged towards each other. The Chains of Fear formed a light green static aura around the blades. Tojiro formed two fireballs in the palms of his hands. Tojiro leaped upwards, while Julius did the same. Tojiro fired forward, to which Julius smacked through the flames, and kicked Tojiro in the gut. The Cloakmaster dropped to the ground, and rolled onto his back. Julius soared down at Tojiro, his weapons raised back. Tojiro rolled to the left, and Julius penetrated the dirt with his weapons, nothing more. Tojiro punched Julius in the side of the head, and rose to his feet at the same time. Tojiro continued to heavily send his punches to Julius's skull in a festive manner. Tojiro ultimately grabbed hold of Julius by his throat.

Julius drove both his weapons into Tojiro's shoulders, and painfully shocking him with the light green electricity. Tojiro roared in painful agony, his eyes widened extremely.

"Stings doesn't it?" taunted Julius.

Tojiro shut his eyes, suddenly becoming overwhelmed with his past nightmares. Everyone he slaughtered, the lands he turned to ash, the cities he burned down, all mistakes and failures. Tojiro was suddenly released from this horrible montage of visions once a blue shot hit Julius in the back, stunning him for a short moment.

Tojiro quickly grabbed Julius by his throat, "My turn." muttered the angry demigod.

Tojiro shocked a violent array of blue lightning all around Julius's body. Tojiro then punched his right fist into the stomach of the Nightshade, sending him flying and crashing into the school, creating an overwhelming boom and explosion. Tojiro fell to his knees, and gripped his head. A few bolts of green randomly lit and vanished around his body, as if a trace was left in the back wall of his mind.

"Hey there stranger." said a female voice.

Tojiro looked to his right, his eyes appearing surprised. There stood a cloaked figure, holding a very large but differently operated sniper rifle. The girl lowered her hood, revealing a very familiar face; Yoko Littner.

It was questioning in every way possible. Yoko was in Earth's dimension, with her gleaming smile and golden eyes set on the Cloakmaster. Tojiro rose up, and flipped his hood over his head. A black wall of darkness hid his face from within his hood.

"That's a way to greet someone." she said sarcastically.

Tojiro grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly, and up in front of her face.

"Leave…now." he said, nudging her away.

Tojiro stomped on the ground, creating a barrier behind himself to block a series of Chaos Spears shot from Julius. Tojiro quickly turned around, full glowing red eyes appearing in his hood. He charged forward and launched a series of fireballs then released a singular large dark red Chaos Spear. Julius used Chaos Control to vanish and reappear in front of Tojiro. The two Cloakmasters sent their glowing red fists towards each other. In slow motion, they collided with each others faces, blowing each other opposite directions. Yoko watched Tojiro's body crash through the forest and knocking down a serious of trees, seven in total. Yoko hurried after him and kneeled by his side, holding her arms out, wanting to help. Tojiro had already risen onto one knee.

"Why does it have to be this way, seriously?" she complained.

"First, remove that cloak. It looks foolish on you." he advised, unsheathing Dragon's Bane and charging forwards. Yoko looked at the cloak that fit her so snug, yet she removed it.

Tojiro clashed his blade with the Chains of Fear, which Julius crossed together. Tojiro used his head to knock Julius in the skull, causing him to stumble back. Tojiro then kicked his foe into the air, and shot a single straight beam of red Chaos energy from the tip of his sword. Julius spun in a rapid tornado form, to dissipate the blast, then stretched out the Chains of Fear with their chains that could stretch out infinitely. Tojiro quickly jumped back, then shot a slash of dark red Chaos energy at Julius. The blast hit perfectly, sending Julius to the dirt.

"Tojiro, do you need some help?" asked Yoko, approaching him.

"Yeah…I don't think so. Now back the hell off." he said, pushing her away with his left hand, not even turning his head an inch.

Yoko fell to the ground, and watch the Cloakmasters charge towards each other once again. Tojiro kicked Julius across the face then jabbed him with Dragon's Bane. Tojiro removed his blade and used the handle to jab Julius in the stomach with it, causing him to bend forward. Tojiro held his sword up high, but Julius drove one of his blades into Tojiro's leg. Tojiro instead grabbed Julius by the back of his head and tossed him towards the school, releasing the kusarigama blade from his leg. The Cloakmaster turned to where he sent Julius flying and held his sword with both hands. The thick and long dark blade resonated in crimson Chaos energy.

"Such a fool. That's all she is." he thought to himself, gripping the sword tighter.

Images of his times with Yoko rapidly appeared in his head, even the time her soft wet lips met his unsuspecting dry ones. Tojiro then saw images of the day Kamina died, the heavy rain was reminiscent to him in so many hurtful ways, yet he showed no mercy. He himself believed in that single moment that when Kamina died, it was for a reason that no one else could've committed to. It was a bold, but foolish reason, something the evil Demigod of Death could not respect. He hadn't noticed the same bolts of green electricity that originated from Julius's Chains of Fear still sparked and vanished at points on his body.

"Conflict…I am tired of it all. I am tired of the fools that create them…and those involved. Yoko…why did you bring these visions back to me?" he said, keeping an evil and malevolent glare.

A light green aura suddenly replaced the crimson aura that was once around Dragon's Bane. Even his entire body became immersed in it. Julius became flying out of the rubble, his eyes glowing a fierce red.

"Damn you…damn everyone." he whispered. The red lines on Dragon's Bane suddenly changed to green as well.

"I'll get my revenge…**no matter what**." muttered the Cloakmaster.

He swung his sword, unaware of the power he had unleashed. The green shower of Chaos energy blew against Julius, stopping him, and driving him through the earth, ultimately resulting in an explosion of green light, shaping into a dome. Yoko watched while still on the ground as the silhouette of the frightful Cloakmaster stood tall…and mistaken. Julius was gone, but not close to death. Tojiro remained still as the trees around him, until he dropped Dragon's Bane. The green lines changed back to glowing red ones. The Cloakmaster's orange eyes appeared back in his eyes, yet his face was still obscured by the darkness he had created within his hood. His left hand had been peeled of flesh, and still smoking. His right hand, was terribly corroded, yet still functioning. He clenched both, knowing his regeneration abilities would handle both complicated situations. Tojiro kneeled down, and grabbed Dragon's Bane by it's handle, eventually lifting it off the ground. He sheathed the blade, not wanting to ponder over the strange anomaly that had recently occurred. Tojiro rubbed the side of his head, feeling as it would crack. He felt all so fragile, weak, and tired. Yoko approached him, resting her hand on his shoulder. A sudden image of the time she kissed his lips appeared in his mind. His eyes formed into a stare. He rose to his feet, and pushed Yoko away.

"What's wrong Tojiro? Seriously?" she exclaimed.

"I…I-I…I don't know." he stuttered, putting his right hand on the side of his head.

"_What…what in the hell did you do to me Julius_?" Tojiro questioned himself mentally.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, stepping up to him.

Tojiro grunted and turned away, with his arms crossed. Yoko formed a kind smile, remembering this stubborn attitude of his.

"You…you appear…different?" he said, looking at her.

The Cloakmaster was correct. Yoko was younger. "Your appearance is exactly the same when we first met." he stated.

"That's what got me thinking! Once I ended up here the only one I could get answers from would you." she replied.

"Then you've better find yourself a Chaos Emerald or some luck. I'm not going to help you with anything." said the indignant Cloakmaster, reverting to his hedgehog form.

Yoko huffed, walking after him. Yoko sighed, and walked faster after him. Tojiro wasn't even trying to escape her. "Tojiro! Could you just stop for a moment?" she exclaimed.

Tojiro vanished and reappeared before her, looking up at her. "You used Chaos Control. How did you manage that kind of power?" he questioned suddenly.

Yoko looked at him with a nervous look, yet stubborn one. "For a human like you, it requires a certain amount of emotional assistance. What _assisted_ you on performing a Chaos Control?" he questioned further.

"I didn't. The technology I had was able to institute a portal. That's how I got here. What are you even trying to say?" she said defensively.

Tojiro huffed, and turned away, staring off to the side. Yoko suddenly looked at Tojiro as if she had actually struck something, something so fragile, yet so strong.

"Di-Did you…" she began.

"No. I didn't miss you." he interrupted angrily.

Yoko's eyes appeared saddened by such harsh words. "Does my appearance still frighten you? Or has my attitude already proven that?" he asked intentionally.

Yoko suddenly felt strange by his comment, but kept a focused face. An expression that showed much qualities and passion, not strong enough to break through the cares or wonders of the last Cloakmaster.

"I don't wish to get involved with you Yoko. I've done enough." said the Nightshade.

"Same here." she replied softly.

Tojiro slowly turned around to face her, but all he saw was her arms flinging around his neck, gripping him tightly. Tojiro was surprised, he hasn't felt such an embrace from such a friend ever since _that_ climatic battle in Tokyo. Yoko broke from the hug and stood up, holding the strap of her rifle with her right hand.

"You sure haven't changed…Tojiro." she stated with a smile, walking away afterwards.

Tojiro watched her slowly walk away until a sudden sense of judgment knocked him on the head. Yoko yelped as she was suddenly picked up into Tojiro's arms.

"Just hold on." he said, his blank white eyes glaring at her. Yoko looked at him mysteriously, and then nodded.

Tojiro looked straight ahead and dashed off. Tojiro leapt over the tree line, and landed one top of another tree, quickly leaping off it and across the cool crisp air. Yoko looked at all the lights in the sky, stars. They flashed, they glimmered. Tojiro leapt from another tree and back into the air. Yoko could not help but remember her times back in her world where she gazed upon the very same thing, yet she never made a wish. Yoko then looked at Tojiro. The face of unrivaled determination and a stare that can defeat any challenge. If Yoko had ever made a wish in her life, she just got it. Tojiro and Yoko were now standing off a rooftop together in the heart of Tokyo. They both overlooked all the strolling cars below. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, and looked at Yoko staring up at the sky. Tojiro walked up to the edge of the building, and stared over the edge. He crinkled his nose, watching the peacefulness of this city, making him feel shrewd. Yoko watched a sudden flash come across the sky.

"A shooting star." she whispered.

The acute ears of the Cloakmaster heard her, and he looked up to see it pass by as well. Tojiro rose back to his feet, just noticing Yoko sitting at the edge of the building, her legs hanging off the very edge, her sniper rifle by her side.

"Listen…I know you're a bit angry now, but I…you could just say that this whole problem ended in a good way." she began nervously, hopefully knowing that her words would get an honest answer.

"Well, you scored well on that. But now with you here…my choices have now taken a _slight_ change in course." he replied, his arms crossed broadly.

So much for that honesty.

"Have you thought about a lot ever since the end of the war?" she asked.

Tojiro let the wind slowly drift by him, and letting his cloak waver with it. Yoko looked at him earnestly, waiting for his answer.

"To-" Yoko began, becoming abruptly halted by the eager Tojiro.

"I've never viewed war in any way possible as its own demeanor. I don't like war…and the feeling between people and war is mutual…that is why it is waged. The battle here in Tokyo changed on that day…especially when I said goodbye." he said, simply turning his head and looking down at her.

Yoko's eyes appeared bright in the moonlight, and begged for Tojiro to continue.

"What did you do when you returned home? What did you and Simon do?" he questioned.

Yoko knew it would've been easy for him to sniff out a lie just by looking at her, so she answered honestly.

"It was strange between us. Because of you…the Anti-Spirals hadn't existed…because you destroyed them all. You stopped a war." she replied.

"I see. Yet it wasn't a good thing. I don't need commemoration."

Yoko turned her head away and looked at the glowing moon in the distance.

"But yet…there was so some sort of essence. A feeling told me I should've done something." Tojiro began.

"And what was that?" Yoko asked with a saddened tone.

Tojiro stepped off the building, hovering in the air. He circled around until he was hovering right in front of her. Yoko stared in amazement.

"To see you." he answered abruptly.

Yoko's cheeks blushed a light pink, and her golden eyes twinkled as much as the stars above her. Tojiro hovered back onto the building, standing by her side. Yoko was still looking at him.

"Hey, Tojiro?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he said, without taking his eyes off the moon.

"Are you still mad? Or have you forgotten?" asked the red haired girl.

Tojiro felt a sudden abnormality in his system. He knew she was referring to the kiss they shared. Yet in the mind of the Cloakmaster, it was nothing more but simplistic unrequited emotions. Yoko slowly reached her left hand up, and wrapped her fingers in Tojiro's cold metal right hand. He suddenly changed into his human form. Tojiro's hood remained up, and his eyes could not be seen, yet he was still looking down at her.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything. I realize that. But if you could…just tell me how your feel Tojiro." she said carefully.

Tojiro turned to face her and then slowly squatted. Yoko felt her lips quiver, and her body's warmth intensified. His face stopped in front of hers, his eyes snapped wide. Tojiro reached around Yoko, grabbed her sniper rifle and turned back around to face forward. A large harpy came down at them. Tojiro shot the rifle, hitting it three times in the left wing. Yoko got up immediately. The massive harpy flew over them and landed on the rooftop, shaking its body.

"I got this. You do what you must." he said, handing the rifle to Yoko, then unsheathing Dragon's Bane.

Tojiro ran forward, and leaped straight. He latched onto the harpy's back and began climbing up it. The arrogant beast began shaking it's massive body in hopes to throw Tojiro off. The Cloakmaster dug the claws on his right hand into the flesh, and impaled his sword into the bird's spinal cord. The harpy screeched with great pain and lifted off into the sky. Yoko took aim and shot it in the neck, causing it to fall out of the sky, and heading down for an industrial building.

"Oh crap." she muttered.

The winged beast began flapping it's wings with great momentum. However, Tojiro ran up the creatures back and drove his blade directly into the creatures cranium. The winged creature finally went silent and crashed through a building, spinning out of control and crashing into the crowded streets below, creating even more chaos. Tojiro was on his stomach, yet he rose up. The dust on his cloak covered several spots due to the debris he and the harpy crashed through. The harpy's corpse remained still and cold. Tojiro heard a change in the wind. He looked up and saw a bolt of green lightning coming straight for him. Tojiro changed into his Darkrai form, and dropped Dragon's Bane. He shot a bolt of blue lightning to collide with the other, right over the streets that were below. It resulted in a bright ravenous explosion of fire and shine. Tojiro waved his hands, removing the whole cloud of smoke. Off to every side watched the citizens of Tokyo. Tojiro immediately set his eyes up into the air. A large cloaked figure landed on the ground in front of the harpy's corpse. He was large and obese, the cloak around him covered his entire self, and his face was hidden by the darkness he created inside his hood, the same method Tojiro would use to hide his face.

"The last Cloakmaster. The one who wears the mark of evil itself. I am astounded I have been given this chance to meet you." said his hoarse gluttonous voice.

"Just who the hell are you?" questioned the deliberate Cloakmaster.

The man lowered his hood, revealing a disgusting facial appearance. The right side of his face appeared malformed. The left section of his forehead slumped over his left eye, appearing as extra fat. His other eye glowed an angry orange.

"You…who are you?" questioned an angry Tojiro.

"I…am a Nightshade. Just like you. I am…your godfather…**Maximus**." he said with a glare of disdain to irritably match his smug face.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: MAXIMUS! You gascious ball of waste! You shall hand me back the girl!

Maximus: The heartless Cloakmaster himself? Where is all that emotion coming from? HAHAHAHEHEHE!

Tojiro: Surrender her freedom to me! And along with your life! MAXIMUS!

Ryu: You...Cloakmaster. What is it that has you despise humanity so greatly?

Tojrio: The rest of the world doesn't matter to me. I SHALL have my revenge! I SHALL save Yoko!

Ryu: Don't you deviate from humanity, again! You know what _Akuma _is planning! You turn your back on humanity, but this one girl is far more importanty! Despicable!

Tojiro: Maybe so, Ryu. But humanity can never, and shall never replace one other's life. Too bad Ryu...but **I'm no hero**.

NEXT TIME!

**CHAPTER VI:**

**_A CLOAKMASTER IN CHAOS PART ONE:_**

**I'M NO HERO**


	6. Chapter VI

**_CHAPTER VI: A CLOAKMASTER IN CHAOS PART ONE:_**

**"I'M NO HERO."**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story (except for in this chapter), Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Maximus Itami, and Ryu Kaze! They are my original characters and thus are my "licensed" by me. First time I used that flippin' word! All other characters belong to their respected creators/owners!**

Tojiro stood dumbfounded, filled with hatred. He stood with a gut feeling that this Maximus…deserved to die now. It was intuitive at this point. Tojiro had felt he had no family. The only ones he loved in his family was his mother and father. This new foe…as well as Cassandra, Vulcan, Julius, and Akuma, just made him think he had one dreadful family tree.

"I was surprised to learn that Julius was found ill at attempt to fight you. Mainly because…you couldn't find it in your heart to control your anger." said Maximus.

"News flash you overgrown flesh bag, neither of us have hearts. But I'll be happy enough to replace it with your decapitated head." threatened the vicious Cloakmaster.

"You're more famous for your words than your actions. I can believe that." replied Maximus.

"Let me determine that." said Tojiro, running forward.

Maximus easily smacked Tojiro with the back of his hand, throwing Tojiro right into a parked car, demolishing it. Maximus aimed his left hand out, a sphere of yellow Chaos energy formed. Tojiro sat up, his eyes widened. The sphere hopped off Maximus's open palm and drove itself towards Tojiro, while tearing away at the ground. Tojiro raised both his arms, and crossed them like an X. A barrier of earth stood and covered around Tojiro. The sphere collided, yet showed no damage. Tojiro reappeared in front of the towering Maximus and drove his right clawed hand into his gut. There was a strange feeling, as if his gut was nothing but extra weight, dead weight. Maximus chuckled openly, and swung his massive left hand. Tojiro jumped up in there and shot down five fireballs. Maximus created a barrier of Chaos energy to defend himself. Tojiro landed back on the ground, glaring angrily at his foe. Maximus quickly shot a series of large crimson Chaos Spears from his hands. Tojiro stood fast, and with quick techniques he flicked the blasts away, absorbing their power at the same time. Tojiro then placed his hands together, and spanned them out, creating a spear shaped form of dark red Chaos energy. Tojiro then charged forward without hesitance. Maximus stumbled forward, preparing two spheres of yellow Chaos energy in both his hands. Maximus roared, raising both his fists over Tojiro. The Cloakmaster quickly leaped over the head of Maximus. In the same process, Tojiro turned around and launched the spear of Chaos energy directly into Maximus's back, exploding into flames, and shooting Maximus through the entrance of a dance club.

The people dancing were immediately driven into a state of fright once the massive cloaked Maximus came rolling in onto the frantically changing colors of the dance floor. Tojiro jumped in, shooting seven Chaos Spears out of his left hand. The explosive bolts smacked against Maximus, causing one single explosion, launching any person near Maximus flailing wildly. Tojiro stood offensively, and readied himself to charge. Maximus had his back turned as he was rising back to his feet. Tojiro strained his eyes then charged. Maximus surprisingly turned around, holding two large axes in his hands. Tojiro came to a stop, then flipped himself backwards, avoiding the slamming power of the axes. Maximus removed the two weapons from the ground.

"Behold…the Axes of Punishment!" exclaimed Maximus.

Both axes had double sided blades and the section that held them were metal crafted demon dog heads, in gold. The sharp blades of the axes suddenly glowed with orange. Tojiro held his right fist back, forming an aura of blue Chaos energy around it. Maximus grinned as he glared at Tojiro's poor choice of attack. Suddenly, Maximus was severely shot in the gut by Yoko and her rifle. This caused Maximus to lower his weapons. Tojiro's eyes widened, and he sprinted forward. Maximus nervously held both his axes in front of his face. Tojiro leapt forward and connected his right fist with the axes, creating a disastrous explosion. Yoko was thrown to the ground by the power of the blast radius. Yoko sat up, looking all around. The flashing lights in the club kept going. Yoko stood up, holding her rifle close and ready. A large layer of smoke lie in front of her. The lights on the dance floor continued to flicker from within the cloud of smoke.

"Tojiro?" she stammered, preparing for a deceptive reaction.

A sudden fifteen foot long gray crocodile jumped out of the smoke and roared at Yoko. Yoko quickly jumped back and shot the beast in the snout. The creature hissed and growled, suddenly marching towards Yoko. Yoko backed up against a railing, with no where else to go. The crocodile opened it's large mouth, but suddenly Dragon's Bane came down from above and impaled the beast through it's jaw, then it's bottom jaw, sticking it into the floor. Yoko nervously looked up, and saw the hedgehog Tojiro jump down, holding his left shoulder. He marched up to the corpse and dislodged his blade.

"Don't do that! Damn!" Yoko yelled at him.

"My god. Maybe next time I'll think about you when I'm actually in a fight. Just be grateful." Tojiro snapped at her.

"Look out!" she screamed.

The roaring of another crocodile came through the smoke. Tojiro drove his blade straight up, causing the crocodile to become impaled through its bottom jaw onto Tojiro's sword. Tojiro grabbed the dead beast and pulled his sword out, suddenly revealing one of Maximus's axes coming from the smoke. Tojiro turned around, and pulled Yoko to the ground. The axe cut through one of the rounded pillars, and turned around like a boomerang. Stomping through the smoke was Maximus, raising his right hand to catch the axe. Tojiro turned to face him, standing defensively in front of Yoko. Maximus wasted no time. The fat evil Cloakmaster lunged one of his axes forward. With quick reflexes did Tojiro catch the axe and charge forward. Not anticipating such an action, Maximus held up his axe. Tojiro, however, drove the axe he had in hand right into the right arm of Maximus. The man roared in agony. Tojiro gave the former Cloakmaster an uppercut then began kicking him frantically in the head, about twenty times while staying in mid air. The stunned Maximus fell down onto his back. Tojiro charged forward, but in a flash of light, Maximus had vanished. Tojiro came to a stop.

"He didn't." Tojiro said in shock. The Cloakmaster turned around to see Maximus standing behind Yoko.

"YOKO GET DOWN NOW!" roared Tojiro, charging at Maximus.

Yoko turned around to see the huge Maximus tower over her.

"You're mine now!" he commanded, reaching for her.

Yoko ducked down to the ground. Tojiro rolled up into a ball, spurting a red aura around himself. He literally broke through Maximus's ribs and out his back. Tojiro slid across the ground, bringing with him the innards of Maximus's anatomy, while soaked in his blood. Tojiro had a drifting odor exert from his body. It was rank and poisonous, his body felt like it was simply going to melt.

Maximus turned around, the hole in his belly began to regenerate itself. Tojiro got onto one foot, his right hand planted on the floor. Maximus tossed both his axes at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster grunted, standing up and grabbing both in his hands. Tojiro's eyes filled with red and shined brilliantly. Tojiro gripped both axes tightly in his hands. The Cloakmaster charged forward, and drove both axes into Maximus's large belly, causing him to groan and cough in an festive manner. Maximus punched Tojiro, shooting him back across the room. He formed into a ball, and bounced off the wall, then straight back towards his foe. Maximus held his left hand out, and grabbed the rolled up hedgehog. In the process, Maximus turned around and tossed him at Yoko. Tojiro smacked Yoko in her right leg, and knocked her down. Tojiro exited his ball form, skidding to a halt. The red in his eyes vanished and it went back to white, then his orange pupils appeared in his eyes, looking at Yoko with harsh concern. Maximus grabbed the two axes that were dug into his belly and pulled them out, followed by the flowing of his blood from the two severe wounds. The blood crawled across the floor and began forming into something, something monstrous. Tojiro ran over to Yoko's side, she was unconscious.

"Dammit. Damn you Maximus!" Tojiro yelled, standing back up and facing forward.

The pool of blood had formed into a three headed dog with moldy skin and hardened rock. The beast stood about five feet tall, but was very wide. The eyes on each of it's heads glowed with a fiery orange. Tojiro heaved his shoulders as his anger slowly took him over. He grabbed hold of his rosary, breaking it from the chain. A large black aura with several red lightning bolts formed around him. Once it cleared, there stood the ten foot black furred Werehog of Tojiro Ankoku. His orange pupils vanished so only blank hate remained in his eyes. The angry hound blew fire out of it's middle head. Tojiro planted his hands on the ground, preparing himself to charge. Tojiro's breath was visible as he angrily blew it out of his nose and mouth. The Cerberus beast charged forward. Tojiro pounded the ground then charged as well. Tojiro pushed the beast back with his muscular arms. The left head bit down on Tojiro's shoulder. The angry Cloakmaster growled and picked the Cerberus off its feet, holding it over his head. Tojiro smashed it into the dance floor, causing a dangerous amount of electricity to surge through the creature's body. Tojiro then kicked it onto its back. Maximus suddenly punched Tojiro in the back, shooting him through one of the support columns. Tojiro rose from the debris, and the Cerberus suddenly pounced through the smoke cloud, pinning Tojiro to the ground. The beast made many attempts into biting his skull, but Tojiro tilted his head into different positions to avoid such a fate. Finally, Tojiro grabbed the jaws of the left head and split them apart, them ripping them off. Tojiro pushed the beast off himself, then smashed his large right fist down into the left head. Tojiro punched the middle head, then grabbed both sides of the left head. Using all his strength, Tojiro easily tore the head off. Tojiro watched the beast scramble away, standing on its hind legs then standing back down. Maximus tossed one of his axes into Tojiro's right arm, causing the Nightshade great pain. Tojiro fell to his knees. The arm let out serious puffs of steam and expelled bolts of red lightning. The Cerberus leaped forward at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster quickly removed the axe and chopped it down onto the middle head. Tojiro jumped over the beast, standing behind it. He stretched his arms forth, grabbing the handle of the axe. He then leaped backwards, causing the axe to cut through the entire body of the Cerberus in half. Tojiro retracted his arm, holding the axe in hand. He quickly turned around, using the axe to block an attack from Maximus. Tojiro nudged his godfather back, then tackled him, pushing him back feet by feet. Tojiro finally pushed him through a support column. Tojiro swung the axe up at the ceiling five times, destroying a good portion of it, and causing an avalanche of debris to fall upon both Cloakmasters.

Tojiro's right hand burst through the debris shortly afterwards. Maximus, however, was already out. He dug into the debris, pulling the Cloakmaster out. As soon as he pulled the angry Werehog out, Tojiro smacked Maximus in the face with a chunk of stone. Maximus butted heads with Tojiro, but the persistence of this Cloakmaster wasn't going anywhere. Tojiro created an aura of flames around his body, then spread all the way to Maximus's shoulder. The large Cloakmaster tossed Tojiro across the room, and smashed through five tables. Maximus clenched his burning arm, causing it to turn to steam, yet his whole arm was nothing but molten flesh, ebony and rotten. Tojiro grabbed a table and swung it like a frisbee, hitting Maximus dead in the face, causing him to stumble back in a dizzy manner. Tojiro hopped forward, landing on the now black dance floor.

"We're all ready, you know?" Maximus spoke up, staring at Tojiro.

"Ready? For your deaths? I'm glad." assured Tojiro.

"You incompetent fool! I knew it was true once Akuma had told us that you were obsessed with nothing more than your revenge! Your bitter and pathetic revenge is meaningless to the farthest fathom!." Maximus denounced.

"I don't care who says it. Everyone of you…_shall die_. Akuma is at the top of that list…but for now…I'll settle for your carcass." Tojiro proclaimed.

Tojiro punched his fists forward, shooting large fireballs at Maximus. Maximus swung his axes, dissipating the flames. Tojiro came through the black smoke, but Tojiro was cleaved by a powerful strike from Maximus's Axes of Punishment. Tojiro jumped to his feet, but quickly rolled to the left to dodge a stunning pound by the axes held by Maximus. Tojiro grabbed Maximus by his right arm. Tojiro quickly jerked back, forcing the obese foe to the floor. Tojiro then let go of his arm, jumped up and overhead. Tojiro then elbow dropped onto Maximus's belly. However, this attack launched Tojiro off the elastic stomach and into the ceiling. Maximus rose to his feet, chuckling away the Cloakmaster that was glued to the ceiling. Tojiro suddenly exploded with a surge of red Chaos energy. Piles and pieces of debris fell into the club room, even smacking into Maximus. Tojiro dropped down onto the ground, emanating a red aura. Tojiro sprinted forwards on all fours. He leapt off the ground, staying inches above it. He drove his metal fist straight into Maximus's stomach, causing the massive Nightshade to be fired through a wall and into another building. With more anger deep inside his soul, Tojiro followed after his foe.

Tojiro jumped through the hole, and found Maximus just starting to get up. Tojiro punched his fists together, then slowly separating them, creating a voltage of red bolts between his fists. Tojiro lowered his fists, then stomped forward. Tojiro strongly elbowed Maximus in the hip, then did a short jump, clobbering him in the back of the head. Tojiro grabbed his stubby left leg and twisted it, until he heard the snap. Tojiro pulled on the left leg, and then began throwing Maximus in circles. Tojiro was going faster and faster, spinning the fat Cloakmaster around like it was nothing but an easy task.

"Chaos Control!" exclaimed Tojiro.

Time suddenly stopped, and Tojiro was free to move about. Maximus remained sideways in the air. Tojiro noticed Maximus would be sent flying north once the Chaos Control would wear off. Tojiro stood exactly in that path. Tojiro's fists glowed with a furious red, extracting small bolts of red electricity. Maximus's body was right out in front of him. Tojiro held both his arms back, and bent his back a bit. The Chaos Control wore off. Maximus's body flung extremely fast like a dart towards Cloakmaster Ankoku. Tojiro's eyes opened wide. He threw both his fists forward, straight into Maximus's gut. The huge Cloakmaster shot back through five walls, leading outside and onto a busy street. A few cars circled and came to a stop. One drove towards Maximus' and drove up his arm and into the air. Tojiro teleported himself outside. The car crashed into the ground behind him. A small truck hauler drove from behind Tojiro.

"Chaos Control." he mumbled.

The truck vanished. Maximus was on his feet, facing down the road, looking at Tojiro. The truck reappeared and rammed into Maximus, but bounced back. The truck shot back at Tojiro like a speeding rocket. Tojiro held his left hand up, readying his Nightmare Claws. The five foot long black fingers cut straight through the top of the truck, both halves splitting off into opposite directions. Maximus gripped the ground with his hands, spurting orange Chaos energy into the ground, which shot across the pavement like the ground was splitting. The glowing cracks gathered up in one spot and went off in several circular patterns.

"You damn coward! You use Yoko! You use your sick concoctions to keep yourself living! FACE ME GODFATHER! FACE ME!" roared the angry Cloakmaster.

The ground where the glowing cracks gathered, the earth began to shutter in the middle. The pavement, mud and dirt below began to form together. It formed into a concrete golem with a rounded head and two small orange beady eyes that shined. Its fists were spheres of pavement with large thick sewer pipes wrapped around them. The beast moaned and groaned angrily, as it marched towards the Cloakmaster. In all its power, the malevolent force of nature stood twenty feet tall. Tojiro snarled viciously, fearing no edge that this monster had. The beast raised its left foot. Tojiro immediately upwards, and punched the beast directly in the face, causing the golem to stumble back. Tojiro landed on the ground, its left leg still raised. Tojiro charged towards the right leg and rammed it. The golem slowly fell to the ground, ending with an earth shattering boom. Tojiro dropped to his knees, blood suddenly dripping from his arms.

"Damn Werehog form. It's feeding away at my energy." he cursed to himself.

The rock golem's shadow loomed over Tojiro suddenly. He looked up, seeing the weight of it's massive fist come crashing down on him, causing a great boom to shake the entire district. The golem raised it's fist out of the earth and looked at it's knuckles then the spot he slammed his fist down, seeing nothing in both spots.

Tojiro, surprisingly, was on the monster's back. Tojiro was in his human form, his hood was up, and his face was obscured by the darkness in his hood. Tojiro dashed up the back and towards the skull. He unsheathed Dragon's Bane, a monstrous red aura forming around its blade. Tojiro drove his blade immediately down into the skull then carved his blade through the golem's rock made head. Tojiro jumped for the left arm. He held his blade over his head then sliced straight through it. Tojiro landed on the ground, with the massive rock arm of the golem drop down behind him. Tojiro swiftly turned around and lunged his sword straight up towards the golem's right eye. The blade pierced through its eye, and out the back of its head. Tojiro used Chaos Control, and Dragon's Bane reappeared in his right hand. The golem threw down it's right fist. Tojiro created a barrier of Chaos energy around himself by holding his sword up. The beast's fist bounced off the barrier, causing it to stumble back. Tojiro's barrier dropped and he fell to his knees, breathing deeply. The beast suddenly ran forward at Tojiro.

"Oh dammit." he mumbled.

A series of blasts hit the golem's chest, causing bits and pieces of the rock to explode off it's body. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, then gasped, rising to his feet and turning to see Yoko. The leg he hit earlier was bleeding and looked severely bruised.

"Yoko!" he exclaimed, his orange pupils returning to his eyes. Tojiro grabbed Yoko in his arms and ran for safety, by going straight up a skyscraper.

Once at the top, Tojiro set Yoko against one of the large conditioning units. He lowered his hood, and grabbed her shoulders.

"Yoko! Yoko! Wake up, dammit! Yoko!" he exclaimed coldly.

Her eyes slowly opened. She looked at his orange eyes that stared deeply into her gold ones.

"Why the worried look Tojiro?" she said with a smile.

She suddenly gritted her eyes closed, appearing in pain. Tojiro tuned his ears to the golem, he knew where it was. Tojiro removed his cloak and put it over Yoko.

"What are you doing? If you go alone without your cloak…you'll die! It's like your armor!" she defied.

Tojiro was already standing on the edge of the building. He looked over his shoulder, directly into her eyes.

"Then use my armor as your shield." he answered.

Tojiro stepped off the edge and dove down to the golem, which was already scaling up the skyscraper. Tojiro impacted the golem's face, causing it to fall off the building, and fall to its doom along with Tojiro. The golem crashed through the top of another large building, absolutely devastating the structure. The cloud of smoke that came from the damage rose high above every other building. The golem was reduced to nothing as well. The blood ridden Cloakmaster rose from a tomb of debris that encased him. His left arm was covered with blood, and his black shirt had several shreds across the front, as well as in his flesh. A beam of orange Chaos slammed into Tojiro's back, launching him out of the chaos and onto the street. With smoke trailing off his back, the Cloakmaster rose to his feet and saw Maximus standing upon the wreckage of the leveled building.

"Damn fool. What kind of Nightshade leaves his cloak? You truly are the most foolish of any Nightshade." Maximus tempted.

"Still don't care." Tojiro muttered, shooting a straight beam of red Chaos energy.

Maximus caught the beam then shot it back in a more powerful form; multiple explosive surges of the Chaos energy shot up into the air then rained down upon the area. Tojiro readied Dragon's Bane and held his blade straight up. All the meteors of Chaos energy delved down towards Tojiro's sword, connecting and swarming around it's blade.

"You…you're not crazy enough to use that power!" cried Maximus.

"You dare fight me…you dare to harm Yoko…and now…you hinder me from killing you…IT'S OVER!" roared the angry Cloakmaster, his eyes filling with flurrying red energy.

"Very well. Waste away your life!" yelled Maximus, holding the Axes of Punishment in his hands.

Tojiro's eyes glared angrily at his godfather. The wind began to pick up and swirl around Tojiro. Maximus carelessly prepared himself to combat Tojiro's power.

"No more mercy. No more care. NO PITY…FOR THE FOOLISH!" roared Tojiro.

A massive aura of uncontrollable red Chaos energy gathered around the Cloakmasters' position.

"There's no way! He can't unlock that power! No other Nightshade has been able to do it for so long!" exclaimed a nervous Maximus.

Tojiro's eyes broke open, revealing something completely daunting. In both his eyes, instead of his pupils, he had the black colored symbol of the Great Shade Empire.

"TREMBLE TO YOUR KNEES! LET HELL CONDEMN YOU FOR ETERNITY!" roared the vicious Nightshade.

He swung his sword down, shooting a gigantic beam of cyclone spinning red Chaos energy directly at Maximus.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" exclaimed Maximus, making his retreat. The blast burst through three buildings, completely turning them into clouds of fire and black smoke. The harsh power Tojiro had unleashed caused the three structures to tumble down into their final destruction. Tojiro was left standing, looking at all _his_ chaos. He blinked once, then opened up his eyes, revealing his white walled eyes and orange pupils. He looked at Dragon's Bane.

"What…did I just do?" he questioned mentally.

Tojiro lifted up his head immediately, remembering Yoko. Tojiro reappeared on the spot he placed her. His sword was sheathed and he ran around to the conditioning unit.

"Yoko!" he exclaimed, skidding to a stop. Tojiro dropped to his knees, seeing nothing but his cloak. Yoko had been kidnapped.

The arrogant warrior demigod quickly took into harsh consideration where she could have been taken. Something to this extent hasn't ever made the Cloakmaster think so deeply. He was so concentrated…and flabbergasted! He let Yoko…a very dear and close friend to him easily get snatched away by his foe! Yet…was it Maximus…or was it not? Tojiro hopped onto the edge of the building, looking down it, then scanning his eyes across the city.

"Damn this." he muttered angrily.

Tojiro stepped down from the edge, turning around to suddenly face Ryu Kaze.

"Greetings Cloakmaster." he began.

Tojiro pushed him aside, heading back towards the spot he put Yoko. Ryu slowly turned around, tilting his head in the process.

"Excuse me Tojiro, but have you lost something?" he asked.

"Back off Ryu. I have no time for you now." snapped an angry Tojiro.

Ryu grumbled, suspecting this much from the angry demon. "What has happened?" he asked.

"This disgusting man by the name of Maximus kidnapped her." Tojiro barked, feeling that all the fault was his.

Ryu was surprised to hear that name _again_.

Tojiro turned around to Ryu, "You know something." he suspected.

Ryu kept his head turned away, staring at the ground.

"You should know that there's a pattern in all this, correct?" Ryu asked.

"I don't give a damn! You give me the information I need…and I'll let you live. So tell me now! WHY DID THEY TAKE HER!" he yelled feverishly.

Ryu felt solemn and confused at the same time. Ryu would easily suspect how Tojiro would react and just how quick he would set off to go rescue Yoko, but did the _real_ Nightshade even have a choice?

"This seriously includes your past Tojiro. And…in all honesty I don't know how you can avert this new crisis." said Ryu.

"All I care about right now is finding the damn girl. I'll worry about this planet once I'm dead! Now…SPEAK!" Tojiro barked irritably.

Ryu was ready to speak, so he took in a very deep breath, knowing his words would simply aggravate the Cloakmaster.

"I mention your past because so far, you've faced Cassandra, Vulcan, Julius and Maximus. They all control their own domain in the Nine Circles of Hell." Ryu began.

"I can see that. But for what purpose do they want me dead?" he questioned.

"Don't be so naïve now, Tojiro. Akuma has brought them all back to life to bring Hell onto Earth…and siege their own corner of this very planet." Ryu explained.

"Where's Yoko then?" asked the Nightshade with persistence.

"Who knows? Knowing Maximus, he would've brought her somewhere that would cause her pain…or even grievance you." Ryu said, pointing his finger then lowering it.

Tojiro glimpsed off to the side, taking a breath through his nose.

"This is why you need the Nightmare Scythe. It is the only chance you have to defeat the Nine Hell Gods." Ryu included.

"Then if Julius has the Chains of Fear, I highly doubt he'll simply invite himself back to face me! I've already showed that fool and Maximus what I can do!" Tojiro denounced.

"Obviously." commented Ryu.

"The weapons can wait. I'm going after Yoko, dammit." Tojiro said, walking past Ryu.

"Tojiro, you must listen!" said Ryu, watching him hop onto the edge of the building.

"Akuma will throw nightmarish creatures and the world's most vicious abominations to stop you wherever you go! That even includes one of the Nine Hell Gods coming to stop you! Are you sure you want to simply go after the girl rather than save the destiny of this planet?" Ryu said in an outburst. Tojiro looked over his shoulder.

"One thing; I'm no hero. I will not be the reason for Yoko to be in pain. I will not let her life be disrespected! She deserves to live! I will save her Ryu…and you my friend…can go to Hell." said the angry Cloakmaster. Nightshade jumped off the building, reverting to his Darkrai form, then blasting across the sky with intense speed. The wind slowly drifted by Ryu.

"Know this Cloakmaster Ankoku…this is a war _you _started. And it is _you_ who must end it." Ryu said in thought, shortly vanishing into thin air afterwards.

Tojiro's single eye looked upon the city below him. He looked back at the carnage he created. Tojiro blinked twice then turned his head forward, seeing a building! Tojiro simply used Chaos Control to appear on the other side, and continue flying.

"Where? Where Maximus?" Tojiro spoke suddenly. Tojiro came to a quiet neighborhood and stopped by hovering over a house's roof. Tojiro watched a set of lights appear in the darkness of night. He saw they were the headlights of a small bus.

"I've seen that bus before." he surveyed, floating towards it with quick speed. Tojiro dove into the ground, becoming a shadow. He drifted towards the bus and got under, then changed forms into a small spider, clinging onto one of the car parts. Tojiro's glowing red eyes looked around. He crawled and jumped from one part to another. After a few minutes or so, the bus was heading towards a dark tunnel.

"Déjà vu all over again." he said in thought. The bus entered the tunnel. Tojiro leaped to the left until he was on the side of the bus. Several distortions of colors were spread amongst every spot of the tunnel.

"Strange tunnel. What awaits ahead…I wonder." he mumbled serenely. The bus came out of the tunnel and into the light.

The bus came to a stop. Tojiro used Chaos Control, reappearing on top of the bus, in his human form. Tojiro grabbed both sides of his hood, lowering it. His orange pupils gazed upon the red body of water that was below the cliff's edge. Tojiro then set his eyes upon a very dangerous school. The Cloakmaster huffed and stood straight, "Yokai Academy. Here I come." he declared.

Tojiro quickly ducked down once the bus doors opened. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked the bus driver.

There was no reply, but Tojiro suspected the individual would say yes. The person wore a dark black cloak that covered their entire body. Tojiro felt the bus shake, and it began to drive off. Tojiro transformed into his Darkrai form, and flew over to the ground, and became a shadow.

"No symbol on the back of the cloak…so it isn't one of the Hell Gods. But who and why?" he questioned in his head.

Tojiro crept across the ground and headed for the forest area. Tojiro came out of his shadow form, and watched the cloaked individual approach the front of the school.

"If that Tsukune fellow and his friends are there…and since I'm connected to them, there's a definite chance that person is going after them just to drag me out of hiding. Heh. Fools…they know exactly how to lure me into a trap." he thought to himself, as he used stealth to switch places from one tree to another.

"That person has a very strong yet ominous aura of energy circling around them. Tsukune and the others best be ready for this one." said Tojiro, flying up into the air.

He quickly dashed for the school, and landed on the roof, entering his human form afterwards. The darkness he would usually set up to hide his face wasn't appearing, so even with his hood up, his face was still visible. Tojiro headed for the door that would lead down into the building. He carelessly pulled the door from it's hinges and tossed it aside, storming down the stairs. Tojiro jumped from one flight of stairs onto the last group of stairs, then sprung forward and landed in a hallway.

"Whoever that was…I can sense them." he said, looking down both ways of the hall. Tojiro charged down the left path, then skidded to an immediate halt, clenching his fists by his side.

Appearing out of the right hall up ahead was the very cloaked figure that exited the bus.

"Very well. I'll just kill you now." he said, getting in a sprinting position.

"Excuse me…may I ask you something?" the person asked.

"A woman?" he said in thought.

She lowered her hood, then removed the cloak entirely. The woman was wearing an interesting white dress. She had tan skin and a wore a smiling face. Her name was Kalua Shuzen. Tojiro stood back in a normal posture, sensing no threat…_yet_.

"Do you know where I could find Akashiya Moka at?" she asked.

"The vampire girl? What do you want from her exactly?" questioned Tojiro.

"Do you know of her?" replied Kalua.

"Yes. And if you don't wish to get harmed…you'd better tell me why you're after her." Tojiro demanded.

"I…well…have my reasons." replied Kalua nervously.

"Oh yeah? What are they?" asked Tojiro. Kalua appeared as if she was on her last limbs, she began sniffling.

"Must you know? I'm…I'm v-v-very busy." replied Kalua, frightened from head to toe. Tojiro unsheathed Dragon's Bane.

"Oh don't worry…I have plenty of time." he said, the darkness covering his face, and two angry red eyes appearing within.

"Moka-san, hey wait up!" called Aono Tsukune. The pink haired vampire turned around, wearing a bright happy smile.

"Morning Tsukune! You on your way to the club room?" she asked.

"I was going to the homeroom to ask Nekonome sensei. Would you like to come with me quick?" replied Tsukune.

"Sure!" replied Moka happily.

"So no news story for the paper? None?" said a surprised Moka.

"Not at all. Knowing this place…something ought to happen soon. So don't worry Moka-san! We'll stick with it until the end!" Tsukune said with determination.

Moka felt much admiration from his comment and found herself in a sudden stare with Tsukune.

"Moka-san." he said.

"Tsukune." replied Moka.

"Moka-san." repeated the boy.

"Tsukune." repeated the vampire.

Their faces became closer by inches and inches. Suddenly, the right wall from behind them exploded and Kalua came flying through, smashing against a glass case of armor.

"Kalua? What is she doing here?" exclaimed the surprised Moka.

"Little sister! I've found you!" Kalua said happily.

"And I've found you." said Tojiro's sinister voice, climbing through the hole and grabbing Kalua by the back of the head.

He quickly tossed her down the hall, ultimately smashing with extreme force into the wall at the very end. "Is…I-is that Tojiro?" stuttered Tsukune.

Tojiro turned around at the mentioning of his name. "Good afternoon. How've you two been?" he asked kindly, facing the pair.

"Uhhh, Tojiro, you carelessly threw my big sister like a baseball…what's going on?" asked Moka confusedly with dot sized eyes.

"Your sister? No wonder she can't take a hint." Tojiro replied, scratching the back of his head.

A sudden sword broke through Tojiro's back and out his gut. Blood spurted onto the clean floor. Tojiro lowered his arm, sighing, while looking at the two freaked out faces of Tsukune and Moka. Tojiro turned around to see a sentimental looking Kalua.

"Yo-you-you're so mean!" cried Kalua.

Tojiro raised an eyebrow by her unquestionable child like behavior.

"Tojiro, you better stop while you're ahead." Moka warned the Cloakmaster.

"Or what?" he asked.

"Kalua won't be phased by your attacks! Especially when she's crying! She's nearly as strong as Moka's vampire form." Tsukune added.

"Is that so?" replied Tojiro. He unsheathed Dragon's Bane. "Let's put that to the test then." he determined swimmingly.

Tojiro smashed the ground with his sword, releasing a sputtering wave of red Chaos energy that traveled across the ground and on it's way to Kalua. Tojiro then charged forward, staying behind the flurrying burst of energy. Kalua easily leapt up, as did Tojiro. Kalua delivered a powerful kick across Tojiro's face, throwing him to the ground, creating a small crater. Kalua landed on top of Tojiro and drove her fingers directly into his shoulder, spurting blood.

"W-wh-why can't I talk to my sister? WHY?" cried Kalua.

Tojiro punched Kalua in the jaw, throwing her into the air. Tojiro then performed a spiral kick, blasting through the roof. Tojiro grabbed Kalua by her throat then dove down into a table on another floor. Tojiro then began shocking her with blue electricity, stretching all over her body. Kalua kicked Tojiro off her, sending him into the ceiling. Kalua picked up the large table and with all her strength, threw it straight up at Tojiro. The hard force of the table smashed through the ceiling, and Tojiro found himself in the science room.

Kalua jumped through the hole and landed on the other side of the hole, then dashed through the air at Tojiro. Tojiro was kicked in the face then grabbed by her throat and tossed across the room, sliding across a table with beakers and other type of glass objects across the surface. Tojiro rose up and shot a single beam of dark red Chaos energy out of the tip of his sword. The beam hit Kalua dead on and she was forced to slide across the floor, then suddenly smacked with the bud of Tojiro's sword. Kalua fell to the ground, but was quickly picked up and repeatedly smashed from ground to ceiling by the malicious demigod. Tojiro then tossed her over at a lab table, spilling the chemicals and starting a blistering fire. The fire spread throughout the room, leaving Tojiro and Kalua in the middle to fight. Kalua rose to her feet, tears showering from her eyes. Tojiro shot a single gold Chaos Spear, exploding against Kalua, and throwing her through the wall and into another room. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear in the same room, only to see Kalua's fist make fierce contact with his jugular.

"You jerk!" she screamed.

Tojiro fell back into the science room, the flames approaching his body. Tojiro noticed the flames behind him reaching a series of flammable chemicals. His eyes clenched. A massive explosion occurred, blowing a good chunk out of the wall that led outside. Smoke and flame moved together into the skies above. Tsukune was buried by the rubble. A hand reached for his and pulled him out. He looked up, face to face with Tojiro, his face burned off so only bone remained. Tsukune screamed in horror at the sight.

"Tsukune!" called Moka.

Tojiro stepped away and let her rejoin her precious friend. The small red eyes in his eye sockets looked at the pair, then looked to the upper left. The symbol of the Great Shade Empire on his forehead was shining red, due to the amount of power his body is putting into regenerating his _wounds_.

Kalua suddenly dropped down before the trio. Tojiro flipped his hood over his head, his vicious stare set onto Moka's elder sister.

"You won't harm them…I won't let you." Tojiro stated.

"You're the one hurting them!" she snapped.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder, looking at the two. They both had some bruises and small bleeding marks, and both of them were looking at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster turned his head back around, seeing Kalua already in his face. He quickly punched her in the gut, stopping her. He then grabbed her by her hair, swung her around and threw her through a wall. Tojiro followed through the hole.

"We have to stop this now!" exclaimed Moka.

"You're right. But how? Tojiro's too arrogant to even listen. And Kalua is just as worse!" motioned Tsukune.

Moka grabbed hold of her rosary, "I have an idea." she muttered.

With Black Death in hand, Tojiro fired several pulse pounding shots from the revolver. Kalua was hit by a serious shot to the arm and thrown to the floor. Tojiro aimed the revolver at Kalua who just started to get up. His eyes shifted up at the ceiling above her, which appeared to crackle. The Cloakmaster set his eyes back on Kalua. He transformed into his hedgehog form and readied himself to sprint. Tojiro saw a much larger crack form in the ceiling. This is when he charged. Kalua raised her right hand back, ready to strike. Tojiro instead grabbed hold of Kalua by wrapping his right hand around her waist then did a quick jump back, about fifteen feet. A large fist punched through the ceiling and into the floor. Tojiro dropped Kalua's corpse and then charged back towards the huge fist. The fist began to rise up, and Tojiro jumped towards it, grabbing hold with his left hand. He was brought out into the light of outside. Tojiro stood on the hand, facing the real threat; a giant mechanized troll.

"This is more like it. At least it makes sense." he muttered bitterly.

The beast groaned and growled at the sight of the demigod. The troll beast waved it's hand, throwing Tojiro into the air. Tojiro turned around, shooting several shots from his revolver. A shot burst through the trolls' left eye, which was real, while the other was robotic. The troll moaned in pain, with both its hands to it's face. Tojiro hovered in mid air, putting Black Death back into it's holster. The troll suddenly marched forward, swinging it's gigantic left hand at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro dashed forward, and flew between the fingers, then landed on it's arm. Tojiro looked up at the beast's head, noticing a sphere like helmet on its skull. At the forehead, the rods that gave the troll power led to a central core.

"Simple yet not clean. Perfect." said Tojiro, unsheathing Dragon's Bane.

He leapt up towards the forehead. The troll shot a beam of dark purple misty Chaos energy out of it's mouth. The blast overcame the Demigod of Death, sending him crashing into the school, through three consecutive floors. Heavily injured, yet too driven to care, Tojiro rose from the rubble that buried him and marched forward.

"Tojiro." said a cold voice. The Cloakmaster quickly turned his head to that voice, looking down the right hallway.

There was Moka in her vampire form, standing tall in all her beauty. Tojiro looked away, not wishing to look at her any longer. Moka raised an eyebrow from his sudden behavior.

"You're a fool to fight that thing alone." she said.

"Yeah? Well you're a fool if you get involved. This kill is _mine_." he said, looking back at her with his red filled eyes of glowing anger.

Moka didn't looked surprised the least bit. Tojiro bent down then leaped up out of the three holes, and towards the troll's face, transitioning to his hedgehog form at the same time. Tojiro impaled Dragon's Bane into the robotic eye, sparking serious bolts of electricity. The Cloakmaster leaped backwards, and flew towards the troll's right arm, sliding to a halt once he landed.

"Infernal beast! JUST DIE!" roared Tojiro, shooting ten Chaos Spears of uncontrollable power.

Each one exploded on impact once they hit the beast's face. Tojiro quickly shifted his gaze to the right, and leapt towards the troll's left arm. Tojiro ran up the forearm then towards the face. The troll, however, quickly snatched Tojiro in it's massive hand. It held it's hand out, then opened it. Tojiro shot a single fireball out of his left fist. The thundering wave of flames connected with the troll's face, causing a disastrous explosion. Not only did it stun the monster, it angered it even further. The troll lifted it's left hand high up then smashed it down onto it's hand. The troll grinned with a victory.

Under all that force, Tojiro stood alive! He stopped the troll's hand from squashing him like a bug. Tojiro kneeled down then gave one push up, giving him time. He then drove Dragon's Bane straight into the palm, causing a painful sting to the troll's hand. Tojiro sheathed Dragon's Bane and removed Black Death from it's holster. Tojiro clicked hold of the trigger. The gun's barrel began to glow. Tojiro squatted down.

"Go ahead. Strike." Tojiro whispered.

The foolish troll held it's left hand back up then swatted it back down. Tojiro jumped up towards the massive hand. He spun around, using Chaos Control to safely avoid the huge hand. Tojiro reappeared coming towards the troll's face. He held Black Death back in his right hand.

"STRIKE OF DARKNESS!" he roared. Tojiro connected the gun's barrel to the glowing core on the troll's forehead, causing a huge blast of light and smoke to erupt.

Once the smoke cleared, Tojiro was already on the ground, his cloak in shreds. The barrel of Black Death smoked intensively, more than you'd see at some bar. Tojiro easily put the gun back in it's holster and took in a much needed breath of air.

"This must be all I'm good for." he stated to himself, putting himself into a straight posture.

"Hey! Tojiro-san! You okay!" called a voice.

Tojiro turned around seeing a group of familiar faces. Kurumu Kurono, the enchanting succubus. Yukari Sendo, the talented witch. Mizore Shirayuki, the stalker snow girl. Then came Ruby Tojo, another talented witch. Following from another angle was Tsukune, and the still awakened Akashiya Moka, her red eyes set on Tojiro and his ignorance.

"You arrive after being gone for so long and you decide to bring this troll to attack our school?" exclaimed Kurumu.

Tojiro looked at the massive corpse, then back at Kurumu.

"It's dead, isn't it?" he shrugged innocently.

Kurumu sighed heavily, "Glad to see you haven't changed." she said, kneeling down to hug him, to _his_ surprise.

Tojiro's eyes found themselves in serious strange shapes and forms from the sudden embrace. Kurumu broke from the hug, then immediately threw her arms around Tsukune, her breasts in his face, _like always_? Tojiro's gaze turned to an exasperated one, watching everyone say their hellos. All except Moka that is. She still felt displeased to how easily Tojiro shrugged her off. Tojiro lowered his hood, his blank white eyes forming the same cold stare as Moka's. Tojiro ignored everyone else and strolled over to her. Moka looked down upon the anthropomorphic hedgehog.

"What have you came here for?" she asked.

"My own reasons aren't as important as they are, you know. I haven't came here to bother you and your sad little bunch of friends. That is…if that's what the other _you_ calls them." Tojiro stated roughly.

Moka's eyebrows tightened by his brash attitude, even if you could call it that.

"You'd better be able to handle yourself." said Moka.

"Really? Now? Remind that to the ghoul you call Tsukune." said Tojiro, walking past her, then leaping up towards the roof of Yokai Academy.

"How did he know?" she asked in thought.

Moka took a glimpse of the holy lock on Tsukune's wrist. A device that hides the true demon within him…a demon she was almost forced to kill had it not be for the help of the Headmaster. Moka turned back around, looking at the swaying cloak flow on Tojiro, and watched as he carelessly prepared for what is to come at this school for monsters.

Tojiro was heading towards the Newspaper Club. Tojiro kept his hood lowered, his orange pupils shot sudden glares at whoever looked at him. The sleeves of his cloak were cut off up to the elbow, which he made himself. The black glove on his left remained, while his right metal arm remained revealed, and the main reason so many people he passed by stopped and stared at. Tojiro scratched his head, ruffling his short black spiky hair. Everyone watched as this strange individual with a cloak down to his feet, and the constant sound of his left robotic leg which made sounds with each step, for every gear and part that kept him moving. He tightened the glove on his left hand, then lowered it, keeping his gaze forward. Tojiro stopped and saw Kurumu walk into the clubroom. Tojiro kept moving forward like always. He grabbed hold of the door handle. It suddenly opened, smacking him in the face.

Kurumu looked around the corner, "Ehh?" she spoke.

Tojiro wore a disturbed face, with a slight bruise on his forehead. He grumbled bitterly to himself.

"I'm sorry! My bad Tojiro-san!" Kurumu said, scratching the back of her head nervously.

Tojiro shook his head then sighed, "Monsters these days."

"I know much has changed ever since I've last seen you all." said Tojiro.

"You'd be right on that part Tojiro. A lot sure has changed." replied Kurumu, sitting down on the opposite side of the table Tojiro was sitting at.

"I expected that much. What of Tsukune and Moka? I expect they're very happy together?" he asked.

"Actually…" began Kurumu, lowering her head a bit.

Tojiro raised an eyebrow at her sudden silence, having a pretty good idea of what has happened between Tsukune and Moka.

"They've encountered complications so they're not looking at each other romantically. It's pretty obvious Kurumu." Tojiro explained with ease, his arms crossed.

Kurumu was surprised to see Tojiro have guessed it so easily.

"You people haven't realized that the most smallest things in life are exactly what they are…useless and unimportant." he said, looking at Kurumu.

"Yeah, I guess so." she replied unsteadily.

Tojiro raised an eyebrow, feeling a slight change in her persona just now.

"You're trying your best to be with Tsukune, I can tell." Tojiro stated.

"I try so hard! I try every day! I can't help it if I chose him to be my lover some day!" said Kurumu, her hand to her chest.

"Very outlandish when you say it that way. But I won't blame you…_hardly_." Tojiro responded.

"Are you trying to bother me?" she exclaimed, her hands on the table.

"Are _you_?" he replied calmly.

"You tell me!" she snapped.

"I'd rather not. I simply hate arguments. They do nothing but piss me off." Tojiro replied, stretching his arms out.

"I can believe that." said Kurumu calmly, sitting back down, staring off to the side.

Tojiro once again saw this change in her. "W-wh-what about you, Tojiro? What have you been up to?" Kurumu said with a smile.

Tojiro tilted his head a bit, looking disappointed at how Kurumu was pushing away her feelings to talk about her problems, but instead talk about the lifelong failures of indignant Cloakmaster Tojiro Ankoku.

"I've done nothing…beneficial. You could say." Tojiro noted carefully.

"Oh?" responded the succubus.

"Yes. Oh! Ever since that battle in Tokyo, I've been on the run. Hiding, guiding myself through a world I myself have scarred hundreds of times. It was really educational." he informed.

His comments sounded estranged, but Kurumu couldn't question how some people felt, especially Tojiro.

"So I take it…you didn't have any fun?" she asked.

"Fun is pointless for a demon…I thought that would be obvious." he replied.

"Sorry if I offended you." replied Kurumu with a smile.

"No need to worry. It's just been somewhat of a challenge for me. In fact…there are very few who wish to ask questions about my past. Mainly because I refused or silenced them." said Tojiro.

Silence had drifted across the scene.

Tojiro grunted, "You appear as if I'm not always in a good mood. Do you truly wish to know?" he asked, standing up, his hands on the table.

"Uhh, well, exactly what is bothering you?" asked Kurumu, sitting back in her chair.

"I just found out I have an egotistical family background from Hell. And guess what?" he said, coming face to face with Kurumu.

Kurumu kept her head back, feeling nervous and flustered of how close he was.

"I will kill…each…and…every…one…of…them." he said slowly.

Tojiro then stood back, sitting back down in an angry fashion. "I…don't know what to say, Tojiro-san." she replied in a solemn tone.

"Don't be so foolish. They're not even my family. I don't care how many times they say it. **They're not me.**" Tojiro explained strongly.

"So you're going to do it anyway?" she said with confusion.

"Yup. I have no regrets either." Tojiro added.

"None of them mean anything to me Kurumu, so don't even say it." Tojiro said again.

Kurumu lowered her hand, knowing Tojiro took the words right out of her mouth.

"I have my own plans. And my own challenges. Staying here is just one of those roadblocks." he deduced.

"So…are we stopping you then?" she asked, her hands clenching while resting on her legs.

"What are you suppose to expect from the challenges life offers, huh?" he replied.

"That's a lie!" she yelled.

Tojiro raised an eyebrow from her sudden outburst, not the least bit impressed by her anger, nor intimidated, which he was already a master at.

"Life suppresses challenges…so one day…we can surpass them!" she said fiercely, with a strong emotional force in her eyes as they glared at the Cloakmaster.

"I respect your nobility Kurumu. Make sure it doesn't infatuate you, though." Tojiro responded, getting up from the table, and walking over to another desk, observing a copy of the clubs' newspaper.

"What is it about you…huh Tojiro?" she asked suddenly.

Tojiro remained holding the newspaper, acting as if the question didn't even reach his ears, yet he listened on.

"What I've noticed is that you're protective over others. Can you agree with me on that?" she said, looking at him still.

Tojiro folded the paper and neatly set it down, turning around afterwards.

"Somewhat, Kurumu. Only…somewhat." he replied earnestly.

Kurumu smiled in from his reply, knowing he was being honest and true to himself.

Tojiro was standing on the pointed stud on one of the spires that erected from the academy. The wind breezed by him, and his arms were kept tightly crossed together, keeping a keen eye out for anything troublesome or threatening. It seemed from previous and very recent occurrences, Tojiro began to find himself watching over others…because he had no other choice or nothing else to do. As strange as it was for him, Tojiro knew that his beliefs told him this was right. Simply put, it is the motives of those he watches over that gets him annoyed or instantly transformed into a stubborn individual. Tojiro's eyes shifted gaze to the right, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurumu running over to him. Tojiro's head fully turned to the right, feeling a sense of wrong in the air. Tojiro jumped from the spire point and landed, and Kurumu came to a stop in front of him, breathing heavily.

"I take it something happened…and you can't handle it. Wow." he said, crossing his arms with disappointment.

"IDIOT! That's not it!" she replied instantly.

"Really? So then tell this _idiot_ what the problem is." Tojiro said figuratively.

Kurumu stood up straight first, then opened her mouth, ready to speak.

"Just show me where the problem is. Honestly, I don't even need to read your thoughts to tell if there's a problem." he said, shaking his head slowly from left to right.

Kurumu guided the Cloakmaster from the school and to the forest covered area that spawned around the school.

"You took sight of what exactly?" he asked strangely.

"Some stranger all dressed in your kind of get up was wandering outside here! But he wasn't alone as well!" said Kurumu.

Tojiro didn't appear to concerned, he just knew it would require his energy and his use of his violence, how simple for him! A sudden gurgle of hunger sprang itself through the pairs' ears. Kurumu somehow appeared behind by Tojiro's side when she was standing next to him.

"You're a fool if you think something frightening is going to attack us." he advised.

"Whatever it is, I'm definitely going to beat the crap out of it!" she exclaimed, readying her claws.

"No tolerance. Damn. Succubi these days." Tojiro said in thought.

The gurgle came again. Tojiro unsheathed Dragon's Bane, an aura already summoned around its blade.

"Stay behind me…unless you wish to be reduced to ash." he said, flipping his hood up, and the darkness covering his face, then his eyes becoming a full angry red glow.

"Oh yeah, like I'm going to simply listen to that." replied Kurumu.

Breaking through the tree was a massive golem made of ice, with fierce blue eyes glaring down at the pair.

"This can't be. Who of the Hell Gods bends beings into ice?" spoke the clueless Tojiro.

The beast raised it's large right hand, changing it into a single thick icicle. "Ah damn. Back the hell up NOW Kurumu! It's aft-" Tojiro was interrupted when the ice demon smacked the Demigod of Death with a vicious smack.

Tojiro plowed through a good set of trees, creating a large trail of dust. Kurumu turned to face the towering beast which stood fifteen feet tall. Tojiro's sword Dragon's Bane suddenly impacted the beast in the chest, and sent a wavering surge of Chaos energy amongst it's body, causing an intense explosion of smoke and red light within. Tojiro held his left hand out, Dragon's Bane reappeared in his grip, appearing in his hedgehog form.

"Did you take it out?" asked the steady Kurumu.

The beast came through the smoke, bellowing with anger. Kurumu flew forward, and clawed her way through it's chest, creating a wide hole. Kurumu then turned around and dashed toward its back, kicking it forward. Tojiro leapt towards it, and holding his sword with both hands, he swung Dragon's Bane against the side of it's face, actually launching the beast far off to the right, knocking down over ten trees.

"You're a brave girl, I'll admit that. But I will not tolerate you being here." Tojiro stated thoroughly.

"Too bad! I'm taking this thing out with you!" she shouted without regret.

A series of icicles came flying at Kurumu. Tojiro shot a beam of Chaos Control at Kurumu, making her vanish and reappear by Tojiro's side.

"I'm not going to keep watch over you Kurumu. Go back to the school or else!" Tojiro ordered, running back towards the ice monster.

Tojiro lunged forward at the beast. It raised it's large left arm up and swung it. Tojiro quickly rolled to the left then spin dashed through the beast's chest, then turned back around, spin dashing towards the back of its neck, forcing it to the ground, face planted into the dirt. Tojiro was quickly thrown into the air when the ice demon suddenly rose up. The beast looked up at the soaring Tojiro. It raised it's right arm, shooting multiple icicles from it's thick ice made arm. Tojiro removed Black Death from his holster and with the quickest trigger finger, shot all twenty icicles. Tojiro held the pistol back, holding the trigger back.

"STRIKE…OF…DARKNESS!" he commanded.

Tojiro drove the revolver right into the beast's forehead, creating an insane blast of light and smoke to expand. Kurumu retracted her claws, and covered her face from the incoming wave of smoke. Kurumu lowered her arms once the smoke became more thin.

"Tojiro! Tojiro?" called the succubus for the name of the Cloakmaster, desperately keeping her eyes searching.

The corpse of Tojiro landed in front of her, but quickly jumped back to his feet, holding his hands out to stop the large icicle arm of the ice demon come towards him. He grabbed both sides of it, stopping it from skewering him.

"Still here? Leave…NOW!" he demanded vigorously.

Tojiro clenched both sides of the icicle arm and it all turned to water. Tojiro then shot several powerful shots from Black Death that forced the ice demon to step back a few paces. Tojiro put gun back in it's holster and stuck both his hands out in titled positions. Tojiro shot a circular cyclone of red Chaos energy that blasted through the demon, blowing away the entire right side of its body. Tojiro lowered both his hands, which were smoking with red energy. The beast turned its head at the missing half of its body. With great reluctance, the entire half rebuilt itself. The monster launched a barrage of icicles out of its left arm. Tojiro swung his hands up, creating a wall of fire, to which the icicles immediately disintegrated. Tojiro then swirled his hands together, creating a large fireball. Tojiro then stepped back, and the fireball hovered in mid air. Tojiro then kicked it with both his feet. The ball of flames was also disintegrated once the ice golem set up a wall of stacked icicles.

"Damn it all." muttered Tojiro angrily, his patience wearing down his voice as the beast growled with a shivering gurgle of ferocity.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: All these damn demons! Why can't they cause chaos somewhere else!

Kurumu: If you keep fighting, you're the one who's going to be screwed!

Tojiro: Like it matters!

Kokoa: No monster is as pointless as YOU are. Mister...Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro: I see no reason to outfit any of my time with someone who only aims to anger lower life forms like amoebas.

Kokoa: Is that so? So why is it that you...such a single celled organism; with only that chaotic power...uses it to protect my wonderfull sister? Moka can handle herself!

Tojiro: Is death...is it death...that you desire?

Kokoa: Oh? Did I strike a nerve! You're worthless to her...and most likely:EVERYBODY ELSE!

Ryu: Only with the past...does Tojiro find power to destroy our present...and annihilate our future.

Tsukune: Tojiro's out of control! Ryu! What's going to happen?

Ryu: The evil Chaos energy of his Werehog form shall corrupt him...and take over his mind. I must finish him _here_. Or...hope for a chance that may keep him alive...yet push him towards an unwavering death. Miss Akashiya Moka...I leave the decision up to **_you_**.

Everybody: WHAT?

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER VII: _**

**A CLOAKMASTER IN CHAOS PART TWO**

**THE POWER OF BELIEF**


	7. Chapter VII

**_CHAPTER VII: A CLOAKMASTER IN CHAOS PART TWO:_**

**_THE POWER OF BELIEF_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except for this chapter (Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze, Akuma Kyofu, and Orion.) They are my original characters and are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

The Demigod unsheathed Dragon's Bane with haste and readied himself to charge.

"You're crazy if you think you can this by yourself!" Kurumu shouted.

"Either watch and get killed…or leave now!" Tojiro said, glaring at Kurumu over his shoulder.

Tojiro turned forward, immediately deflecting an incoming spear of ice. The ice golem was now holding a double sided spear, carved to the sharpest point, completely made out of ice. Tojiro gripped his sword tightly, igniting a swirling tornado of Chaos energy around his sword. Tojiro pointed it forward, then held it like a baseball bat, his eyes filled with red hateful anger. Tojiro and the ice demon charged forward towards each other. Tojiro formed jumped forward, then formed into a ball, spinning in forward spins, while his sword stuck out. Like a buzz saw, Tojiro cut through the demon's right arm, leaving a red essence in the socket where the arm was connected. Tojiro exited his ball form and turned to face it. The arm automatically rebuilt itself; hitching back into place of the towering titan. The beast turned around, lunging its ice spear forward. Tojiro jumped onto it. Running up it, Tojiro drove Dragon's Bane energy covered blade into the beast's right eye, causing a distortion of blue light to quake from the entry point. Tojiro was suddenly sent flying away and crashing into the dirt, rolling to a halt.

"All these damn demons. Why can't they just go slaughter a village or something?" Tojiro exclaimed, as he got on all fours.

The shadow of the ice golem loomed over him. His eyes widened and he immediately rolled forward, dodging the ice made spear sent by the ice golem. Tojiro turned around shooting a flurry of green Chaos Spears. The Chaos Spears let stream like tails drift behind them as they flew. Together, they all collided with the beast, then nothing happened. Tojiro huffed with enthusiasm. In a near instant, several green explosions occurred all around the ice golem, wilder like firecrackers and as painful as a thousand needles going through your body.

"That's what you call chaos." said Tojiro, flexing his hands so the lingering discharge of Chaos energy would leave his hands.

The ice demon slowly began to rise, but then quickly shot a massive beam of blue Chaos energy at Tojiro. Tojiro quickly put up a defensive barrier that was sphere shaped. The blast surprisingly broke through and overcame the Cloakmaster. Tojiro roared at the top of his lungs in severe pain.

"T-To-Tojiro? Oh my goodness! TOJIRO!" exclaimed Kurumu.

Tojiro's cloak was left in small shreds, and his skin was horribly burnt, even revealing the flesh and muscles on his arms. His shirt was also burned off, and his body had several disfigured scars slashed across, and unable to bleed due to the horrible burns. Tojiro's eyes remained shut. Kurumu hurried to his side, and began nudging him.

"Wake up! You fool! Wake up!" she screamed vigorously.

The loud steps of the ice golem was all that reached Kurumu's ears. It swung the large ice spear in it's hands several times. Kurumu surprisingly took stand in front of Tojiro's corpse.

"You bastard! He may be a jerk…and maybe even an idiot! BUT YOU WILL NOT HARM HIM!" shouted Kurumu, readying her claws.

The ice golem easily held up it's massive ice spear and let out an angry roar. The sound of metal breaking away from chain sounded loudly. Kurumu looked up and landing in her hand was…the rosary.

A flesh burned hand gently pushed Kurumu back, and standing over her was the ten foot tall Werehog that was Tojiro. His eyes filled with red, and the black symbol of the Great Shade Empire in both his eyes. The scarred warrior stepped forth and growled with fierce rage. The ice golem let out a single bellow of intimidation. Tojiro bent his head down then roared into the sky. A roar as fierce as a lion…and as dangerous as a dragon. The sky suddenly turned dark and crimson red. Tojiro looked at the ice golem, and charged. The massive ice beast lunged it's spear forward. Tojiro easily ran on all fours, leaping to the right then jumping towards it's face, delivering a harsh left hook, causing the ice golem to literally flip over onto its chest. Tojiro clenched his fists, causing them to ignite in flame. Tojiro jumped up into the air. The ice golem quickly sat up, shooting ten icicles directly at Kurumu. The succubus gasped with fear. Tojiro's eyes widened, and he suddenly vanished. He reappeared in front of Kurumu, with his back to the icicles, as each and every one found their way into his flesh. He suddenly opened his eyes back up, he only looked angrier. Kurumu stood frozen like a statue. Tojiro turned around, clenching his fists again to ignite the fires once again. Kurumu looked in utter shock at each of the ten icicles that neatly dug themselves into his flesh.

Tojiro charged forward. The ice golem threw it's spear forward. With his right fist, Tojiro sent his steel flaming fist directly into the tip of the spear, disintegrating. Tojiro quickly followed up by leaping forward, clinging his flaming hands together then driving them down into the ice golem's skull, causing an explosion of fire and ebony smoke. The massive corpse of the ice golem came flying out of the smoke. Kurumu ducked as it crash landed into the ground behind her. Tojiro leapt out of the smoke, the flames gone from his hands. Tojiro performed an elbow drop onto the beast's stomach, causing a series of cracks to scatter across the creature's chest. Tojiro stood over it's face. He grabbed it with his right hand, then began violently punching the ice golem with his left fist. With each and every punch, it became stronger…it became violent…it became more and more evil. Tojiro finally raised both his fists up, creating a flurrying surge of dark red Chaos energy around them. With one angry shout, Tojiro smashed them down onto the beast's face, completely shattering it.

Tojiro walked away from the dead beast's body, as it completely turned to water. Tojiro limped slowly and angrily over to Kurumu. She receded her claws, and the towering demigod looked down at her. Tojiro's strange looking eyes were still retained. The sky went back to its normal hue by this time. The Cloakmaster turned around, and by heating himself up with Firebending, the ten icicles in his back melted. Kurumu looked as the melted ice mixed with his blood, and poured out of a few of the wounds he had. Tojiro put the rosary back onto the chain, a black mist surrounding him, revealing him to be in his hedgehog form.

* * *

><p>Tojiro's eyes returned to blank white, and his orange pupils appeared in his eyes as well. Tojiro looked at his right hand, his eyebrows stiffening.<p>

"Are…you…are you going to be alright? Tojiro-san?" asked Kurumu.

Tojiro slowly lowered his right arm, "Think no less of me…but think more, Kurumu-chan." he said, looking over his shoulder.

Kurumu wasn't able to put on a reassuring smile because she still saw disdain and uneasy nature in Tojiro's eyes.

"Hurry. We should go back to the school." he said, limping towards Kurumu.

"You're still hurt!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to him.

"No matter Kurumu. They will heal on their own. It is one of my abilities. Worry about your own life…for me, got it?" he said forcefully.

As the two walked, Kurumu looked down at the Demigod of Death with much curiosity and confusion. She was like the one of many others who couldn't understand how Tojiro viewed the certain aspects in life, including the people in it. Kurumu wasn't so intimate to have a deep conversation, especially with someone of Tojiro's stature. Nothing transpired between the two, not even a mutter, barely even a breath that was suppose to utter words, it was silent and quiet. Kurumu hasn't seen much monsters with such character, but the real question is; is Tojiro considered one? For what he's done in life back in the past, he was a scar to humanity. For his future, nothing more than a doom bringer. For now, however, he is a cursed guardian that must carry the weight of his failures and mistakes, while facing this new force of nature that wants him eliminated.

After coming into the school infirmary, Tojiro was back in his human form. He walked to the window, watching the students take part in gym class and doing various exercises. Tojiro turned around and sat down on the bed.

"Your wounds are better I take it?" asked a familiar voice.

Tojiro let out a loathly sigh. Ryu was suddenly standing in the room.

"Go sputter off somewhere dark and lonely." replied the bitter demon.

"No need to be so offending, friend. I simply came to question today's occurrences." said Ryu.

"Only today? God, aren't we honest." spat Tojiro.

"That ice demon. You've realized its nature, yes?" asked Ryu.

"I easily read its mind…yet I could not find out the maker. Its nature, however, was to kill Kurumu." said Tojiro.

"Akuma is planning it all too carefully. If he is to get through to you by harming those you watch over, he'll tempt you even more to travel through the Nine Circles of Hell at a more earlier point in time." explained Ryu.

"He may send what he wishes. I'll kill them all." replied the Demigod.

"And you believe that he has no ulterior motives?" said Ryu.

"I can predict whatever he brews in that foolish mind of his. I've already realized he's trying to harm others that are under my watch. Because…he knows of my nature." the Cloakmaster responded in a tone that slowly became solemn.

"I sense much grave ache in you suddenly. Why is that?" he asked.

"Ryu, please. You assume _too_ much all _too _easily." said Tojiro.

"I have already seen your thoughts, and you have realized your new power. The power of the Nightshade." incorporated Ryu.

"What is it then?" asked Tojiro with question, standing up and turning to face Ryu.

"When a Nightshade becomes consumed by the degree of their nature, they seek to accomplish their own wishes. By using this power against Maximus and that ice golem, what have you realized at the time that summoned such power?" said Ryu.

"I was **protecting **someone." answered Tojiro, looking off into the corner.

"Exactly. With that drive, it activates the hidden power a Nightshade holds. The body of a Nightshade is complicated and that is why there are many questioning situations about how a Nightshade ticks." explained Ryu.

"It's good to know now. But yet…why is it now?" said Tojiro, walking back to the window. He saw Kurumu inexplicably hugging Tsukune, as he _suffocated_ from being held into her chest so tightly.

"Do you believe it to because of those people?" asked Ryu inquisitively.

"Not just them. People who I've put in danger, and simply used my corpse to shield them from that danger. It's endless, Ryu. It's just…endless." explained Tojiro.

Back outside, Tojiro walked alone in the forest with Dragon's Bane in hand. He carelessly swung it in slow movements, ultimately defeated by the force of boredom. His hood was down this time.

"The Chains of Fear. Julius has them. Without them, I can't find the next one. If there'd be one time I'd choose to be attacked, it would definitely be now. At least it would give me something to do." he said consciously in his head.

Tojiro stopped on the dirt path, turning his head several ways, hearing a sudden sound.

"Sounds weak. I won't be needing this then." said Tojiro, sheathing Dragon's Bane.

All of a sudden, he was hit in the head by the front wheel of a bicycle. Flying off the bike was Kokoa Shuzen, Moka's little sister. She flew into a nearby bush. Tojiro remained standing, all that changed was his tilted head, which he quickly shook from dizziness. Tojiro looked to the left, seeing a bat slowly flying by.

"Kokoa-sama…why…are you…so…" It was unable to finish its sentence and dropped to the ground, tired to the highest limit. Tojiro picked the bat up.

"Wake up buddy." Tojiro said, snapping his fingers.

The bat's eyes jolted open, quickly looking in every direction.

"Just who are you? Oh wait! You're that insane demon god Nightshade, aren't you? KOKOA-SAMA! HELP! HURRY!" screamed the frightened bat. Tojiro lifted an eyebrow, then looked over his shoulder.

He walked over to the bush, and pulled a still dizzy Kokoa out of it. He held her up by the back of her shirt.

"I remember you two now. Are you still doing foolish things like always…or have you decided on something less bothersome?" questioned Tojiro.

Kokoa's eyes finally opened, and she looked at Tojiro.

"YOU FREAK!" she screamed, driving her fist directly into his cheek. Tojiro simply dropped Kou, and focused his glare on Kokoa.

"Now…was that really all you have, vampire?" blankly stated Tojiro.

Kokoa gritted her teeth with annoyance and kicked Tojiro in the stomach, throwing herself into a back flip. She landed on the ground, then stood straight up.

"Tojiro, I remember you now. You tried to hinder my plans to get my Onee-sama back!" Kokoa denounced, pointing at Tojiro.

"What's with the grudge, you fool. Tsukune has ruined your pathetic plans more than I have." Tojiro snapped.

Kokoa was simply aggravated even more by his words. Kou quickly flew over to Kokoa and landed in her hand. She squished him in her hands and the bat suddenly changed into a large spiked mace.

"Am I suppose to feel threatened, intimidated, or shall I simply attack you with one attempt?" he asked with steel gritted determination.

Kokoa angrily charged at Tojiro, holding the weapon ready. Tojiro stomped the ground with his right foot. A pillar of earth stood in her way, and she simply swung her spiked mace to blow it away.

"Should've expected that much. Oh well." he shrugged, standing in a stance, with his fists up.

"DIE!" she roared, swinging the mace down at her. Tojiro reached up with his left hand and grabbed the upper handle of the weapon, then pushed Kokoa back, while he held the spiked mace in hand.

Kokoa slid to a halt on the dirt and watched the Cloakmaster march towards her with the weapon resting over his shoulder.

"Now…are you prepared for death?" he asked deliberately.

"You wouldn't even dare!" Kokoa barked.

"How so? Explain yourself." he said.

"You showed enough pity earlier with that boob freak. You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me!" she shouted and taunted.

"The foolish deserve no pity….nor mercy." he said, flipping his hood over his head, the darkness covering his face instantly.

He raised the weapon over his head. Kokoa suddenly appeared frightened and was unable to move.

"I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget." he said, swinging the spiked mace down at Kokoa. She helplessly screamed in utter fear. Silence filled the air. Kokoa's arms were over her head and her eyes completely shut. They finally opened, and the spiked mace was mere inches from her nose. Tojiro reeled the weapon back then tossed it aside, and Kou turned back to his bat form.

"Why…wh-w-why did you do that?" she stuttered.

"That's _my_ method of teaching. Now get up and let's go meet the others. Shall we?" he suggested, holding out his hand.

Kokoa looked at the gloved hand that waited right in front of her. Kokoa turned her head away with disrespect.

"Shows what you know!" she fearlessly yelled, standing up on her own.

"Your nature doesn't surprise me. Now, come. Let's go see your sister." said Tojiro, walking away.

"Uhh, Kokoa-sama, what shall we do? Are you going to follow him?" asked the hovering bat.

"We'll simply have to see what happens, Kou-chan. Now let's go." she said, following after the Cloakmaster.

"Let me ask you this…for what reason are you even here?" asked Kokoa directly.

"I simply saw the bus that travels to this very location. It wasn't my clear distinction." said Tojiro.

The two were in the infirmary room Tojiro was given.

"Man, you being here is simply going to ruin my plans, you know that?" she said.

"Deal with it." muttered the angry demon.

"You idiot! I'm not going to deal with you!" screamed Kokoa.

"You misunderstand. I mean you should intentionally deal with me in whatever way you see fit. I would really like to see how you could even throw me out of this room before I toss you out this window and all the way to the bus stop." Tojiro explained.

"I'm not stupid you know. In fact, I may use you." said Kokoa, putting on a smirk.

"I'm not going to deviate Moka from her normal life. Well, _slightly_ normal life. You simply wish to see the real Moka, just how desperate can you be?" he responded curiously.

"She's my sister, idiot! I'm not going to simply sit around like you and wait for something to happen!" she said yelled, pointing her finger at him.

Tojiro turned his head away, agreeing with her, but not proud enough to actually say it.

"What are you even trying to say, Tojiro? You don't need to protect her! She's one of the most powerful monsters ever! Why do you even care about her?" Kokoa expressed.

"SHUT UP!" roared Tojiro in Kokoa's face.

Kokoa fell to the ground, feeling a sudden freezing cold wrap around her. The lights in the room began to flicker uncontrollably.

"You dare to speak for me? You dare to interpret your own beliefs on me? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!" he shouted, causing a shocking blast that knocked Kokoa against the wall.

Tojiro grabbed Kokoa up by her throat and slammed her against the wall.

"Even if you did know why I'm so watchful over that girl's vampire side, you wouldn't have the guts to joke about it. So before you start judging me, you best prepare yourself for a fight!" Tojiro angrily tossed Kokoa to the floor, and left the room. Surprisingly, Kokoa's eyes were shaking, as were her hands.

The Cloakmaster angrily stomped his way through the halls. "Filthy monsters. Damn vampire doesn't know hell about anything." he said with rage. A door opened up ahead on the right side of the hall. Tsukune poked his head out.

"Tojiro?" he said, watching the demon walking past the door.

"Anything wrong?" he asked. Tojiro quickly turned around, shooting a Chaos Spear at Tsukune. The teenager quickly jumped into the hall, while the Chaos Spear destroyed the door and impacted a good portion of the wall.

"I hope that answered your question, you foolish piece of trash!" Tojiro shouted, continuing his way down the hall.

Ryu Kaze suddenly appeared in the middle of the hall.

"Halt now Tojiro." he said, holding his staff out.

"Back off now Ryu…or I'll send you to Hell." cursed the angry Demigod of Death.

"It is not to be cowardly and take the simplest things in the most obscene way of offense! Stand down NOW Tojiro!" commanded the real Nightshade, raising his voice for the rarest of times.

Tojiro shot a beam of negative Chaos energy. Ryu simply swung his staff, which caused the beam to shoot back and hit Tojiro in the chest and causing him to slide across the floor on his feet. Tojiro roared at the top of his lungs with fierce rage. He shot several fireballs and Chaos Spears at Ryu. Ryu simply walked forward, a thin barrier of white Chaos standing protective in front of him.

"Believe me when I say this my friend, you do not want to continue this!" threatened a messaging Ryu.

"My past was easily brought back to mind because one stupid little girl couldn't shut her mouth! NOW BACK OFF YOU GODDAMN FOOL!" roared Tojiro, letting an angry surge of Chaos energy to sweep through the hall and push Ryu back.

The ancient god held his golden staff in front of himself until he finally came to a stop. Tojiro shot beams of spinning drill beams of dark Chaos energy. The blasts were consumed by Ryu's body and he shot one single beam of blue…positive Chaos energy. Tojiro quickly vanished with Chaos Control. Ryu flexed his hand then clenched it, causing the whole beam to vanish so it wouldn't do no damage.

Tojiro reappeared in front of Ryu, sending him a powerful punch to the gut. Ryu bent forward, but he quickly smacked Tojiro in the skull with the Golden Dragon Staff. Tojiro fell to the floor and was ready to get up, but he stayed down once Ryu pointed his staff to his face.

"You will not let words get the best of you Cloakmaster Tojiro! Don't even think of it! You are stronger than that!" said Ryu in a drastic tone.

"I'm beginning to not give a crap about that you old buzzard! Don't you dare speak a word how I should live my life Ryu! DON'T EVEN SPEAK!" Tojiro shouted, shooting a blast of black Chaos energy that sent Ryu flying down the hall.

"I've had enough of damn humans and their petty problems! I live on my own beliefs and my own choices dammit! And so far…it is the faults of others that I have been suffering so harshly! I've seen enough from the past come back to my present! I…HAVE HAD…ENOUGH!" he roared, letting out all his Chaos energy!

The humongous beam blew up through the school, and into the sky, breaking through the barrier that protected the school.

"Tojiro…what have you done?" whispered a motionless Ryu.

Standing in the middle was the anger filled Demigod of Death. The symbol on his forehead was shining red, and his eyes were the same, with the black symbol of the Shade Empire in them.

"No matter what race they are…I SHALL KILL THEM ALL! MY REVENGE IS ALL I HAVE LEFT!" echoed the out of control Cloakmaster.

Tsukune and co. arrived on the scene. "What is Tojiro doing? He's destroying the barrier!" exclaimed Tsukune.

Outside the school, students pointed to the massive cracks forming and as they continuously grew, and how large pieces shattered like glass, falling down. Ryu used Chaos Control to appear in front of the others.

"If he isn't stopped…Earth surely won't stand a chance." Ryu said over the loud thundering noise coming from the release of Tojiro's power.

"How? How can we stop him now?" yelled Kurumu over the loud winds.

"As we speak…the rosary around his neck is frantically feeding him the power of his Werehog form; a being with unlimited power! If this continues…Tojiro will lose his sanity and most likely become a soulless **ghoul!**" denounced Ryu.

Tsukune's eyes immediately jolted from such news, and he looked down at his holy lock.

"What will you do to stop him?" asked the pink haired Moka.

"I either redirect his Chaos energy and force him into a sleep; which is highly unlikely that he'll wake back up as a normal being, but a ghoul. The other option now is that I strike him down with one shot of Chaos Fear." Ryu explained, pointing his staff forward.

The front of the staff formed a sphere of dark black energy with a lining of salmon colored Chaos energy around it.

"What is that?" asked Yukari.

"Chaos Fear is the single most deadly force of power to ever use against a being. Whatever living tissue it touches, that being will die imminently. I'm leaving this up…to Moka." Ryu said, looking over his shoulder.

"Me! Why?" she questioned desperately.

"Either yes or no Moka…does he deserve life or death? Choose now!" demanded the patient Ryu. Tojiro turned around to the crowd, his eyes filled with uncontrollable hate. Moka looked from Ryu, to Tsukune, to the others, and then the hateful eyes of Tojiro.

"MOKA!" exclaimed Tsukune. Tojiro growled and chuckled, leaping from his spot and down at the group.

"DON'T DO IT! Let him live!" begged the screaming Moka.

Tojiro was ready to swing his claws. Ryu made the Chaos Fear vanish, and instead shot a straight beam of silver with blue in the center that hit Tojiro directly, surrounding him in its enticing glow of intense resonance.

* * *

><p>A whole week had passed, and Yokai Academy remained standing strong. The barrier was fixed and the academy has been repaired thanks to the supernatural powers of Ryu. Strictly told by the Nightshade himself, Tsukune and friends weren't allowed a single inch near Tojiro, not even allowed to speak his name, his title or even think about him. It was the first time Ryu has been so serious and taken such drastic measures, but it was to ensure continuity for the students at Yokai Academy. Tsukune and friends went on with their daily lives and daily inequities of obscene romance, passing the time was truly all that they had. Even though the Cloakmaster has done so much horrible things, they managed to not even speak about it, just as Ryu asked. In fact, they may have lost trust in him, probably even more than that. Ryu, too was shocked in the actions he took himself into, not ever wanting to use his powers ever since he had died and became such a powerful force of nature. Could they even be able to look at Tojiro? Is he even <em>alive<em>? The complications that revolve around the last Nightshade is all on personal accounts. Yet there were so many questions that had to be asked…yet there were so many answers, the truth was so well hidden from their eyes. True it may not have been nature that deemed this stunning event, but maybe something more simple and meaningful.

Ryu had finally asked Tsukune and co. to come meet him at the school infirmary, but there was much to be said before even _that_. The silent group with Tsukune in front saw the door to the infirmary up ahead. Several other students were already standing in front of it, even faculty.

"Everyone! Please, if you could simply back away from the door!" said Ms. Nekonome.

"Listen to your teachers, students! O-r e-l-s-e." said Kagome Ririko, wagging her finger back and forth.

"Attention students! Many, many things have happened after the past few days and we know you are desperate for information! But you must not worry, for the school will be fine! Everyone back to your classes!" said Ruby over a megaphone.

With much difficulty, the students were finally persuaded to clear the area. Standing in front of the door, was Ryu, the Headmaster of the academy, and; the Bus Driver?

"Wh-Wha-What is he doing here?" said a flabbergasted Tsukune.

"Afternoon everyone. I'm glad you could all make it." said the Headmaster.

"It was a wise move that he gather us all here for this Tsukune. Tojiro would have been doomed if not." said the Bus Driver.

"Thank you, you two. I'm glad you were able to help to the best of your ability." thanked a humble Ryu, bowing to them.

"We shall see what happens then, old friend." said the Headmaster bowing back.

The Bus Driver and Ryu then shook hands, and then the two were gone. Ryu turned to the others, taking in a breath as if he wasn't ready to anticipate their reactions.

"If you would all follow me please." Ryu began tirelessly, walking down the right hall.

"Where are we going?" asked Tsukune.

"It's rather uncomfortable to stand right in front of the door, Tojiro may awaken any minute now." said Ryu.

"Then how come we're leaving him alone?" asked Mizore.

"You all must learn, that's why." Ryu answered swiftly.

Sounded just like Tojiro they all thought. The group arrived in the Newspaper Club room so Ryu could speak what he wished to Tsukune and his friends.

"All of you may be in a mind of hate or distrust. I've already read into your minds and seen how you all wish to protect each other from _him_. He is indeed a troubled individual. Yet, I have seen how careless you've viewed him once he first met you all." Ryu began.

They were all surprised to hear Ryu's words and his ability to read their minds and feelings.

"Tojiro nearly killed himself today…I won't say why…yet, that shall be for later importance. On the other side, Tojiro will live. But I'm afraid his anger has simply been driven to a whole new level of madness. Tojiro may change over these next few days. The reasons why, I rather not estimate." he continued.

"You said he'd turned into a ghoul if he would've have continued, is that really the truth?" asked Tsukune.

"It is. Just like you have Aono Tsukune." said Ryu, lowering his staff forward which touched Tsukune's holy lock, then he lifted the staff back up.

"Except…Tojiro wouldn't even need the power of a ghoul to begin a mass slaughter. He has already done enough. I, like very few…feel sorry for the boy." said Ryu, shaking his head slowly with despair.

"How come he lost his power so easily then?" asked Kurumu.

"I'll bring that to a more private manner. But for now, I'll simply warn all of you with a message." said Ryu. The group appeared confused, but paid attention nonetheless.

"Tojiro was given the title of the last Nightshade because he was born with the mark on his forehead. The mark of his nation. Tojiro lived helplessly, facing nightmares that wouldn't stop tormenting him. The images of every inch of fear that existed was solely focused on his conscious…that is what makes a Nightshade so strong…and so evil. Tojiro fought control over his nightmares for over a thousand years until they stopped invading his mind."

The group made several expressions that showed much surprise, and some sorrow.

"Tojiro's life was filled with absolute violence and famine. All he could hold on to was survival. For every breath he took and every move he made, there was one less person in the world. Tojiro had nearly murdered over a million in his lifetime, maybe, no one truly knows. One of including his mother…and the other…including the only woman he would ever love." said Ryu, holding a serious tone.

Now, the shock arose from their faces.

"Tojiro's mother was the first one he undoubtedly murdered, after having burned his childhood village to the ground. He lost all his memory the moment he became a Nightshade, and thus he paid his own price…and dug his own grave. _This_…is what you all fail to understand." Ryu explained.

More confusion arose from that sentence. "Tojiro has one rule, one _belief_, he calls it. **Those who disrespect the lives of others…don't deserve their own**. Thus enters his current situation. You are all enveloped with this young man here, which I do understand, yet to some extent, you're all being childish and outlandish." Ryu stated.

"My Tsukune doesn't need to listen to your words!" Mizore snapped, standing up.

"Yours? Who do you think you're talking about stalker freak?" barked Kurumu, getting in the snow girl's face.

"_There_. Over the days of when he first met you all, Tojiro has deemed you all peaceful people who deserve their harmonic lives, yet in a way you denied to honor Tojiro, who constantly threw himself into your problems." Ryu instigated.

"You don't have a damn idea what you're talking about!" cursed Kurumu.

"Both of you sit down…NOW!" commanded Ryu, stomping his staff on the ground, actually shaking the entire room, and causing the lights to flicker.

Kurumu and Mizore both appeared hesitant, but they sat down anyway.

"I am not trying to say you must care about Tojiro, but simply believe that with him around, he refuses to let someone get hurt. Like a week ago, Tojiro carelessly protected you, the succubus girl." Ryu said, looking at her.

Kurumu remembered the furious face that Tojiro wore and how he used his back as her personal shield so she wouldn't get skewered. Kurumu lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling a bit of pain grow inside her.

"He's inhuman, yes. But he still has his mind, and that will be greater than any power he will _**ever**_ use. Currently, Tojiro is resting, he may even be awake. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't outside that door right now, or turned into a shadow while in his Darkrai form, listening on this, I don't care. I had to use his rosary which was already tainted enough, so I purified it and replaced the old rosary with his, that is how the barrier was fixed." said Ryu.

Kurumu instantly remembered Tojiro removing the rosary to fend off and defeat the ice golem.

"Then…that monster he turns into, would he be in that form right now?" asked Kurumu.

"I was just about to get to that. I asked the Headmaster to lend me a very special, yet very powerful holy lock that Tojiro is currently wearing. It is sealing the Werehog within him, and also stopping the ghoul blood within him from taking over his mind, just like what happened to Tsukune over here." Ryu explained with great detail, turning his head towards the human.

"Now for the difficult part. Being a Nightshade, Tojiro doesn't have a heart, and therefore his entire body lives off the _**negative**_ Chaos energy that resides within him. The holy lock is an instrument made to purify and prevent the negative power within him. In other words, the holy lock is slowly _**killing him **_from within." said Ryu in a grim tone at the very end.

"Then why did you even put it on him?" exclaimed an upset Yukari.

"If I hadn't, this school wouldn't be standing, and neither would any of you. The matter of the fact is that how Tojiro decides to control his power. Tojiro's will is nearly unbreakable, and if he is able to use his very own will to stop the holy lock from killing him, even when he removes it from his wrist, the ghoul blood may not be able to take him over. In all honesty, it comes down to what he thinks. As of now, however, Tojiro doesn't know what to believe and who to trust, especially you bunch. So the feeling is very, very…mutual." continued the real Cloakmaster.

"Then…should he even stay here?" said Tsukune slowly.

"Perhaps…perhaps not. Tojiro should decide. That is, if he doesn't strangle one of you to death before you even ask him, or possibly eliminate you all at once. I rather not even one of you try." said Ryu, suddenly shifting looks to Moka.

Ryu took in a breath of air. "If you wouldn't all mind, please leave for now." he said, his head lowered.

The group shared several glances, seeking answers in each others eyes, but nothing yielded to them. They were all ready to exit, Yukari opened the door.

"Moka Akashiya." Ryu spoke suddenly. The pink haired vampire turned around.

"You stay. Tsukune, she'll catch up with you guys later." said Ryu politely. Moka walked back into the room and sat down at the table with Ryu on the other side of the table. Tsukune was the last one out, before closing the door shut.

"I want to make this clear to the both of you." Ryu began.

"_Both_ of us?" said the confused vampire. Ryu pointed the Golden Dragon Staff at Moka's rosary.

A small red bolt came out of the staff and into the gem in the rosary. A red light shined with bright illumination. Once the light dimmed, Moka opened her eyes to see her vampire form sitting down right next to her. The two vampires looked at each other with amazement.

"It's good to see you again, omote." said the silver haired vampire.

"I summoned you for a very important reason. There is a good reason why both of you must hear this." said Ryu carefully.

"Go ahead. I am curious to hear this." the inner Moka admitted.

"This is for your ears only. If you can try and resist from telling the others, than do so, unless you can't of course." Ryu stated calmly.

The two Mokas' waited patiently.

"Moka, do you know why I asked you what must be done to Tojiro? Any idea at all? Please tell me what you think." Ryu asked the pink haired Moka.

"What I thought? I'm not sure, really." she replied nervously.

"I see, well there is a real reason indeed why I asked. Yet it would have been better if the inner Moka would have answered Tojiro's fate." continued the ancient god.

"What is it then?" asked Inner Moka.

"It is due to your sister Kokoa Shuzen. She inflicted a painful memory upon Tojiro. In fact…I am sorry to say this…he almost killed her because of it." Ryu answered discretely.

The twos' eyes immediately widened by such news. "I was merely arriving here once I heard their conversation, and took action once Tojiro left Kokoa in a stunned and scared position. The reason for his unleashed power was because of one simple thing, but don't let it worry you, nor offend you, Inner Moka." said Ryu.

Her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Tojiro has always been very, very protective over people, but there's a pattern I noticed. Tojiro's first and only love Victoria, she had red eyes. I remember talking to Tojiro once about her, which was real surprising since he refuses to ever talk about her with others. Anyway, Tojiro told me her eyes was his favorite thing about her. He use to watch the sunset with her, which was also another favorite of his. The sunset to him, is his whole world." Ryu continued.

"Get to the point." said Inner Moka impatiently.

"Tojiro has **always** shown great care for girls that have _**red eyes**_." Ryu finally admitted.

The two vampires both were surprised to the greatest extent.

"Tojiro became so overly obsessed with hate by Kokoa's words that he remembered about Victoria, and how he failed to protect her, and was wrongfully tricked into killing her. He thought of you, the Inner Moka as an example, and he believed he'll fail to protect you, Tsukune, and everyone else. Tojiro, once he meets people, he expects the best out of them, but he also expects them to respect life, just as he does. Simply, that won't happen now, won't it?"

The Outer Moka looked with a mess of emotions clouding her mind, while the Inner Moka kept her eyes shut, and her arms crossed.

"What does his past even signify? Is he trying to accomplish something here? Or is he not?" asked the Inner Moka.

"By my understanding Moka-san, he intends to kill who needs to be and do away with those who must be dealt with. That much I know, even if he hasn't awakened yet, I already read his thoughts." explained the god.

"I see. Then what initiative will be taken to make sure he takes the right path instead of the wrong one?" Inner Moka asked desperately.

"You are indeed correct on that. I don't wish to pity him, because it his what he does with power that measures out the man he is. Nothing else will change that." replied Ryu.

"Then…are you suggesting he's simply going to leave this place?" asked the Outer Moka.

"I doubt that. He is still desperately searching for…someone." Ryu spoke, a hint of dread in his voice.

The Inner Moka raised an eyebrow at his reaction to the pink haired Moka's question. "I believe it would be better if you choose what is to happen next." Ryu suggested carefully and honestly.

"I don't like the sound of that. I've done the same type of things in the past, and they were all too risky." answered the Inner Moka.

"I'm sure Tojiro will live, but I am truly unaware if he will be ready to fight…I'm even afraid if he'll say another word to anyone." said a solemn Ryu.

"He's mad and displeased, we all understand that already. I believe it is up to him if he decides to continue living or not. It shouldn't be our business." said the Inner Moka coldly.

"That's Inner Moka for you." thought the pink haired vampire, staring at her with disbelief.

"I understand. I thank you both for hearing what I had to say." he said, pointing his staff forward, creating another red flash.

The Inner Moka was sealed back inside the rosary, and Ryu immediately rose to his feet, turning to the window.

"I've never in my life been able to question any other being more than Tojiro, don't you agree?" said Ryu.

"I suppose. However, what is it that you need Tojiro for?" asked Moka.

"For a purpose no else could comprehend. For a foe that no one else can defeat, that's why." answered Ryu, turning back around to face Moka.

"It is his task to complete, whether he likes it or not." Ryu added.

Moments later, Ryu and Moka joined the others in front of the infirmary room.

"Whether he's awake or not, be quiet, be sensitive, and be respectful. Tojiro is very unorthodox and he may not even notice us at first sight due to his complications, so be warned." Ryu explained, standing in front of the door.

* * *

><p>The group understood. Ryu grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened it up. Ryu stepped aside, and the group took careful pace inside the room. There in the corner lie the unconscious body of Tojiro. He was remained in his hedgehog form. His arms were on top of the blanket that covered him up, and his eyes; shut. A rolling cart was right next to his bed, with three jars of swirling negative Chaos energy in each of them. There was a small thin tube that came out from the top of each jar, and into three spots. One into the wrist of his left hand, his chest, and the third went into his forehead where the symbol of the Shade Empire was. Above all, his head entire head was wrapped in bandage, except for around his eyes, so he could still see once he wakes up.<p>

"With these jars, they'll slowly give him the power he needs, and his regenerative abilities will take care of the rest." said Ryu.

The group observed him carefully, not trying to cause any noise or disturbance.

"He's been here ever since the event a week ago?" asked Tsukune.

"That's correct. He hasn't even moved an inch since." replied the cloaked god.

"So you have no good guess when he'll wake up?" asked Yukari.

"I wish I had. For now, it's all on how his body decides to divide the Chaos energy amongst his body. Once that happens, he shall awaken." Ryu noted.

"It's truly a life and death situation, no matter where he goes and no matter what he does." said Kurumu.

Ryu looked at the succubus with surprise, glad she understands Tojiro's situation.

"Yet I'm still worried, just how will he react to us?" asked Mizore.

"There is a slight possibility that he won't, but a higher one that he will. It truly depends how his mind works once his eyes open, it's simple." answered Ryu.

"Simple? It won't be so simple to clean up whatever's left of us if he reacts angrily!" exclaimed Tsukune.

"Shhh!" said the girls, while Ryu chuckled.

A puff of steam suddenly sounded from Tojiro's right arm. Silence immediately fell upon the room, and everyone looked at Tojiro with tense faces. Small green and lights from within Tojiro's arm came on and blinked several times.

"Look! His eyes are opening!" said a joyful Moka.

Tojiro's head turned from left to right, and he groaned and grunted in pain. His eyes opened, and they were filled with a glowing fierce red. He turned his head to the others. The group stood frozen like ice, fearing the worse. Tojiro's bandaged head turned towards the ceiling, another puff of steam coming from within his arm.

"Shall we let you rest, my friend?" asked Ryu.

Tojiro suddenly glared at him, his eyes forming into an angry stare.

Ryu's head reeled back, "Oh. I see. I apologize, Cloakmaster Ankoku." Ryu answered, while nodding his head.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tsukune awkwardly.

"Tojiro just talked to me telepathically." answered Ryu, looking at Tsukune.

Their faces didn't appear willing to believe him.

"Well, he was honest in his words." Ryu said, trying to avoid the real answer.

"What did he say, Ryu?" asked Yukari kindly.

"Excluding all the death threats to you all and myself, his body is healing and he said he can't wait to get up." Ryu explained.

Everyone wore their faces in a startled mood, and blank expressions in their eyes. In a mere instant, the group suddenly charged out of the room like an unstoppable herd of animals. Ryu poked his head out of the door, then shook it.

"Who must I feel sorry for now?" he said, going back inside the room, and closing the door shut.

Ryu went alone to the Headmaster's office on urgent business, while he left Tojiro to slowly regain his thoughts alone in the infirmary. Ryu opened the double door and walked on inside.

"Afternoon friend." said the Bus Driver, who was in the room as well, smoking a cigar.

The Headmaster turned around in his chair. "Is the Cloakmaster awake?" he asked.

"He is indeed. Yet my fears appear true. Tojiro refuses to take action in this school's drastic fate, more or less leave the infirmary." answered Ryu.

"Weren't you sure he would react in a certain way though? Such as, if his memories would give him a slight hindrance of hope." the Bus Driver included.

"I wish it was that way, yet I am beginning to doubt, friend." Ryu stated honestly.

"If what you've foreseen is true, we can't risk losing the school to him." said the Headmaster.

"Agreed. The holy lock does seem to take great enough affect on Tojiro, but in all honesty it is truly up to him on how he decides to use his power to fight the ghoul within him." Ryu explained undoubtedly.

"And so, the beast of death, this Werehog…will it try and take him over? I've seen what their kind can do, they are unstoppable once they taste blood." said the Headmaster.

"Luckily, the Werehog won't take over his mind. Tojiro has silenced the nightmares of his Werehog a while back, so that half of him won't be a problem." stated the real Nightshade.

"Then half of this crisis is solved." the Bus Driver added.

"Only half, that much is true, friend. But how this threat was able to amount such a force against us makes me curious." said the Headmaster.

"Orion must've been fooled by Akuma no doubt. Who knows how long it will take them to prepare their attack against this school." Ryu added.

"Akuma? That can't be…" began the Headmaster.

"Indeed it is. His motives are complicated, but I know what he's planning." answered Ryu.

"Besides killing Tojiro, what else is he planning?" asked the Headmaster, setting clasped hands on the table in front of him.

"I'd rather not go into deep detail, but it seems that-" Ryu was silenced once the double doors slammed open and into the room ran Ruby Tojo.

"Ruby! What matter do you have to barge in so drastically?" questioned the Headmaster, standing up from his desk.

"From the tunnel…a creature leading a band of monsters…are on their way here!" she informed, breathing heavily.

"So he is here." muttered the esteemed Ryu.

The Bus Driver lowered his cigar from his mouth, "Now is the time we see who joins a side."

In the infirmary, Tojiro's metal hand reached for the side bar on his bed. With what power he had, he sat up, his back cracking in the process. He slowly and carefully maneuvered his arms to get the joints working properly. His red glowing eyes looked down. He removed the tubes that fed him Chaos energy from their three spots. Tojiro set his legs hanging off the edge of the bed. The cloak covered anti-hero stepped off the bed, grunting in pain, placing his right hand over his stomach. He then stood straight, sticking both his arms down by his sides. His eyes blinked in surprise. On a table in the corner was the holster for his revolver Black Death, and right next to it; the broken sword that was Dragon's Bane. The red lines were gone, and the sword was beyond repair. He strolled over to it, and picked both parts up. His eyes appeared still very angry, as he looked from one half to the other in his opposite hand. He put the two parts back down and grabbed Black Death and strapped it onto his belt. Tojiro dug into his pocket, taking out his journal. He sat down on his bed, and opened it, his eyes appearing questioning. From his past journeys, from recent, they were all collections of things he himself had placed in the book. He came across one picture of him standing with Yuto Amakawa, his cat half bodyguard Himari, and all their friends. Another was with Tsukune and the others. Every picture had a little wording next to it, below it, or above it. He had even drew his own pictures. Pictures of monsters he had faced, lands he had not forgotten, and even faces he can't forget. One page, was one he would never find himself turning to. It brought up enough pain for him to squinch his eyes, then shut them, closing the book with haste. They were images that brought him so much pain. It would make his current position be nothing more than a mere bruise. He put the journal back in his cloak pocket, then rested his clasped hands on his lap, and began to do something he hasn't done in such a long time; meditate to reconcile.

Outside the limits of the school, the bounty hunter Orion walked alone in through the forest. He was alone for the moment until a sudden black mist formed by his side.

"Greetings Orion. I see you're almost at the school." said the cloaked figure who had appeared out of the mist.

"I'm well aware of this plan…Akuma. Now leave. This is between me and Nightshade." barked Orion, not turning his head a single inch.

"I understand that clearly, do not be so arrogant." replied Akuma. "Like it makes any much of a difference, devil. What of Tojiro's current status?" replied the bounty hunter.

"It appears he has released a large amount of his Chaos energy which has rendered him weak. This may the only chance you get to get your revenge. That is…if those monsters decide to protect him." said Akuma with a sly and fraudulent tone.

"We shall see what it takes for a monster to protect a freak. That is the truth Akuma." snapped the bounty hunter.

"We shall see indeed. Yet, my latest attack has definitely broken that fool Tojiro. I do believe _she_ felt a tad bit sorry for the order I gave her." said Akuma, his hand to chin, as he chuckled hysterically.

Orion looked at his so called informant with disgust, completely ignoring his distasteful words. Orion turned his head forwards, spotting Yokai Academy in the distance, and where his true goals lie.

"The demons from Hell I assigned to you, whenever, all you must do is activate the Chaos Control. Do you understand?" said Akuma.

Orion unsheathed Silver Wind, while still walking.

"Do you understand or not, bounty hunter? You know you need my help for this siege." Akuma announced, standing in Orion's path.

"Let me do my job, and you can do yours!" Orion barked, elbowing Akuma out of his way and continuing his way to the school for monsters.

"Tojiro Ankoku…what will you do this time?" said a grinning Akuma, who began laughing as he slowly vanished into a black mist.

"Tsukune! Tsukune? Where are you?" called Kokoa, walking into the Newspaper Club's room.

"Kokoa-chan?" asked Tsukune from behind. Kokoa jumped off her feet, turning around in the process.

"You idiot! Watch how you intrude someone!" Kokoa exclaimed.

"Sorry, Kokoa-chan. What were you calling me for?" he replied.

"My fake sister wanted to tell you something. She's on the roof, saying it's something very important." said Kokoa.

"Okay, would you like to come with me?" he asked.

Kokoa's eyes appeared wide. "Who do you think I am? Why would I want to follow you?" she snapped, turning halfway with her arms crossed, with her eyes shut.

"I know it's not the best question to ask you now, but is there truly something you have against the Outer Moka?" questioned Tsukune curiously.

"She isn't real. She's a fake like I said. She wasn't the sister I grew up to know! So why are YOU sticking your nose into MY business?" shouted Kokoa angrily, getting in Tsukune's face.

Their was silence afterwards. Tsukune's mind studied Kokoa's fierce expression, which was all for honest love and anger.

"I can admit I believe what you say." he said.

"Good! I'm glad you can respect your superiors!" gloated the young vampire.

"But it's not what I believe in." Tsukune said suddenly.

"Heh?" said a confused Kokoa. "I talked to your _real_ sister, as you say. Believe it or not Kokoa, they're both the same. Their hands are the same, and I'm sure their intentions are different, but when I hold her hand, it's the same. There's no difference." Tsukune said with strong emotion.

"Don't talk so smart about my sister!" Kokoa shouted, ignoring Tsukune's kindly words.

"Like I said Kokoa, believe it or not. There's nothing wrong with difference. Because no matter what way you look at it…**they're both Moka Akashiya.**" Tsukune stated with a positive look and smile. He then left the room, leaving Kokoa lost for words, for a second time that is.

Tojiro was back laying down in his bed, with his back slumped against the back of the bed so he was still sitting up, staring blankly at the ceiling. His red glowing eyes were all that was obvious, besides his entire bandaged up head. He barely had the chance to even speak to himself, he even refused to talk mentally, interesting and bias at the same time. His right arm let out a puff of steam. It showed him a sign that it was being fed the right amount of Chaos energy, so he would later be able to back in fighting position. That, however, brought up one single complication; who would he fight…and who would he fight for? Tojiro could begin an endless quest in the very back walls of his own conscious to find the answer, but he wouldn't yield so easily to such an emotion that requested foolishness. After all, it is his belief to fight for reason, and now for revenge. Most of the individuals he met, senselessly doubted him for his beliefs and actions. About the highest percent of those people didn't even say it, because the Cloakmaster himself read their minds and saw the truth behind their words, whether for the better or for the worse, his burdens were his only. There was no surprise that he deterred his own path because of his beliefs of letting people who deserve peace lives live on and save them from those who wish to ruin them. It was up until now on how Tojiro would question himself. He would never question his beliefs. It was one of the very few things he had that he could control and would never let go of. He damns individuals for his own reasons. For the reason of causing pain and havoc in another's life. He despises those people the most, especially those who beg for salvation, but he didn't yield, he simply…swung away and let it rain blood. He was no longer tied to nature due to the desperate and enduring war he ended a while ago. It was a broken bond and he was vulnerable to death. The arms of death have always been desperate to drag him to eternal suffering, but he has endured worse on the surface. If he could imagine it well enough, the fingers of death were simply tracing up his arms and could grab his shoulders, forcefully pulling him to darkness and madness forever. The roots of his own nature were practically plunged into this very earth, and they rot with disdain and negativity, yet he refuses to let his past catch up to him, he plans on outrunning it until the very moment he dies. His eyes said all these things, as they continued to glow with a fierce hate that no one could ever match up to, for the world he grew and lived upon has betrayed him to the extent that he would some day return the favor ten fold. Luckily, he is still undecided on _that_ question.

The door swung open, Tojiro immediately shot a round from Black Death at the individual. Luckily, it was Yukari, so the bullet ripped through her pointy hat instead. She took it off, looking at the hole with a shocked look. Tojiro dropped the gun back on the cart next to his bed, then stared back up at the ceiling, all with carelessness. Yukari waved her wand over the hole, and it stitched itself back up. Yukari placed the hat back on her head.

"Uhh, ex-excuse me, Tojiro-san?" she started slowly.

Tojiro kept silent, not even turning his head the slightest of inch.

"Don't you want to get up? Ryu said as soon as you'd wake up, you would have enough power." Yukari informed, walking over to Tojiro.

Tojiro let out a breath, his chest expanding, then deflating. Yukari was somehow frightened at first when he took that breath in, so she came out from behind the door, and walked back over to Tojiro.

"I'm sure you're going to be alright, Tojiro-san. Trust me." she said with a smile, standing beside his bed, with a smile and her hands clasped behind her back.

His red filled eyes cringed tightly by her frantic speaking, and especially her belief of him being 'alright'. There was no hidden treasure that he obviously hated others speaking for him. It was at his expense to decide what he wanted, not anyone else's self conscious will could change that. Yukari looked at Tojiro with a face full of question and curiosity, yet the young witch half heartedly believed he would respond to whatever she said.

"Excuse me, Yukari?" asked Ryu from the door.

"Oh! Yes?" she turned around.

"I see you're keeping Tojiro company, that's very kind of you." said a proud Ryu.

"I sure am!" she concluded, raising her hand up in the air.

"Would you mind if I had a word with him for a moment please?" Ryu asked politely.

"Okay!" replied Yukari, hopping towards the door. She turned around once in the doorway. Tojiro slowly turned his head to her.

"I hope you make a speedy recovery…Tojiro-san!" she stated with a happy smile, before closing the door. Tojiro turned his head back towards the ceiling, acting as if he was alone again, treating Ryu like a part of the wall.

"If you haven't already noticed…Orion is coming to this school. He's obviously coming for you, Tojiro." began Ryu.

A telepathic message was sent from Tojiro.

"What do you mean by that? Tell him you're not here? You surely must be fooling yourself, Cloakmaster!" Ryu said in an outburst of surprise.

Another message was sent, this time Tojiro's eyes became more significant with distaste and annoyance.

"You refuse? What does that mean? You refuse to protect this school?" said a surprised Ryu.

Tojiro began carelessly talking telepathic messages, he absolutely refused to utter a word.

"A world of fools. A world of fools. I see. That's what you think. I must disagree with you, my friend. You are the fool!" Ryu angrily stated, stomping his staff on the floor.

Tojiro didn't care at all which didn't phase Ryu.

"Don't treat your own established beliefs as a shield. Just because it was shattered for one moment, you lower your sword against the coming threat? You should raise your sword to fight! Then…you retrieve another shield…and use that to protect yourself. You're too inconclusive my friend. I now read your mind and see the fault…it's _her_? It is, isn't it?" Ryu judged in a constant outburst of words.

"Don't speak of her you say? That is all you plan on doing at this point! You would leave this school to suffer because you refuse to rise against the threat! How foolish of you Tojiro! Very foolish! You should be lucky to have made such friends here…but now you're only focusing on one? I can respect your intentions, but they are merely half truths! I know you're determined…but…you must…you must simply not sit by and watch this world be torn apart when you are able to stop the chaos from burning out of control! Your journey has begun many days ago…" Ryu informed abruptly, suddenly stopping his words at the end.

Ryu dug his left hand into the right sleeve of his cloak. He took out something and tossed it onto Tojiro's lap. His head looked down, and he immediately grabbed the item.

"…and now is the time to take it seriously. That's all I found of her, Tojiro. Where is she?" he asked.

Tojiro looked at the item he held in his right hand, his eyes becoming lost and confused. Ryu lowered his head and left the room in an instant. Tojiro stared at the item discretely, knowing all what Ryu spoke of, but unwilling to believe such words. Tojiro tore off a piece of his cloak and wrapped it around the item that filled his mind with so many thoughts and memories, then put it on the cart next to his bed, then stared back up at the ceiling. There was a short sense of sincerity and delusion in the air of that very room, and for some accursed reason, it wasn't getting out…anytime soon.

On the roof, there was Moka and Tsukune.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing." said Tsukune, looking out in the distance.

The tree line was breaking down and several explosions occurring. Loud bangs and roars erected from the forest, monstrous roars that sound war.

"Don't you think why Ryu was talking with the Headmaster?" asked Moka.

"Most likely. Yet I want to know who's leading this attack. I'm not liking it a bit!" replied Tsukune strongly.

"I do believe it would be better you all seek shelter inside the school." announced Ryu, arriving from behind the pair.

"Ryu! What's going on?" called the deliberate Tsukune.

"Truly…there is no time to explain." said Ryu, raising his staff up once he stopped behind the two, who were facing him.

Moka and Tsukune turned around to see a large ball of flames suddenly disperse from the protective barrier Ryu had created.

"Hurry, find safe haven within the school." commanded the constant Ryu.

Tsukune and Moka quickly headed for the door that led down into the school, while Ryu stood alone on the roof.

"Orion…what kind of bounty hunter are you…to be tricked so easily?" Ryu said to himself.

Orion came to the path leading up to the school.

"These fools will regret hiding the scorn of humanity in this building." said Orion, raising Silver Wind into the air.

A series of white lightning bolts began to shoot out from the blade. In the sky, a huge group of wyverns appeared with demons in black armor, with burning orange eyes, rode upon. Some of the wyverns had guns on their backs, which the demons sat in.

"This is truly some fierce power. Let it purge you from the edge of this earth…Tojiro Ankoku." spoke Orion, driving his sword into the ground, to spawn an army of a thousand numerous demons behind him. Orion pointed his sword forward at Yokai Academy.

"Burn it to the ground! Kill all who get in your path! BRING ME…THE CLOAKMASTER OF DARKNESS!" Orion commanded with ferocity.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Orion: The school's defenses will fall...Cloakmaster! Reveal yourself!

Tsukune: We can't let any of them pass! You guys got it? We're holding this line!

Ryu: Orion is a high stakes fighter, breath caution my friends!

Inner Moka: My patience has been tested many times...but this battle seems to be the least of my worries.

Kurumu: Hold on guys, where's Yukari? Yukari! That flat chested witch! Where'd she go?

Yukari: Tojiro-san? I don't mean to intrude...but I must tell you: You will get better! You'll redirect this pain you feel! I believe so!

Ryu: Only you, Cloakmaster...you are all this school...all the world needs...to ensure the perfect harmony.

NEXT TIME!

**A CLOAKMASTER IN CHAOS! PART THREE:**

**ROAR! THE BLADE OF DARKNESS AWAKENS!**


	8. Chapter VIII

**_CHAPTER VIII: ROAR! THE BLADE OF DARKNESS AWAKENS!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story, except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze, Orion and Julius Tsuiho! They are my originals and are owned/trademarked by me. Trademarked...god that's a first! Anyway! All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

Mizore, Kurumu, Yukari and Ruby came to the front of the school.

"Seeing the Headmaster chose us, we better uphold our promise, huh?" said Kurumu, readying her claws and her wings.

"I agree with you…for once." said Mizore, preparing her large ice clawed hands.

"How about we make them regret for even coming here?" said Yukari, preparing a series of her magic tarot cards, circling in an outward direction, that was aiming towards the front line of the demon army.

"Everybody! Hold on!" called Moka.

The two turned around to see Tsukune and Moka running out of Yokai Academy. "Finally decided to join us, eh, Tsukune?" said Kurumu, shoving his face into her breasts, causing his arms to flap and swing.

"Honestly, control yourself, boob freak." commented Mizore.

"You wanna' say that again you stalker?" shouted the determined and angry succubus.

"Just for once, how about we all see each other as equals?" said a sudden voice.

The group looked to see Kokoa, strolling over to the group.

"Kokoa!" exclaimed Moka.

She transformed Kou into a spiked club, and held it across her shoulder.

"Like I said…just for this once, got it?" Kokoa added strictly.

The group all nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'm so proud of you Kokoa!" said a joyful Moka, going down to embrace her. Kokoa surprisingly wrapped her right arm around her sister's back.

"Thank you…Onee-san." she mumbled.

"Wait…did she just say?" said a surprised Yukari.

"Oh, Kokoa." said Moka, joyful tears streaming down her cheeks. Kokoa then looked at Tsukune, and winked. Tsukune returned with a smile on his face, and glad that they will begin to show much more prosperous times for the future. Orion stood with a massive horde of horrific demons that Akuma called upon to begin this attack. The arrogant bounty hunter watched the group that stood in front of the school.

"Fools. The whole lot of them. Fools." he muttered with pity.

A whole slew of wyverns charged down towards the school. A series of magical tarot cards shot from Yukari exploded into clouds of black smoke and blue light from within. Several wyverns were sent crashing to the ground, some even crashing into the school.

"You're up!" alarmed Yukari.

Mizore aimed her arms upwards, shooting a frantic barrage of icicles. The wyverns with gunner seats on their backs shot them away, but another violent barrage skewered nearly half of the wyverns. The silver haired Moka who had been released from her seal charged forwards, kicking away a black armored demon, then performed a drill kick through a monstrous rock golem. She landed in the middle of a group of reptilian like demons covered with black armor. She then grabbed a foe from behind who attempted a surprise attack, and swung his flailing corpse into two others that charged from the front. Moka performed a circular kick, knocking over ten of the demons into the air. Moka landed back on the ground and punched two lizard demons in the face, then jumped back from a large wyvern which suddenly landed, crushing a few of its own comrades under its large body. The wyvern held it's head back, and let loose a vile blast of acid sludge from its mouth. Tsukune, harnessing the power of his vampire powers, quickly, kicked the beast in the cheek, forcing it to spit its venomous sludge upon a whole platoon of demons, melting them until only bone remained. Tsukune was suddenly knocked away by the vicious swing from another wyvern, but then quickly jumped off the ground and punched the beast directly in its snout, causing it to drop to the ground. However, this wyvern had a gunner on its back. Tsukune quickly leaped backwards, and the bullets rained at him as he flew through the air. Some bullets made slight carves in his flesh, yet he landed on the ground safely. Tsukune removed his green jacket, and noticed several spots on his arms to be bleeding.

A series of quick silver Chaos Spears struck the ground, and caused Tsukune to blown away by their explosive power. Kurumu quickly flew into the air and grabbed him.

"Thanks for the save, Kurumu!" Tsukune said gratefully.

"Anytime, my Tsukune!" she said happily.

Moka quickly jumped to the wyvern, kicking with such force that the neck of the beast snapped with intensity. Moka quickly ran off to the side, dodging a series of flaming boulders. From above, there were harpies. Two to one single boulder which was lit halfway down. A rain of fire poured down upon the group. Yukari quickly shot her magical tarot cards to intercept them. Explosions occurred in the air, even to those harpies who haven't even dropped their ordinance. Small chunks of burning rock fell upon the floor. Mizore slid under the legs of a large mechanized golem. She turned around and was suddenly kicked by the beast. She smacked against the ground, opening her eyes to see a wyvern hovering down to her. Mizore quickly shot a single long icicle which pierced through it's neck, causing it to fall towards the mechanized troll, absolutely smashing it. A demon with forked arms came out Mizore. She defended herself by raising her ice made hands. The creature swung it's acute blades with ferocity, until the point Mizore smacked it out of her way with her ice clawed hand. Kurumu flew over Mizore and dove into a group of demons, creating a powerful explosion of wind and force, shooting over thirty demons into the air. Kurumu was suddenly knocked to the ground by Orion. He grabbed her wings, ready to rip them off.

"You're truly wasting your time." said the bounty hunter.

"You'd better rethink that." said Mizore.

Orion lifted his head up, and saw Mizore directly kick him in the face, sending him bumping across the ground. Mizore then helped Kurumu up.

"You okay there?" asked the snow girl.

"Yeah, thanks a lot." said a cheerful Kurumu. Mizore gave a thumbs up with her large ice made hand. Moka quickly jumped over their heads, and gave a direct punch to a charging Orion.

"If you're not going to fight, then you better leave." she said coldly.

"Geez, you think we don't understand that?" barked the succubus.

A swarm of tarot cards exploded on impact to a monstrous mechanized troll that was behind Kurumu and Mizore. The creature fell backwards, and Yukari stood a few feet behind it, breathing considerably hard.

"Oh. That's what you meant." said an embarrassed Kurumu, scratching the back of her head.

Orion hoisted himself into the air, and began spinning Silver Wind in front of his face. A tunnel of silver white Chaos energy descended upon the group. Ryu quickly used Chaos Control to teleport over to the group.

"Chaos Incursion!" he called out.

The Chaos energy suddenly became blood red, and formed into many Chaos Spears, and shot up towards Orion.

"Silver Reflection!" called Orion. The Chaos Spears suddenly vanished in mid air as if they traveled through an invisible mirror. The angered bounty hunter immediately charged forward, spinning in a vortex of azure Chaos energy. The blast knocked the whole group away and into the dirt once they landed in random spots.

"Hand over that demon god, and I won't have to kill your miserable existence!" announced the bounty hunter. Moka immediately rose up and charged for the bounty hunter.

"Repent against me? You will regret it." sparked Orion.

Orion prepared a savage ball of positive Chaos energy in both his hands, then combined them together to create a lightning covered sphere of energy which he held over his head. Moka quickly leaped into the air. Orion shot the ball straight up at her. Moka easily swung her away around it and kicked Orion right in the forehead, creating a massive blast of wind. The others covered their faces from the intense gust.

Moka came out of the cloud of smoke in the form of a back flip, landing in front of the group.

"He'd be wise to just stay down." she said.

Orion's eyes now filled with a furious glowing blue, and a straight beam shot out of the smoke, clearing it all from the area. The intense beam hit Moka directly, sending her flying back.

"Moka-san!" cried Tsukune.

Orion's eyes ceased to glow blue and he charged towards the group with a full taste of hate now present in his eyes. Ryu quickly swung the Golden Dragon Staff with fierce power, which exploded in red light once he hit Orion and sent him flying far off to the forest. Mizore and Yukari quickly stood in front of Ryu and Moka. Yukari sent a barrage of flaming gold pots which came down at lightning speed. Yukari then dropped one massive gold pot, bringing down over ten wyverns, and crushing over fifty demons on the ground.

"Is she all right?" asked Tsukune, hurrying over to Moka.

"I'm fine. Both of you are being foolish." she said, rising to her feet.

"If you haven't noticed, their numbers are increasing with every one we destroy!" exclaimed Kurumu.

The hordes of demons refused to cease. Once one fell, it seemed ten more replaced them. Yukari waved her wand to release a series of exploding tarot cards, which exploded amongst the ranks of the front line of demons.

"Kurumu's right! Twenty more just arrived by taking out just two!" exclaimed Yukari.

"It seems we're simply beginning to run out of luck." said Moka.

"Like that will truly matter. Numbers aren't anything on the field of battle." Ryu stated.

"But that cloaked guy seems like he refuses to give up." agreed the vampire.

Ryu shook his head, having one single idea in his mind. "If you can, keep them back, and only focus on the larger foes! They're probably drawing their energy to multiple their forces once each and everyone is struck down!" said Ryu, before spinning his staff, and vanishing with the use of Chaos Control.

* * *

><p>Ryu appeared in the infirmary room. Tojiro was still lying still on the bed, looking out the window, his lands placed on his lap.<p>

"Tojiro…" said Ryu unsettlingly. Another loud boom sounded from outside. Ryu looked at the ceiling and walls, seeing dust suddenly break down from the ceiling.

"Listen Tojiro, you must stop this siege! You are all that can stop them now." Ryu began.

Tojiro looked at his lap, his red glowing eyes still present. Ryu angrily shook his head with disappointment.

"Pay attention, Tojiro! They need your guidance!" exclaimed the dynamic Ryu.

A telepathic message was sent to Ryu's mind, it wasn't too viable.

"I know you are not a hero, and refuse to become some positive force that will protect this world, but you must stop this foolishness now or else!" Ryu yelled louder.

Tojiro quickly glared at Ryu, sending a sudden cold chill over him, causing Ryu to be slammed against the wall. Ryu sent another mutual glare at the last Cloakmaster.

"You are too obsessed with beliefs that they have practically consumed you! I respect you're understanding of protecting those who deserve peaceful lives, but that doesn't mean you simply let those who do, leave them to suffer while you sit here and reconcile in this room!" Ryu announced.

Tojiro turned his head away, hearing another loud explosion after another from outside.

Ryu turned his back to Tojiro, "She gave me that, Tojiro." he said. Tojiro immediately sat up, looking in confusion.

"That which you hide in your past, that which you keep hidden within that patch of cloak, it's still with you. No matter of your own beliefs to keep the peace and make those suffer for foolishness pay for their lives aren't going to make Yoko come back. She left Tojiro, and that is what she gave me when I found her." explained Ryu.

Tojiro grabbed the bandaged up item, holding it in his right hand, his red eyes studying it with simplicity.

"She's probably on the other side of Japan, who knows where. But knowing you…you'll still go after her no matter what I tell you." Ryu finished.

Tojiro stared on with blank thoughts.

"If you truly choose to make a change, if you truly want to give your sword true power, become reborn. Set your own destiny, and live it to your choices…you truly must, that is what must be done." continued Ryu, using Chaos Control to make his disappearance.

Tojiro looked from where once stood, then back at the item. He unwrapped it, revealing it to be Yoko's skull hair pin. Tojiro shut his eyes for a moment, clenching it tightly in his grip. With his left hand, a chained necklace appeared. He stuck the skull pin onto the necklace. Tojiro then wore it around his neck, letting it hang over his chest. Tojiro turned his head towards the broken halves of Dragon's Bane.

"For the future." stirred his short breath, reaching out for both pieces of his father's sword.

The body of an ice golem suddenly imploded into bits and pieces and flying through it was Mizore, skating across the ground to cut through ten more demon soldiers. Kurumu dove down with her legs put together. She crashed both her feet into the cranium of a wyvern, sending it to the ground, resulting in a powerful boom.

"You alright down there Yukari?" called Kurumu.

"Yes! So far so good, I guess!" called back the young witch.

Yukari watched the silver haired Moka skid back across the ground, bruised and her clothes in several shreds.

"This is becoming annoying." she muttered.

Tsukune punched back a large troll which he just ducked an attack from, a wyvern shot a sludge bomb barrage down at him. Tsukune quickly kicked another large troll up towards it, which melted it in a mere instance. Tsukune was suddenly knocked across the ground by a sudden explosion of a silver Chaos Spear. He skidded to a halt, stopping in front of Moka's feet.

"Are you all right?" she asked, kneeling down, her hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah, I sure hope so." he replied weakly.

Orion used Chaos Control to reappear a few feet in front of the group. The demonic army of Hell surrounded the group.

"You are fools to be sheltering that disgusting scum in your school! He is not even a monster! He's ten times worse! The violence and murder he wrote has stained history since the very beginning, and now I shall end it here! Can't you see? Tojiro won't simply protect you, he is no worthy ally, nothing but darkness lies within his whole body, not even the brightest of lights can shine hope upon him! YOU ARE ALL BEING FOOLED!" Orion roared in an angry fashion.

From the school building walls, two large beams of red Chaos energy shot out. Like a knife through butter, the beams easily blew apart the demons that surrounded the group. Orion swiftly created a white barrier around himself to stay unharmed. The red beams ultimately collided on both sides of Orion, wiping out all his ground troops, and blowing the self acclaimed bounty hunter flying off to only be sent rolling across the dirt in a mad pattern. Orion looked up, gritting his teeth with anger, but only gasped in shock. The group of Tsukune and company did the same at who stood before them. With his back turned to his friends, and his eyes set on his eternal rival, Tojiro Ankoku stood proudly with his cloak open, and his skull necklace waving back and forth.

"About time. He discovered the power of his will." said Ryu proudly. In Tojiro's right hand was a brand new blade. It was a Ninjato sword with a fiercely hardened black steel blade. On both sides of the sword, stretching about eight inches, was a Japanese white dragon. Orion rose to his feet, laughing in a taunting manner.

"I'm glad to have such a foe that is brave enough to find the time for his own death! What took you so long, you coward? Busy murdering an entire city?" laughed Orion.

The bandaged head of Tojiro stayed still, and his red eyes gleaming with intense hate for the bounty hunter.

"Ready or not…prepare for death." threatened Tojiro, who reaching into the left pocket of his cloak, taking out the headband with the Japanese symbol for death, and tying it around his head.

"It's time for you to meet your maker…CLOAKMASTER ANKOKU!" challenged the exiled bounty hunter.

The two immediately shot their own beams of concentrated Chaos energy. The forces of red and silver collided in a brilliant flash of light.

"He changed Dragon's Bane into the perfect sword. The sword of over a thousand techniques; the **Blade of Darkness**!" Ryu riveted in thought.

Tojiro swung the blade over his head, shooting a funnel shaped whirl of red Chaos energy up, then down at Orion. Orion released several slices of silver Chaos energy, cutting away at the funnel blast. Orion swiftly charged forwards, knocking Tojiro towards the school, then jumping in after him. The two clashed their swords together several times, both spinning in circles through mid air with their vile attacks. Tojiro quickly kicked Orion across the side of his head. Tojiro then shot a fire blast from his left fist, which exploded on impact against Orion, and hit the ground with fierce force. Tojiro slowly hovered towards the ground, and began shooting fire blasts from his left fist and both his feet. Orion came charging through the smoke, shooting swing his silver energized sword to block the fire blasts. He then quickly took an offensive stance, to block Tojiro's sword lunge. Orion grabbed Tojiro by the throat and smashed his face into the ground five times in a row. Orion then shot him up into the air, pointing his sword upwards afterward. A sphere of large blue Chaos energy launched from the very tip of Silver Wind. The blast exploded into blue flames on impact, but Tojiro came shooting down at Orion in his ball form, emanating an orange aura.

"Chaos Meteor Strike!" shouted Tojiro.

Several red shapes spheres suddenly appeared all around the Cloakmaster. In a mere matter of seconds, the severity of the attack exploded against the ground, with Orion in the middle of the chaos. Tojiro landed on the ground with his clenched fist to the dirt, then standing up straight. Tojiro's ears perked up immediately, he got in a defensive stance.

"LIGHT OF PENNANCE!" shouted Orion's voice from within the smoke cloud.

A large sun ray shaped of Chaos energy with light tipped barbs of Chaos energy came out of the smoke and overwhelmed Tojiro, blasting him into near oblivion. Orion came out of the smoke, his hood lowered, holding Silver Wind tightly in his right hand. Tojiro rose from the rubble from the wall of Yokai Academy. Orion immediately came charging driving his blade right into Tojiro's chest. The Cloakmaster growled with fierce anger and punched Orion directly in the face, causing him to be sent flying across the ground. Tojiro dislodged the blade from his gut, then threw it to the ground as he marched towards his most hated rival. Orion then launched a sphere of shocking blue Chaos energy. Tojiro was pushed across the dirt until he was slammed to the ground. Orion used Chaos Control to make Silver Wind reappear in his hand. The bounty hunter charged forward again, this time swinging his sword around himself, turning Orion into a whirling tornado of silver Chaos energy. Tojiro jumped to his feet and launched a large wall of red Chaos energy against Orion. The blast was cut through by Orion's tornado and he smacked right into Tojiro, launching him into an upper window of Yokai Academy. Orion used Chaos Control to appear in front of the corpse of Tojiro.

"You should've stayed in bed this morning. Otherwise I wouldn't have to had put so much effort into killing you." stated Orion.

Tojiro pointed the Blade of Darkness forward, shooting a bolt of red lightning from its blade. Orion held his sword defensively to attract the power to his blade instead of it shocking him to death. Orion swung his sword out, causing the bolt to vanish, then he took a fateful charge towards the Cloakmaster. Tojiro's right fist glowed with an angry red aura, and he sent it right into Orion's chest, blowing him back outside. Tojiro flicked his hand, causing Orion to reappear back in front of him. Tojiro quickly sheathed the Blade of Darkness and began a multitude of furious punches, ending with by grabbing Orion by his face, turning around and launching him through a wall, which ended up being seven more. Tojiro charged and leapt through the series of holes, until he saw Orion spin dash right up to Tojiro's chin, shooting him through the ceiling. Orion then bounced in his ball form, up after the Cloakmaster, but was suddenly shot back down once Tojiro shot a quick beam of red Chaos energy. Tojiro quickly grabbed the edge once he fell back down through the two floors he was launched up through.

Orion jumped to his feet then leaped up towards the hanging Tojiro. Orion formed an aura of silver around his body and blasted up through the large hole and sent Tojiro flying upwards. One section of the roof exploded. Tojiro, with the ball formed Orion burning against his chest, was suddenly kicked back down to the ground. The full red glowing eyes of Tojiro opened, and he directly looked down. Tojiro spun himself around, so his feet were facing down. In a loud boom and cloud of brown smoke, landed the Cloakmaster. He stood straight up, looking off into the air.

"Tojiro! Tojiro-san!" called Tsukune.

"Stay back." spat Tojiro, using Chaos Control to teleport Tsukune back with the others. Tojiro held up the Blade of Darkness, and it suddenly began lit with green electricity.

"Distortion Shock!" he commanded loudly.

The bolts of green lightning formed into a single long sharp bolt and shot at Orion while spinning like an out of control drill. The blast impacted and shocked Orion with its violent sting of lightning. Tojiro quickly jumped forward, and began kicking Orion in the chest, while keeping himself in mid air. Tojiro finally shot a single explosive sphere of red Chaos energy right into Orion, throwing him forward and through the front entrance of Yokai Academy. Tojiro stepped back a few steps, then sheathed the Blade of Darkness, crossing his cloak sleeves with another. The group led by Tsukune walked up to Tojiro, who remained still. Tojiro then turned around to the group.

"About time you took action." said Moka, approaching him first.

"I'm glad your attitude is still in check." replied the Demigod of Death.

Tojiro's eyebrows then lifted up. Tojiro used Chaos Control to teleport behind the group, immediately unsheathing the Blade of Darkness. The group turned around and saw the threat Tojiro was glaring at. There stood Julius, in a proud fashion.

"You're going to regret ever showing your face to me again, Julius." threatened the Cloakmaster, pointing the Blade of Darkness at the former Nightshade.

"You've unleashed your power to the extent where you nearly killed yourself…how foolish of you Tojiro! I almost thought coming here to eliminate you and your friends would be an easier task if you were all together!" taunted Julius.

Moka stepped forward, but Tojiro stuck his arm out, stopping her.

"You won't lay a single inch on any of them. I'm your foe this time you coward." said Tojiro, lowering his hand down, then holding the Blade of Darkness with both his hands.

"Are you sure? It's going to be _you_ be fighting _you_!" barked the eccentric Julius, reaching in his cloak pocket. What he revealed surprised Tsukune and friends.

"Rethink your words again; because this time your foe is a much more _personal_ one!" said Julius, pointing the Lilith Mirror directly at Tojiro.

In a bright red flash, the mirror's power was unleashed upon Tojiro, and Tojiro only. His arms were raised in front of his face, as did everyone else did the same to themselves to shield their eyes from the burning light. It began to yield, and slowly it vanished. Tojiro lowered his arms, only to struck with awe.

"This just got worse, didn't it?" noted a compromised Yukari.

Standing ten feet tall, and with an unbreakable strength and lust for blood, standing before the group was Tojiro's Werehog form, its bloodthirsty eyes set on the last Nightshade himself.

"Time to challenge your nightmares one more time, Tojiro Ankoku! And this time, he's not going down so easily!" laughed Julius.

The vicious Werehog let out it's legendary roar, putting a surprised expression on everyone's faces except Tojiro. He returned himself to an offensive stance, the Blade of Darkness forming a blistering red aura around it's blade.

"So be it. Let us test…the power of my will." Tojiro stated strongly.

"You must all stay back…for your own sake and continuation of your lives, stay away from that freak. Got it?" warned the Cloakmaster, looking over his shoulder.

"You better take care of him." said Moka.

Tojiro huffed, "I shall. Keep those red eyes of yours on your friends…alright?" he said, throwing his hood over his head.

Moka was a bit stunned by his reply, and she put on a smile. Tojiro turned towards the Werehog, which sent out another threatening war.

"We'll see just how angry you are once my sword goes straight through your neck!" exclaimed the angry Tojiro, charging forward at the malicious Werehog.

Tojiro immediately used his shoulder to ram it to the ground. Tojiro jumped onto its chest, and drove the Blade of Darkness down into it's pectoral, squirting dark crimson blood. With it's large right metal fist, the Werehog punched Tojiro away and off across the ground. Tojiro skidded to a halt then charged back forward driving his blade into the Werehog's right arm. The beast picked Tojiro up, then tossed him towards the school.

"Chaos Implode!" Tojiro called out.

* * *

><p>The Blade of Darkness began to glow with a furious red, and it exploded with Chaos energy. Tojiro bounced off the wall of Yokai Academy in ball form, then sprang back to the ground, landing on his feet. The angry snarling Werehog removed the Blade of Darkness from its large metallic arm, then lunged it like a javelin at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster leapt forward, flying over it. While upside down, he grabbed it's handle, and with a resonating aura of red Chaos energy around it, smashed it upon the head of the Werehog, causing a large explosion, with a large cloud of smoke rising into the air. Tojiro was thrown out of the smoke, but quickly shot ten red Chaos Spears. The Werehog raised its arms up as it was pushed back by the powerful force of the barrage. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, and created bolts of blue lightning in both his hands. The two foes charged towards each other without mercy. The two collided in a explosion of lightning and flames. The Werehog was holding Tojiro up in the middle of the smoke cloud, but quickly tossed Tojiro towards the school building, crashing through a wall and into a classroom.<p>

Tojiro rose to his feet, and picked up one of the desks by its legs. The Werehog leapt through the open hole, but was smacked to the floor by the desk Tojiro brought to its skull. Tojiro then violently began smashing it down on the beast, until the desk itself shattered!

"Damn. I suppose I am thick headed." he said, tossing the leg of the desk he was holding.

The Werehog suddenly punched him, and sent him flying in a diagonal angle through the ceiling, ending up in another classroom.

"Bastard. You're paying for that one." simmered Tojiro, rising to his feet.

The ground beneath him began to crumble. Tojiro quickly did a sideways jump, and the ground he once stood on exploded. The two large hands of the Werehog climbed on through. Tojiro formed into a ball, and shot right for the Werehog's head. A perfect hit sent the Werehog falling back down, it's immense weight causing it to fall down two more floors. Tojiro charged down again in ball form, a aura of red surrounding him. He impacted the Werehog's gut with intense force, causing a dangerous and flame filled explosion.

Both the corpses of Tojiro and the Werehog were sent flying out of Yokai Academy. Tojiro sent a series of angry death blows to the Werehog's chest, spurting blood and leaving series puncture wounds. Tojiro quickly grabbed the Werehog by it's thick throat and shot towards the ground.

"STAY WHERE YOU BELONG!" he roared, holding the Werehog back.

When only inches from the ground, Tojiro thrusted the Werehog's body forward.

"TO HELL WITH YOU!" he roared again, slamming the Werehog into the ground, causing a massive boom and explosion, also creating a wide formed crater. Tojiro stepped off the corpse of the motionless Werehog. He looked at the blood drooling from it's mouth it disgust and hatred.

Tojiro then looked at the holy lock on his left arm, "How did this happen?" he questioned in a serious tone.

"Tojiro! WATCH OUT!" called out Tsukune.

From behind, Julius came charging down with the Chains of Fear. Tojiro quickly turned around, grabbing Julius by his wrists.

Tojiro got in Julius's face, "These are mine now." he mumbled furiously.

Tojiro grasped the handles of the Chains of Fear then kicked Julius in the gut with his foot. Julius was thrown into a back flip, but landed on the ground. In Tojiro's hands, the blades of the pair kusarigama were frantically lit up with green bolts of lightning and emanating green Chaos energy.

"Know this Tojiro, you have started a war you can't possibly win! No price is greater for what war demands! You are destined to die by fear!" Julius called.

Tojiro was set to charge, but the Werehog grabbed him in its large hand. Julius formed a dark red spear of Chaos energy and tossed it at Tojiro. Tojiro used Chaos Control and the vile spear hit the Werehog in its left shoulder. Tojiro reappeared in front of Julius to send the bare tips of the kusarigama blades across Julius's body. Tojiro then drove both kusarigama blades into his shoulders, kicking Julius to the ground afterwards. Tojiro then leaped up, and now being in mid air, high above the corpse of Julius. Tojiro pulled up with all his force, causing Tojiro to be shot down, with Julius being forced to be sprung upwards. Tojiro's feet impacted Julius in the gut, and was sent plummeting into the earth. Tojiro removed the blades from Julius's shoulders, then raised them high. A sudden punch by the stretched arm of the Werehog sent Tojiro flying forwards. Tojiro smacked across the ground like a rag doll, ultimately smacking against a tree. The angry Werehog jumped to it's feet and charged on all fours. Tojiro rose to his feet, then wrapped the chained kusarigama around the tree, then stood behind it. He then charged backwards, using the ability of the chains to stretch out infinitely to its best motive. Tojiro then let himself go, and formed himself in a laying down position. Both his feet kicked the tree from it's roots, forcing it to quickly smash down onto the Werehog, nearly crushing it to death. Tojiro retracted the stretched out chains and walked around the wreckage, and swiftly defended himself from a punch of Chaos energy sent by Julius. Tojiro slid back across the ground by the forceful surge of energy, but he came to a stop. Tojiro held the Chains of Fear out to the left and right, both sparkling with a mix of its green lightning and Chaos energy.

"I am truly sick of your pathetic intentions Tojiro! I am glad I am here so I can finally silence them!" announced Julius, clapping his hands together.

Julius spread his hands apart, creating a large bolt of electricity. With his other hand, he pointed it at the dead remains of the demons. A red spot of Chaos energy appeared on his palm, and the remains began to swirl over to Julius.

"Demon summon! LIGHTNING GUARDIAN!" he exclaimed, slamming his fists to the ground.

In a bright flash of yellow, a new demon arose for Tojiro to face. With black armor on its knees and forearms, there stood a lightning demon with its entire body made of popping and snapping electricity. Its head had black metal spikes sticking out of the back of its electrifying head. Its eyes opened, piercing red hate glaring down at Tojiro. A sudden beam of silver Chaos energy shot from Yokai Academy. Tojiro quickly jumped up, but was smacked back down by the lightning demon. Julius smirked, using Chaos Control to avoid the thundering beam of energy.

Orion came charging at full force out of Yokai Academy. Tojiro quickly kicked both his feet into the jaw of the lightning demon when it was holding the Cloakmaster in its hand, freeing himself from the grip of the lightning demon.

"Chaos Thunder!" shouted Orion.

Tornado shaped surges of silver Chaos rained down from the sky, hitting the ground with explosive force. Tojiro slid to the left, then charged towards Orion. The Cloakmaster looked up, seeing a tornado on the path to strike down. Tojiro created a tornado of red Chaos energy around his whole body. The power of Chaos Thunder struck down in front of Tojiro, and he leapt through it, leaving an open hole in the silver tornado. Tojiro dissipated the red tornado, and punched Orion directly in the face, throwing him back about fifteen feet. The large clawed hand of the lightning demon came down at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster quickly swung the Chains of Fear, smacking the hand away from its attack potential. The lightning demon threw its clenched fists down at Tojiro, but he held his arms up, stopping the demon from crushing him. The full electrical body of this formidable demon began to electrocute Tojiro with no fault. His legs began to dig into the dirt, and his skin was being burned off by the ferocious power of the lightning.

"CHAOS BLAST!" Tojiro shouted, falling to his knees, letting out a dome of red Chaos energy which blasted the lightning demon away.

Tojiro rose to his feet, but his ears perked up. Tojiro turned around to the angry shouting of Orion. Tojiro swiftly turned around, letting Orion pass by, but Tojiro quickly lodged the left kusarigama blade of the Chains of Fear into Orion's back, then began swinging the helpless bounty hunter around in circles. Tojiro then pulled on the left chain, which removed the blade from Orion's back, and sent him flying towards the lightning demon, sticking to its body like glue, ultimately shocking him to the highest degree of pain. Tojiro then shot one single Chaos Spear out of his right hand. As it flew on and on, its proportion increased greatly. The Chaos Spear collided with great force and exploded into a large cloud of fire and smoke. Tojiro turned around to see his still breathing Werehog form punch him in the face. As Tojiro flew towards the smoke that contained Orion and the lightning demon, the two charged out. Orion released a thunderous amount of silver Chaos energy, while the lightning demon shot a single thick bolt of yellow lightning. The forces hit Tojiro dead on, causing a more destructive explosion of immense proportions.

Tojiro smacked to the ground on his back. As he rose to his feet, blood dripped from the wounds he regrettably accepted. Surprisingly enough, the bandages around his head appeared untouched. Tojiro quickly spun to the left, to dodge and outstretched fist from the Werehog. Turning around in the process, Tojiro landed on his feet, and ducked down to avoid a large horizontal sweep by both of the Werehog's arms. Tojiro launched the Chains of Fear which implanted themselves into the Werehog's shoulders. Tojiro, with all his strength and power, pulled forward, which simply launched himself to the Werehog. Reluctantly, the Werehog raised both of its large fists over its head. Tojiro, however, shot a beam of red Chaos energy from both his eyes.

The blasts hit the Werehog, spurting blood from the impact wounds. Tojiro then released the kusarigama blades from the Werehog's shoulders, still flying towards his foe. Tojiro was face to face with his inner self and began slicing away with the Chains of Fear with a series of his most powerful swings and most intense kicks he learned from martial arts. Tojiro, still in mid-air in front of the Werehog's face, delivered an angry fist to the snout of the beast, launching it across the ground and smashing into the school with even more force than the punch itself.

Full of unrest and a desire to kill his foes, Tojiro breathed heavily as he stood with the Chains of Fear gripped tightly in his hands.

"Cloakmaster!" shouted Orion's voice.

Tojiro turned around, seeing the large corpse of the lightning demon being thrown at him. Tojiro reverted to his Darkrai form, and sank into the ground as a shadow, letting the storm pass right over him. Tojiro came out of the ground, shooting a large wave of blue lightning from his body. Orion swung his blade in circles, and collected all the energy on his sword's blade.

"Silver Reflection!" he commanded, swinging the sword down onto the ground.

The blast let out a bunched up group of silver lightning bolts. They all converged onto Tojiro. He quickly shot into the sky, letting the silver lightning hit the lightning demon. Tojiro stopped in mid air, his turquoise eye taking sight of the lightning demon. It began growing in size, while on all fours.

"That fool…lightning is its power. And the Chaos energy is simply multiplying within its body making it more powerful and larger!" Tojiro shuffled in thought, looking down to where Orion was.

In a mere split of a second, the exiled bounty hunter appeared through Chaos Control right in front of the Cloakmaster to swing Silver Wind at him. Tojiro swung the Chains of Fear to block his attack, but the Cloakmaster countered by frantic and intense swings with the chained kusarigama blades. The two then reared their weapons back, both illuminated with their respective power of Chaos energy. The two clashed together in one single blast of light, shooting down meteors of discharged Chaos energy down upon the ground. Tsukune and the others quickly headed for the school, but a large meteor of blue Chaos energy crashed into the ground in front of them.

"Damn. If they keep this up, there's going to be no point of ever coming back to school!" exclaimed Kurumu.

"We can't stay out here! Tojiro is able to take those punks down, but he won't be able to if we're in his way." said the silver haired Moka.

"Since when have you become so kind?" said a surprised Kokoa.

Moka smiled, looking up at the sky at the Darkrai changed Tojiro. "Trust. That's why." she said.

Tojiro flew back from a sudden swing of Silver Wind, then quickly launched the Chains of Fear forward. Orion stuck his sword out, letting the chains wrap around his blade. Tojiro's eye widened. Orion pulled forward, and Tojiro came flying right towards Orion. With his left fist, it became doused in blue Chaos energy. Tojiro let go of the right handle of the right kusarigama blade, and it became doused in red Chaos energy.

"Chaos…" the two said at the same time.

"STRIKE!" the two shouted at the same time.

Orion's fist went directly against Tojiro's cheek and Tojiro's fist went directly against Orion's. In a single blast of power, the two were sent flying down in opposite directions. Orion crashed through the tree line of the forest that surrounded the school. Tojiro crashed right through the corner of Yokai Academy, taking a good quarter of the spot he hit, chunks of debris following him on his way down. Tojiro smashed into the ground, skidding to a halt in front of Tsukune and the others. The bandaged head of Darkrai turned slowly, and his turquoise eye opened up.

"Dang! You are one unlucky monster!" said Kurumu, looking down at him.

Tojiro hovered off the ground, his left hand, which still held the kusarigama blade, touching the side of his head.

"Looks like I have to get even." he assessed.

Tojiro dropped the Chains of Fear. Tojiro quickly reverted to his hedgehog form, the bandages around his whole head remained. He took the sheathed Blade of Darkness and strapped it onto his back, with the sword upside down, so he could easily reach over his back, grab the blade's handle and unsheathe it whenever. Tojiro then held out both his hands. Appearing in both his hands, were two tube shaped black leather straps. He then picked up the Chains of Fear, noticing their handles were exactly the same diameter, so they could fit in the two tube shaped carriers. He strapped them on, one holder on the left side of his body and another on the right side. Tojiro placed the two kusarigama blades into their holders, then lowered his hood.

"I'm surprised you're all still here. What was it that I told you again?" he said, looking over his shoulder.

"We'd rather not answer that." responded the young witch.

"Obviously. Just keep safe with each other. This conflict _will_ end shortly." he said, reaching over his back to unsheathe the Blade of Darkness.

Suddenly from the left, the large arm of the lightning demon broke through the wall of Yokai Academy and snatched up the Demigod of Death from the ground. Tojiro still had his arms available to him. He began repeatedly driving the Blade of Darkness into the lightning demon's hand which binded him, but the power of the electricity the demon was surging into Tojiro's body was beginning to take affect on him.

"I shall NOT fall so easily!" he exclaimed, shooting rays of red Chaos energy out of his eyes and into the face of the lightning demon. The creature growled in pain from the energizing attack. It snarled then smashed Tojiro through a wall, to which he let go of the Cloakmaster.

"Very foolish." mumbled the Cloakmaster, rising to his feet.

The head of the lightning demon looked in the hole and saw Tojiro charging towards its face.

"THAT WAS VERY FOOLISH!" Tojiro shouted hatefully. He drove the Blade of Darkness into the demon's right eye, then sliced upwards. The lightning demon watched as glowing blue blood fell from where it's eye was just cut out from. Tojiro then gripped the handle tightly in his right hand, causing a fierce orange aura to coarse around the blade.

"Chaos Eruption!" commanded Tojiro violently.

A river of orange Chaos energy surrounded the lightning demon, and ultimately consumed it so it was no where in sight. Tojiro then held his sword out. All the orange Chaos energy, including the lightning demon were attracted to the sword, feeding it more power. Tojiro was suddenly hit by a sphere of red Chaos energy and sent flying towards the back of the flight of stairs, crashing through it, and smacking onto the ground. Tojiro sat up, looking through the hole in the staircase in the large hall of the academy. He saw the angry Werehog charging on all fours towards the Nightshade. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness on his back, and stuck both his arms out, while performing an offensive stance. Sparks of blue lightning spheres appeared in the palms of both his hands. The Werehog leapt through the hole in the stairs, it's fists glowing with red Chaos energy. Tojiro gave a swift uppercut then swung his leg down onto the Werehog's skull, forcing it to smack back down into the ground. Tojiro then pounded his clasped together fists onto the Werehog's cranium one final time, making its whole body jolt, then its limbs fell loose. Tojiro grabbed the beast by its head, but the Werehog surprisingly stood up, swung its claws against his face. Tojiro let go of the Werehog and stumbled back in pain, letting the blood coarse between his fingers. Tojiro removed his hand from his face, the bandages remained uncut, but he still bled from the scars. The Werehog let out a single large beam of red Chaos energy from its mouth. Tojiro formed a barrier of black Chaos energy around himself. Quick as a dart being shot out of a cannon, Tojiro formed into his ball form and shot forward at the Werehog, hitting it directly in the chest, and causing it to be sent rolling across the ground. Tojiro bounced off a wall, exited his ball form, then dove back down towards the Werehog. As it was beginning to rise, Tojiro performed a strong and powerful dive kick to the back of it's neck, causing the eyes of the Werehog to strain and widen with pain. The Werehog shot its elbow directly into Tojiro's face, knocking him to the ground. The Werehog turned around, holding up it's right clawed hand of steel. Tojiro quickly jumped to his feet and the two punched their right fists together, resulting in a stunning explosion of wind, blowing the two foes opposite directions. Tojiro snapped through a support column, and crashed through into the math room.

Students who were to take cover in this room all looked at Tojiro with confusion. He rose to his feet, swiping the debris and dust off his cloak.

"Hey! Just what are you doing! Trying to ruin MY classroom!" exclaimed Kagome Ririko, the seductive math teacher of Yokai Academy.

"Just perfect. Another fool who refuses to understand the difference between life and death." Tojiro said out loud.

A table came crashing through front wall of the room, and rammed into Tojiro. The students quickly moved out of the way as the table smashed the Cloakmaster into the wall. The sharp clawed hands of the unleashed Werehog stepped through the hole, its white eyes studying the students, determining who would be a better morsel to its teeth and ravenous hunger. Tojiro angrily tossed the desk off himself and stormed towards the Werehog. The Werehog appeared as if it began to grin, then it got on all fours, set to pounce. The Werehog set out on an angry lunge forward. Tojiro lunged as well, but he quickly used this position between himself and the Werehog to use his right foot to kick the Werehog straight up through the roof. Tojiro touched back down on the ground, looking up. His eyes widened and he spun back, using his hand to perform an evasive maneuver. The Werehog crashed back down with its fists into the ground. Tojiro looked forward at his temperate foe. Its right metal arm still appeared in perfect condition through all this fighting, as did Tojiro's.

"It's as if that damn beast is waiting for the right time…but yet I could've have counted more than ten times it would have been able to take my life. It's yielding…for what?" said Tojiro, preparing himself in a stable stance.

The Werehog began shooting large thick beams of red Chaos energy from both of it's hands. With his very own, Tojiro performed quick strikes with his hands to warp the Chaos energy out of the air. Tojiro then fired a funnel of fire from both his tilted hands. The Werehog simply rose it's arms up in defense, letting the fire crowd over its body. Tojiro then lowered his hands by his side, still anxious to prepare himself for any sudden attack the Werehog had. The Werehog was persistent in all history. It showed uncaring violence and nihilism. They were simply a killing machine. The Werehog came through the smoke, and picked Tojiro up, then fiercely smashed him from the left wall to the right, the left wall again, into the ceiling, then the Werehog finished by performing a small jump and throwing Tojiro directly through the floor. The last Cloakmaster plummeted floor by floor until he came to the bottom, creating an immense boom and fifteen foot wide crater in where he landed. Tojiro slowly rose to his feet, looking that the impact practically exploded the surface on the right, and on the left it simply left a huge gap in a classroom's wall.

"This is going to have to end some time." he muttered pointlessly.

The ceiling from in front of Tojiro exploded and the Werehog fell through, landing a few feet away from the Cloakmaster.

"And I've just decided it shall be now!" yelled Tojiro, preparing the Chains of Fear in both his hands.

The Werehog carelessly charged at Tojiro, only focusing on its ravenous appetite to consume Tojiro. Tojiro held the kusarigama blades down to the right then swung them up against the Werehog, causing the beast to flip over onto its stomach. Tojiro then dug the twin kusarigama blades into the Werehog's back and then turned around, forcibly throwing the Werehog over his shoulders and face planting the malevolent beast into the floor. Tojiro did this a second time. Except, the Werehog was sent carving through the ceiling, and sent flying out a window.

Tojiro quickly used Chaos Control to reappear right by the beast and he began kicking the Werehog with an intense series of kick attacks towards it's gut. With one sharp edged swipe, Tojiro cut the blades across the Werehog's face, and sending it to the ground to create a momentous crater. Tsukune and friends all looked out to the carnage, watching Tojiro slowly hovering to the ground in front of the crater. The angry Werehog's arm came out. Tojiro swung the Chains of Fear, cutting the hand off. Tojiro then lunged forward, kneeing the Werehog in the stomach. Tojiro then cut off the Werehog's other hand, forcing the beast to drop to its knees.

"Now…YOU DIE!" he roared, hovering a few inches over the Werehog with the Chains of Fear raised over his head.

A sudden beam of Chaos Control hit the Werehog, making it vanish. Tojiro struck at nothing but the blank wind. Tojiro dropped onto the ground, looking up into the sky. There hovered Julius, the one responsible for the use of the Chaos Control that saved the Werehog's life.

"You may have my weapons…but I have YOUR power! Until we meet again, Cloakmaster Tojiro!" waved Julius, using Chaos Control to vanish out of sight.

Tojiro huffed, putting the Chains of Fear in their holders.

"Do not fret what he says, Tojiro. He speaks lies." said Ryu's voice.

The Cloakmaster turned around to see him, and with Tsukune and the gang accompanying him from behind.

"Be quick with your words." rushed Tojiro's voice.

"In the past, many accounts happened between the separation of a Nightshade and their forms." Ryu began.

"Then how come it was my Werehog that was reflected, instead of my Darkrai, human or mech forms?" questioned Tojiro.

"The mirror reflects that which is _your true self_. The Werehog…is the paragon of your whole life, Tojiro. Your mistakes, your burdens, the people who feared you, imagined you as this beast. That is why the mirror reflected out the Werehog. Yet, you are still able to use the Werehog within you." Ryu said.

"What? How?" questioned Tojiro, angry and confused at the same time.

"I can see how this journey of yours would have been better off without the Werehog…but when a Nightshade is given a form, it becomes a part of their body. You have the soul of Darkrai in you, the soul of your hedgehog in you, the soul of your mech form, and even the soul of your human side. They are all inside you…and they're not leaving." Ryu finished.

"Then I'm only half relieved. They can keep that mindless beast if they wish…I'll slaughter it along with the rest of their demon army, as well as the Nine Hell Gods." said Tojiro, turning his back to them.

"You are setting off then?" surmised Ryu.

"Yeah…I am setting off once again." he replied. Yukari ran up to Tojiro and embraced the cloaked hedgehog.

"Yukari…you shouldn't worry. It's a fools choice to be concerned for me." said Tojiro.

"That doesn't matter!" butted in Kurumu, patting Tojiro's shoulder.

"We're all still friends no matter how far we are from each other." Tsukune included.

Yukari broke from her hug, then Kokoa came in.

"I've seen how much trouble I caused you, I suppose. Hopefully you'll be strong enough to face whatever challenge may…come your way. So…you better watch out! Got it?" she said.

Tojiro nodded, "So I shall."

Kokoa put on a moping face, and then suddenly ran up to hug him.

Tojiro let out a small sigh, "As long as you don't be so foolish. I will keep your word." he said, as she broke from the hug.

Kokoa wiped a few tears from her eyes and smiled in response. As Tojiro strolled away from his fellow friends, he waved his hand to create a red Chaos portal. He turned back around to the group. Tojiro gave them a wave goodbye. They all returned his graciousness in the fame fashion. Tojiro then turned towards the portal.

"Wait!" called out the silver haired Moka. Tojiro stopped from setting his foot into the portal, and turned around to see the vampire approach him.

"You better not do it. I had enough, seriously." warned Tojiro with his raised right hand.

"Don't be so stupid." she said, crouching down so she was face to face with him.

"You say to others they should know their place. You're a well respected vampire, why are you being so serious?" he asked.

"Just because." she replied.

"That's definitely a first. I'm sure whatever you have to say will come in-" he began, but was stopped by Moka's action.

She put down his hood and kissed the symbol on his forehead. Everyone stood in shock, except Tsukune, glad that even the Inner Moka has her moments of kindness. Moka then stood back up, smiling as she walked away.

"Vampire!" called out the Cloakmaster.

She turned around by the sound of her name.

"Keep your pride in place." he stated with devotion, a serious face wiped upon his image.

Moka put on her beautiful smile. "And you keep your spirit in place." she replied.

Tojiro turned towards the portal and walked on in, leaving Yokai Academy once again, but not for the last time.

~~~~~~~~~**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tojiro: Haruhi Suzumiya, may I accordingly ask what you're doing here...in this forest...alone...with a stranger...

Haruhi: Well, I _was_ with Kyon until I got separated.

Tojiro: Such a bashful liar. And what's with all those fighters in the mini-skirts...wait a minute...what the hell is going on?

Kanu: I find it hard to believe to see such a senseless fighter drive himself into an ambush. Are you truly prepared to die?

Ekitoku: Kanu we should really be looking for Gentoku, remember?

Kanu: And what if the man before us is the one responsible for her being gone?

Tojiro: Mine as well prove it to them, right? Haruhi, who's the cloaked friend you got there anyway?

?: Excuse me but, I have been searching for you.

Tojiro: Pardon? What was that?

?: No, no, no, no! I didn't mean it in a rude fashion! But...I am like you...Cloakmaster-san.

Tojiro: And? What are you trying to persist at?

?: My name is **Kasumi Moriko...**and like you, I am one of the last survivors of the **Great Shade Empire**.

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER IX: _****SHADES OF THE HEART**


	9. Chapter IX

_**CHAPTER IX: SHADES OF THE HEART**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kasumi Moriko, Cassandra Shukumei and Jason Hi. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_**Near Seito High School, 8:10 pm**_

Walking through the forest and on their way to meet Kanu Unchou was Hakufu Sonsaku, Koukin Shuyu, and Bachou Mouki.

"She called us for something important Hakufu. So stop complaining!" Koukin insisted.

"But WHY! It makes no sense!" she whined.

"Honestly, you've been complaining ever since we left your house!" implied Bachou.

"Jeez you two! I'll quit if YOU calm down first!" Hakufu insisted stupidly.

"She truly doesn't get it, doesn't she?" Koukin said in mental thought.

"Koukin! Look there!" said Hakufu, pointing up at the night starred sky.

A quick red meteor shot over the sky, in it was the infamous Cloakmaster. He saw Seito High School ahead in the distance and stuck his feet out. Tojiro landed on the ground with a loud boom, the red aura vanishing from around his body. Tojiro took in a desperate breath of air, marching towards the school.

"I sense something here. Something pure…something…that should've been silenced." he muttered, readying the kusarigama blades known as the Chains of Fear, in his hands.

Kanu was behind the school with Chouhi.

"It's been only a day, Kanu. I'm sure that guy won't come back to fight." said Chouhi.

"It doesn't matter. It was more like a threat to me. If Gentoku is in trouble, than this school is in trouble." replied Kanu.

"Are you even sure that man should be here? He seems slightly…strange." cautioned Chouhi.

"He said he knew the person who came here yesterday. If he's here, he can tell us anything we need to know about that intruder." explained Kanu.

A loud boom sounded. "Looks like we're up!" said Chouhi, heading off to the location of the explosion, with Kanu quickly following after her.

Tojiro kicked down the front entrance of the school, and stormed inside.

"Ominous? Yet, I remember this scent. A very powerful potent, but from who?" he questioned, as the Cloakmaster decided to run through the halls to locate the source of this scent.

Tojiro then heard a sudden scream. Tojiro then shot forward with super speed, ultimately coming to a stop in front of one single door. He jabbed the Chains of Fear into the door, and tore it down, jumping inside, there was the so-called "source" right in front of him; a cloaked individual sitting on the ground, and right next to that stranger was the familiar scent he smelled, Haruhi Suzumiya.

Tojiro let his arms loose, and shook his head with disappointment, placing the Chains of Fear back in their holders.

"Hey, who are you? You can't just barge in like that! You nearly scared her!" Haruhi implied.

Tojiro lowered his hood so he could get his message across without any words.

"Tojiro! Tojiro? What in the world happened? Did you get hit by a train or something?" said Haruhi in sudden amazement.

"Hardly." he said, looking at the cloaked person sitting on the ground away from Haruhi.

The person's face was hidden by a black veil. The individual turned around, as if it was embarrassing to look at Tojiro. Tojiro's eyes suddenly strained themselves at what he saw on the back of that person's cloak.

"I just found this girl wandering through the forest. She said she got lost and couldn't find her way back to her house." Haruhi explained.

"So…what's your excuse then?" questioned Tojiro.

"I was with Kyon and Mikuru, and I persuaded them to just travel up through the forest!" she said happily.

"Wow. Joyous at its best." said a mortified Tojiro.

Tojiro, however, turned his attention to the cloaked person. He swung his hand, using Chaos Control, to make the cloak vanish from the girl's body. Haruhi's eyes widened a bit, Tojiro grabbed the girl by the neck of her shirt. The girl was in a priestess outfit. The top was its normal white, but the bottom half was black with two white stripes going down the sides of it. Her hair was a long flowing raven blue. Her eyes were cringed close, and it appeared they refused to open.

"Open your eyes." said Tojiro in a pitiful tone for the girl. Her hands were still holding his metal arm, which he was holding her up by.

"Maybe it'd be a good idea if you put her down." Haruhi commented.

"Very well." he said, putting her down.

The girl then opened her eyes. Tojiro raised an eyebrow as her light yellow eyes looked at him.

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to intrude or anything! I hope you don't do anything rash! Haruhi was really nice to take me here, so could you please-" Tojiro put his left hand over her mouth.

"I…get it." he replied, then removing his hand. The girl's voice was as enthusiastic as Haruhi's voice, yet it had the slight innocence of Mikuru Asahina's voice in it as well.

"I'm glad it didn't turn about so bad." said the girl.

"What are you speaking of?" asked Tojiro.

"Oh! It's nothing at all! I just thought you'd be a bit more…careless? I suppose?" said the girl, letting out a fake laughter afterwards while putting on a cute open smile. Haruhi was smiling as well, to Tojiro on the other, it was extinct for him to ever crack a smirk.

Both Kanu and Chouhi barged into the room.

"Hi guys!" swayed Haruhi with her waving arm.

"What-what's going on?" said a confused Chouhi.

"You don't need to worry. This guy is my friend." Haruhi stated.

"Hey! That cloaked person is a girl?" said Chouhi, pointing at her.

"I'm sorry I was so silent when me and Haruhi arrived. I was just waiting for _him_ to arrive." said the girl.

"Waiting for who?" asked Kanu. The girl turned towards the ebony hedgehog, with his blank white eyes blinking slowly.

"You…Tojiro Ankoku." she said.

"For what purpose is this?" he asked. The girl turned around, revealing the black symbol of the Great Shade Empire on the back of her clothes.

Tojiro's eyes remembered seeing this on the back of the girl's cloak.

"Are you…are you truly a…" he stumbled. The girl turned back around with a smile.

"My name is Kasumi Moriko. I, too, am one of the last survivors of the Great Shade Empire." she announced officially.

The Cloakmaster remained in silent awe. He truly wasn't the last of his people! The Demigod of Death refused to even consider any of the Nine Hell Gods as his family, more or less a part of his peoples' nation.

"I don't know what to say. How have you been alive all this time?" said Tojiro curiously.

"I'm kinda' like you, Tojiro. I don't age." replied Kasumi.

The young priestess appeared around sixteen or fifteen years of age.

"This is very interesting. I can say for once in my life, that…I am truly relieved." spoke Tojiro.

Kasumi smiled in response, with her hands clasped behind her back.

"So Tojiro, how'd you end up here anyway?" asked Haruhi quickly.

"Matters of reprisal, Haruhi. This is the location I was heading towards before I was sent into another world, you could say." explained the demon.

"Awesome! What did it look like?" she asked intensively.

"Just…a regular old school." he answered, his eyes wandering left and right.

"That's stupid. Oh well!" Haruhi replied.

"If you wouldn't mind Haruhi, I'll send you back to Kyon. I'm very sure that boy's foolish mind is worrying about you." said Tojiro, lifting up his right arm.

"What? Why can't I stay here…with _you_?" she exclaimed. Tojiro tilted his head an inch, surprised by such persistence.

"Think of it this way Haruhi, once my tasks here come to an end, I shall come to North High." he said.

Haruhi immediately put on a smile, "Sounds great! See you then!" she said. In a quick flash, Tojiro used Chaos Control to Haruhi back to wherever she last left Kyon.

"Now then, I've heard of this school just once. And I have heard of the numerous accounts of you fighters causing strange events in time. Could one of you care to explain?" asked Tojiro in a stiff voice, turning around to Kanu and Chouhi.

"You intrude on our school grounds and demand answers? You're nothing but a fool from my angle." said Kanu.

"Say what you must…I don't care. Tell me what you know." said Tojiro.

"Are you threatening me? Or this school? Pick one." implied the resilient Kanu.

"Either shall work for me." said Tojiro angrily.

"KA-NU!" said a sing-song voice coming in. It was Ryuubi Gentoku.

She held a book in her arms, and her eyes looked at everyone with confusion, yet she still kept a smile on. Her mouth agape, Ryuubi didn't know how to react to the condition she now faced.

"Should I…come back later?" said the nervous Ryuubi.

"Not at all." said Tojiro, walking towards her. Kanu instantly jumped at Tojiro, kicking him directly in the back of the head, which launched him through the wooden wall, and outside onto the dirt.

"Uhhh, what the heck is going on?" said a confused Ryuubi.

"Stay by Chouhi, Gentoku. I'll handle this intruder." said Kanu, carrying her spear in hand, and out the hole to the Cloakmaster who lie flat on the ground. Tojiro dug his fists into the dirt and rose on all fours, his eyes burning angrily. Kanu stopped where she stood, and watched the Cloakmaster rise to his feet.

"Not like I warned you…but…" he said.

Kanu's eyes tightened. The Cloakmaster turned around, shooting a sphere of red Chaos energy at Kanu. The blast hit her directly, and forced her to the ground.

"What did he just do?" said Chouhi surprisingly.

"I've never seen anything like that before." Ryuubi added.

Kanu rose up, and immediately charged forward. Tojiro grabbed the front of Kanu's spear, but Kanu elegantly put herself into an upside down position and stretched her right leg right into Tojiro's face, throwing him far across the ground. Kanu landed on the ground then charged once again. Tojiro rose to his feet and growled. Kanu leaped up into the air, then down at the Demigod of Death. Tojiro spin dashed Kanu in the chest, knocking her higher into the sky. Tojiro bounced off the ground then shot back up at Kanu, exiting his ball form. Tojiro then grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her down towards the earth below. Tojiro then dove back down at Kanu's body, his whole body being surrounded by dark red Chaos energy.

Tojiro stuck his feet down and impacted Kanu in the gut, creating a loud and quake powered boom. Tojiro landed in front of Chouhi, Ryuubi and Kasumi, the wind passing by him discretely.

"Did he really just beat her that easily?" gaped a shocked Chouhi.

"No. Not at all." said a familiar voice, to Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster quickly unsheathed the Blade of Darkness and shot a large straight beam of red Chaos energy at none other than the master of the second circle of Hell, Cassandra. Hanging over her left shoulder was surprisingly Hakufu Sonsaku.

"That's her alright." thought Tojiro to himself.

A sudden chi blast shot up and hit Cassandra in the leg, causing her to drop Hakufu.

"Who dares to attack my beautiful body?" shouted the angry Cassandra.

In the dust below, stood Kanu with an emanating green aura around her. Tojiro quickly leaped up, catching Hakufu. Once he landed on the ground, he set her safely on the ground.

"Master! Master!" called a voice from the forest. Tojiro stood straight up, seeing Bachou and Koukin arriving from the darkness of the forest.

"This ceases to surprise me." muttered the Cloakmaster.

The Demigod of Death turned around, only to see Kanu's spear pointed directly in his face.

"Don't move." she threatened.

"Fool. You left your side wide open." he revealed.

Kanu raised her eyebrow confusingly. Tojiro pushed Kanu away, and then suddenly a large yellow beam of Chaos energy smashed upon Tojiro from above.

"Now he saved her life? What's up with that?" exclaimed Chouhi.

The light of the blast vanished, and in the middle of the clear smoke stood a crippled Tojiro.

"Figures you'd try such a coward us attack. Now…IT'S MY TURN!" roared Tojiro, shooting a single huge Chaos Spear up at Cassandra.

Cassandra readied the Whip of Tortured Souls and wrapped it around the Chaos Spear, then literally spun it around, back at the Cloakmaster. The Cloakmaster used Chaos Control. He suddenly appeared, coming up at Cassandra, kicking her in the chest, then smashing his fist down on her stomach, shooting her down like a speeding meteor into the earth below. Tojiro reappeared through Chaos Control on the ground, holding the Blade of Darkness tightly in his hands. Hakufu slowly awakened, holding her head.

"What…what the? Where in the hell am I? Koukin! What happened?" questioned the fighter.

"You were captured by my whore of a sister in law…supposedly my sister in law." Tojiro answered.

"Why…WHY YOU LITTLE PUNK! I'll show you TRUE pain!" screamed the angry Cassandra.

She launched the whip down at Tojiro, which he held up his blade for. Cassandra smirked, and sent a dangerous surge of Chaos energy down the whip to horrendously do damage to the Cloakmaster. An explosive occurred afterwards, sending the Cloakmaster flying out of the smoke. Cassandra flew down after Tojiro's flailing corpse. She quickly grabbed him by his hood and flew towards the school. He smashed him against the window, then ruthlessly smashed the demigod through the window, shattering it completely, leaving almost every bit of glass in Tojiro's body.

"You should've estimated such odds dear brother. Why didn't you just listen to your superiors?" she said, stroking his cheek.

His eyes snapped open, and he grabbed Cassandra by her neck.

He got right up in her face, "Why don't you realize death when you see it?" he threatened.

Cassandra was shot out like a rocket, flying out of the Seito High School roof. "Is this getting too out of hand?" said Bachou.

"I don't think so." said Koukin.

Without mercy, a huge red beam of Chaos energy shot out of the school and exploded against Cassandra, who created a defensive barrier sphere around herself.

"I suddenly take that back. It's getting worse by the minute." said a nervous smiling Koukin.

With her barrier, Cassandra turned it into the head of a snake. The Chaos energy made beast shot down at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster came flying up at it. He thrusted his sword down its half, causing the beast to tear completely in half. Cassandra was then hit by an explosive hit by Tojiro's Blade of Darkness. Cassandra quickly stopped in mid air, defending herself from a series of extremely skilled punches by the Cloakmaster. Cassandra kicked Tojiro in the gut, then grabbed him by the neck of his cloak. Tojiro surged a blast of blue electricity out of his body and into Cassandra, shocking her painfully. Tojiro then grabbed Cassandra by the neck of her clothing. Tojiro threw her forwards, then began a ferocious series of kicks to her chest. Tojiro ended with a spin, with his right fist glowing with a fierce orange aura. He sent it right into Cassandra's face, exploding on impact. Down below, everyone watched in surprise and amazement, never seeing such fierce fighting before in their lives. The Cloakmaster suddenly appeared on the ground, a wild orange aura emanating around his body.

"Say Koukin, do you know that guy by any chance?" asked Hakufu.

"No way I've heard of him before. But he's definitely a whole new level of fighter!" said Koukin.

"He's more than that." intervened a calm Kasumi, suddenly appearing by their sides.

"Where the hell did you come from?" shouted Bachou in a freaked out pose.

"You know him?" asked Koukin.

"I do. Yet I am surprised you've never heard of him." she replied.

"Just who is he?" asked Bachou persistently.

"The manifestation of darkness and death in one single body; he is Tojiro Ankoku. The last Nightshade." said Kasumi in a proud manner.

Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, which ceased the glowing aura around his body. The Cloakmaster's hood was down, as his bandaged head raised many questions to everyone around him.

"He sure is a short little guy. How is he so strong? He makes me look tall!" said Bachou.

"That's just the form he was given. He rarely comes out in his-" Tojiro appeared in front of Kasumi to interrupt her sentence.

"I dare you…finish that sentence." he threatened.

"No-n-n-no, I'm good! My bad Tojiro!" Kasumi said, stepping back nervously.

Tojiro huffed, looking away from Kasumi, and down at Hakufu.

"You best stay away from her Sonsaku. She's mine to slaughter, that goes for all of you." Tojiro stated.

A sudden blast of red lightning shot down towards the group. Tojiro's eyes immediately set to it. Tojiro waved his right hand, smacking the bolt off into another direction where it exploded against hitting a tree. Spawning a blazing fire, Tojiro stuck his right hand out at it. "What are you planning you fool? Trying to burn down this whole forest along with yourself and me?" said Cassandra.

Tojiro huffed, "A few third degree burns truly don't matter to me, as long as you suffer…I'll be fine." engulfed Tojiro's hatred bred voice.

The whole fire flew towards Tojiro's palm. He held the humongous fire ball over his head and shot it up at Cassandra with intimate force and no hesitance. Cassandra placed her palms together, forming a spiraling wave of blue Chaos energy around her, in the shape of a sphere. She then carelessly charged for the fire ball. Tojiro bent down, his right fist glowing a fierce red aura. Tojiro launched off the ground, flying up towards the fire ball he released.

"You're nothing but a damn fool, little brother! YOU ALWAYS WILL BE!" screamed Cassandra.

"I determine my own perception, you scum! THIS IS MY WAY!" roared Tojiro, delivering a Chaos Punch to his fire ball, turning it all into red swirling flames.

Cassandra's eyes widened with surprise, but above all else, fear. The massive ball collided with harsh intention, summoning a large and powerful explosion to form in the air. On the ground, everyone looked in awe until the light and flames died down. Landing on the ground before Hakufu and the ones around her was a smoldering Tojiro.

"Huh. She's gone…yet still here…lingering." muttered Tojiro to himself.

"Tojiro!" called Hakufu.

The Cloakmaster kept his fists clenched, and turned halfway around to see her, Koukin, and Bachou running over to him.

"Good to see you all in one piece. At least you know when to stay out of the way." scuttled Tojiro without surprise.

"Just how did you do all that?" asked a curious Koukin.

"That's a fools question for those who have no time…and I don't. I probably never will. All of you…it would be wise to leave this forest…_now_." Tojiro responded in a figurative angrily manner.

"But…Tojiro." mumbled Kasumi.

Tojiro then looked at the priestess, her head lowered. Tojiro grumbled to himself for a moment.

"Are you truly going alone on this journey of yours? Why can't I be of assistance?" she asked, looking forward at the Demigod of Death.

"I didn't say you _weren't_. Stop being so foolish and putting words in my mouth. There's a good reason I'm on edge about you coming with me, Kasumi." stated Tojiro, turning towards the group with his arms crossed.

"Really? And what would that be then? Hmm?" questioned Kasumi. Tojiro was taken back by this sudden revelation of nerve the priestess showed. It was powerful, it was enduring and determined, there was a purpose in her words, the Cloakmaster could tell.

"Kasumi…I-" Tojiro began. The sudden appearance of Cassandra swooped down from the left, grabbed Tojiro by the side of his head, and flew towards a red Chaos portal.

"Kasumi!" called out Tojiro, as he was taken into it's vortex, unaware of where he would end up, and what challenges and complications…he would have to face. It was something that hadn't surprised him much, it was practically a part of his life that he had to deal with in constant intervals…believe it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Unknown Dimension, Large Forest Area, 9:30 pm<strong>_

Tojiro and Cassandra went flying down towards the tree canopy. Cassandra spun in a circle, and tossed Tojiro down towards the forest. He crashed through the tree brush and crashed into the ground below. Tojiro angrily rose to his feet, and shot a beam of yellow lightning Chaos energy. Cassandra used Chaos Control and quickly avoid the blast. She reappeared, coming down at the Cloakmaster with fierce speed. Tojiro quickly grabbed a large log with both his hands, and smacked Cassandra with it, launching her far to the left. Tojiro then lunged the log after her, just like you would throw a spear. Cassandra, swung her hands, shredding the log with just her nails. Tojiro immediately appeared behind the log to give a powerful Chaos Punch to Cassandra's stomach, launching her further through the forest.

"You're going to ultimately regret ever getting in my way!" yelled Tojiro, walking over to the spot she landed.

Cassandra easily rose up from the attack and she then looked behind her, seeing the way out of the forest, but also something else. Cassandra immediately turned around and began running towards the path out of the forest.

"You damn fool. ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF ME? AFRAID OF DEATH ITSELF!" Tojiro roared, before taking part in the chase after Cassandra.

Turning around, Cassandra jumped backwards through the air, and out of the canopy tree line. She then shot a barrage of harpy shaped forms of Chaos energy. The glowing green beasts stormed down upon the forest. Tojiro immediately readied the Chains of Fear, and stopped where he stood. He held the two blades up then drove them into the ground, while the harpies impacted all around Tojiro, or exactly on him. The harpies impacted with an explosive force, creating mile high clouds of dirt and flames. Cassandra waited in mid-air, hovering. She lightly chuckled, watching the fires begin to spread out amongst the trees.

"That's chaos." slithered her voice.

The flames, they all suddenly sunk into the forest as if they were drawn in.

"What? HOW?" exclaimed Cassandra mentally.

"CHAOS DRAGON INFERNO!" called Tojiro's far away voice from the forest below.

Shooting up at Cassandra was a large fiery dragon with piercing green eyes. It crashed right into, exerting a fire ball fury of meteors that shot out amongst the land. A series of water tentacles suddenly shot up and doused the incoming fireballs, it was Tojiro of course. Tojiro exited the forest, coming up to Cassandra who was lying out in front of a very large green gate with a Japanese letter symbol on both sides of the door. Tojiro placed the Chains of Fear back in their holders as he marched up to Cassandra's body. As she rose, it was in pain from Tojiro's intense technique by combining Firebending with Chaos energy.

"You're so simple minded…you know?" she complied.

"Well, my clueless mind is about to kill you. How about that?" replied Tojiro.

Cassandra smirked with her head lowered, she then clapped her hands together, performing a hand signal. "I'll be the judge of that accusation." she said in a sly tone of voice.

On the other side of the gate, there was a small stand with two men, with headbands wrapped around their foreheads. On those headbands, was the symbol of this village. The two looked to see two individuals walking towards the gate.

"Naruto no doubt, huh?" said one of them.

"Definitely. They're out to go find Sasuke I'm sure." replied the other. Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were heading towards the large gate. It had been about just a day since the invasion of Pain, and the Hidden Leaf Village was undergoing some serious repair since then.

"It's good to see the village getting back into shape….but the people in it. That's a whole different story." said the one on the right.

"I'm sure Naruto and Sakura know what they're doing, but what's beyond this gate, I'm not sure." said the other guard.

Naruto and Sakura approached the guard stand, "Afternoon you two. Where you headed off to?" asked the left guard.

"I'm heading off, that's what. It's important that I get the permission of the other Kages to truly go after Sasuke." said a very serious Naruto.

Sakura looked at him without question, but not without concern either. The two guards remained at an adequate mode of silence as well.

"I'm surprised you wouldn't want to stay and let the others see you off, but knowing you Naruto, I guess there's no point." said the left guard with a calming smile. Naruto put on a smirk, feeling respected.

"What about you Sakura? You heading off with him too?" asked the right guard. Sakura was busy staring at the ground to even answer a question. Naruto's head was turned to her, his eyes appeared confused, expecting a swift answer from his fellow comrade.

"Actually, I-" she began. The sudden sound of an explosion from on the other side of the gate silenced her words.

From the middle point, Tojiro crashed through, but landed on the ground safely.

"Damn idiot. I can't believe she resorted to _that_ form." muttered Tojiro.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder quickly, seeing Naruto and Sakura. Tojiro's eyes remained a bit glued on them, appearing surprised. Tojiro quickly turned his head back to the door, a large beam of orange and red Chaos energy bursting the door down, aimed for Tojiro and the ones behind him. Unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, Tojiro performed an excellent backflip and landed in front of Naruto and Sakura who remained where they were. Tojiro lodged his blade into the ground, spawning a spherical barrier to surround him, Naruto, Sakura, and the guard stand. The large beam hit with intense force, creating a humongous cloud of black smoke. Once it cleared, the barrier Tojiro created immediately lowered, and he sheathed the Blade of Darkness.

"To warn the Shinobi behind me, stay outta' this fight." he said out loud, raising the right sleeve of his cloak, revealing his entire metal arm. Tojiro charged forward into the large cover of smoke.

"No matter what happens, I'm going to make sure this village stands." he said, turning the dial three clicks, and jumping through the smoke cloud that enveloped the gate entrance.

Naruto and Sakura curiously took their steps towards the smoke shrouded entrance. A humongous harpy's head came out, attempting to pick at the two Shinobi, but a larger metal hand came out and grabbed the harpy. The harpy was actually Cassandra in her true beast form. Similar to the harpies Tojiro faced previously, only difference was that Cassandra was three times larger than that of those the Demigod of Death had clashed with. Tojiro came through the smoke, sixty feet tall in his Werehog mecha form. He bashed his right fist against Cassandra's hand without mercy. Cassandra suddenly turned into nothing but feathers. Tojiro angrily looked around, not trying to crush any of the buildings around him. From above, Cassandra crashed down onto Tojiro, creating a massive shockwave that sent Naruto and Sakura flying back. The two smacked into the ground, sliding to a halt. Naruto was first to rise up, and he then helped Sakura up to her feet.

"You all right there, Sakura?" he asked.

"Just fine. What in the world are those things?" she said in a quick change of tone.

Tojiro was on the ground, with Cassandra on his back, pecking her beak into his armor, spurting glowing red energy, unaware that it was discharge from his system. In other words, his blood was becoming either tainted or wrought with unstable power. Cassandra, however, wasn't affected. She duck her claws into him and began flapping her large black wings. Tojiro was lifted off the ground, and taken to the center of the village.

"Come on Sakura! We have to do something! We can't allow these two to damage the village any further!" said Naruto, charging off after the flying harpy.

Tojiro's fierce orange eyes sprang open. He then reached back, and pulled on Cassandra's right wing, forcing her to fly down to the right side of town. Tojiro's eyes tightened, and he watched as the two plunged into the village buildings, shattering and crumbling anything that stood in their way. At the Hokage quarters, Kakashi Hatake and Shizune came out onto the balcony to witness the destruction. They saw the massive harpy rise out of the smoke, and the metal armored Werehog rise up as well, shooting a large breath of fire from its mouth. Cassandra swung her wings forward, shooting a blast of wind to disrupt the flames. Tojiro leaped up, grabbing the beast by it's wings and forcefully pulling Cassandra into the ground, then began violently punching her, shaking the ground. It was so strong a force, that Kakashi and Shizune could even feel it beneath their feet.

"Shizune, do you know where Naruto went?" asked Kakashi.

"I know Sakura went to go see Naruto off…but…" she stopped.

"They're both out there. We must hurry!" said Kakashi, leaping off the balcony, and onto a building below.

Tojiro grabbed Cassandra by her feathery throat.

"What's the point of mastering such a force when you know it cannot be mastered?" she said.

Tojiro's angry orange filled eyes only strained with hate as he reeled his right fist far back. In a sudden second, Cassandra shot over a thousand of explosive Chaos Spears out of her mouth, which forced Tojiro to slam down into the ground. Cassandra lifted off the ground, preparing to flee.

"You're not going anywhere!" roared the angry Cloakmaster, jumping up, and grabbing her feet.

Cassandra screeched with hate, looking down at Tojiro. Tojiro, with his right hand, shocked Cassandra with a surge of devastating orange electricity which electrocuted her whole body. Tojiro reached up with his left hand, digging his claws into her feathers, which led to the flesh tearing as they comfortably dug deep into Cassandra's skin. An angry screech exerted itself from Cassandra's mouth, and she let out the Chaos Blast. The blast forced Tojiro to fall, but he quickly reverted to his human form, smacking into, hearing a sudden snap from one spot on his body. His ears distinctly heard it, he didn't even know where it came from in the first place. Using the power of friction of that Chaos Blast, Cassandra astonishingly caused Tojiro to literally fracture; his left arm. As he rose up, his left arm hung like a wet towel, blood dripping from where the arm bones connect. He simply touched his elbow, but his eyes cringed angrily. Cassandra came down in her harpy form, her talons aimed for the Cloakmaster. Tojiro's orange eyes set pace, and he immediately performed a jump upwards, towards the talons! Tojiro spun in-between her toes, and then shot a piercing red beam of Chaos energy into Cassandra's belly, causing a multitude of ferocious explosions. Tojiro held his left arm to his chest, and decided to keep it that way. His eyes of course were no longer red, his head remained bandaged, and his eyes studied Cassandra, curious of what she was plotting to do in such a form.

"What are you trying to accomplish, huh?" shouted a sudden voice. Tojiro looked forward, seeing Sakura, with Naruto standing behind her.

"I don't have time for this!" he exclaimed in his head.

"You can take you and your oversized pigeon and fight somewhere else! This village has already suffered enough!" Sakura declared.

"GET THE HELL DOWN!" roared Tojiro, charging towards them.

The loud screech from Cassandra echoed as she came down towards the two ninja. Tojiro stood in-between the two Shinobi, and stuck his right arm straight up, creating a pillar of earth to spurt out of the ground and punch Cassandra in her stomach, causing her to regurgitate a few unnecessary meals. Tojiro simply waved his right arm, burning the balls of disgustingness away, and watched the gagging Cassandra fly higher and higher. Tojiro clapped his hands together, spawning globs of fiery red Chaos energy to form around his hands.

"I've had enough of you Cassandra! Come down here and face me!" shouted the angry Cloakmaster, shooting the large combined force of the Chaos energy that enveloped his hands.

In a large blast of white light, Cassandra vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. Tojiro lowered his hands, which caused the blast he fired to vanish immediately as well.

Cassandra surprisingly reappeared behind Tojiro in her human form, whipping the Whip of Tortured Souls around Tojiro and shocking him with a damaging surge of unstable dark purple Chaos energy. Tojiro dropped to his knees, his eyes snapped open, appearing full of red gleaming hate. Tojiro grabbed the whip that was wrapped around his belly, changing the voltage to a deep red, which traveled across the outstretched weapon and went to shock Cassandra. However, Tojiro was also bringing harm to himself, the worse pain a Nightshade can _ever_ feel. Tojiro ultimately performed the always dependable Chaos Control to free himself, and let Cassandra drop to all fours, while small bolts of red electricity sparked around her. Tojiro reappeared standing in a crippled stance. His legs bent, as he held his broken left arm in pain.

"You damn brat…I'm going to personally make sure you learn respect for your superiors!" yelled the angry Cassandra, rising to her feet again, cracking the Whip of Tortured Souls once which sparked purple Chaos energy from it.

Tojiro punched the ground with his right fist, causing the ground beneath Cassandra to send her flying into the air. Tojiro then quickly performed a massive backflip, flying over the flinging Cassandra. Tojiro began a series of intense, ruthless, and off the wall martial art moves across Cassandra. He finally bashed his right red glowing fist right into her gut, which sent Cassandra flying towards the village entrance, smashing through the walkway above the gate, and smashing into the ground outside the gate. Tojiro landed back on the ground, getting onto one knee, holding his left arm to his chest, while the snapped bones caused it to bleed on and on.

"I'll…I shall…I shall return to this village. I will _not_ continue without _her_." he mumbled to himself, raising his right hand, and using Chaos Control to leave Konoha behind, but leaving it alone on his quest for revenge and redemption.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Seitetsu Gakuin High School, 11:30 am<strong>_

Tojiro finally appeared on the roof of this very large school in Japan. In his human form, the Cloakmaster lowered his hood, and ruffled his metal fingers through his black hair, grumbling silently to himself.

"This is completely out of my attention. My damn arm…all the Chaos energy in it is dead. It'll definitely take a while for it all to come back. Lucky me!" announced the sarcastic Tojiro in desperate thought.

Tojiro took in a sudden desperate breath of air, and walked over to the railing that surrounded the school's roof. Tojiro looked over the edge, suddenly seeing the flash of an individual past right up in front of the building. Tojiro watched as the blue haired girl landed on the far side of the school building.

"What's going on this time?" he said carelessly. A series of bullets suddenly shot down at the blue haired girl, to which she dodged away from. A red haired girl with a gun landed in front of the blue haired one, aiming her gun down at her.

"You stupid little whore! How many times have I ACTUALLY told you to not let that thief get the best of you!" screamed the girl with the gun.

"A-A-Akane-chan! Please, calm down! I was just using the bathroom and she came in and-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" screamed the girl named Akane Mishima.

The one on the ground being threatened was Natsuru Senou. Tojiro was busy curiously watching this scene unfold, but he kept a dumbstruck face, which he immediately shook off. Natsuru quickly rolled over to the right, jumped to her feet, and ran towards Tojiro, who hadn't noticed him before.

"Eh? Who in the world could that be?" sparked the girl's frozen body.

"You damn bitch! Get the hell back here now!" screamed the angry Akane. Tojiro tilted his head to the side, watching Natsuru stop right next to him, breathing with extreme discomfort.

"Just how long has that girl been chasing you?" he asked.

"You…you have no…idea!" panted Natsuru. Akane began firing wildly at the two. Tojiro simply flanged his hand up, which knocked the bullets away with Airbending.

"That's interesting. Yet is that all you have to offer?" bothered Tojiro.

"Keep talking you smartass! I'll blow your damn head off!" shouted Akane viciously, as she continued to fire bullet after bullet at the two.

Tojiro pushed Natsuru behind, as every bullet penetrated through his flesh, which he didn't move an inch from.

"What the hell?" said Akane, firing more bullets at the Demigod of Death. No damage inflicted the Cloakmaster, that is until one bullet hit the ligaments that held his left arm together, but not snapping it. Tojiro's eyes turned into a furious red, as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"You…you…stupid…ignorant…scum." mumbled the Cloakmaster with fierce hate in his voice. Tojiro unveiled Black Death.

"I'm in enough damn pain as it is! NOW…THIS IS HOW YOU SHOOT A GUN!" roared Tojiro.

Thick shots of lead covered with Chaos energy shot at Akane, which exploded the ground she stood upon, launching her into the air. Tojiro then kept his finger on the trigger and fired a large spherical blast which exploded against Akane in mid air. Tojiro's eyes halted their glowing red, and his orange pupils reappeared in his eyes. Tojiro placed Black Death back in it's holster and angrily marched over to where the injured Akane lay. Grabbing her by the back of her head, Tojiro pulled her off the ground, and stared her in the face.

"Foolish girl. You're going to regret trying to attack a Nightshade." threatened the simmering Tojiro.

A blast of Zauber shot from Natsuru launched Tojiro forward, while dropping Akane at the same time.

"Akane! Are you okay?" asked a concerned Natsuru, kneeling down by the Kampfer's side.

Tojiro rose to his feet, his left arm was still bleeding consistently. Tojiro tore off a piece of his cloak, which suddenly regenerated and replaced the missing piece. He created a sling out of it to hold his arm in a tender and protective position.

"It's not my best decision…but hell…at least it works." said Tojiro, clenching his right fist, staring off to the right.

The demon god rose to his feet, turning around in the process at the same time as well. Tojiro marched towards the two. Natsuru quickly shot a blast of her Zauber magic. Tojiro caught it in his right hand and shot it back with quick speed! Natsuru quickly picked Akane up and jumped off to the side to avoid the blast.

"This is getting pointless, you know. Even when I first arrive here and simply see this violence erupt…you attack me? My arm is fractured, and that accursed girl you're protecting shot a lucky bullet right in-between my broken bones…so it's only fair I return the favor by turning her skull into a jigsaw puzzle. But don't worry…you won't need to put anything together afterwards." said Tojiro, readying the Blade of Darkness in his steady firm grip.

"This is definitely not part of the plan." whispered Natsuru to herself.

Tojiro's eyes flickered, and he immediately vanished with the use of Chaos Control. Five chain shot swords hit the ground where he previously stood. The Cloakmaster reappeared a few feet in front of Natsuru and Akane.

"So, who are you to attack these two?" said Shizuku Sangou, holding her weapons in hand.

"This vague world is interesting. Looks like I must silence her as well." constituted Tojiro, turning around to Natsuru and the unconscious Akane.

"Just who are you?" asked a quick Natsuru.

"My identity is no business to you…especially once you'll be dead." descended Tojiro's voice.

The Cloakmaster held the Blade of Darkness over his back, which blocked Shizuku's attack. Her chains blades were wrapped around the blade, and he merely jerked forward. Turning himself around in the process, Tojiro punched the incoming Shizuku in the stomach, and he quickly swung his sword loose of her chained weapon, and set her free flying across the ground. Tojiro turned around to see Natsuru send her Zauber covered fist right into Tojiro's face, which exploded on impact and launched the Demigod of Death high into the sky. Akane's eyes slowly began to crack open, and she looked at Natsuru, instantly blushing.

"Get the hell off me!" she exclaimed, pushing Natsuru away.

Tojiro smacked into the ground from Natsuru's intense attack, with smoke trailing from his face. Tojiro's face looked forward at the two Kampfer's ahead of him. Tojiro rose to his feet, ultimately taking three stab wounds in the back from Shizuku's thrown weapons. Tojiro angrily turned around, which caused Shizuku to fall forward onto the ground. Tojiro intensified the heat of his body to melt the blades that were impaled in his back, as he marched towards Shizuku. Tojiro grabbed Shizuku by her hair, turned around and angrily tossed her at Natsuru and Akane, who slid to a halt right in front of the pair. Tojiro pointed the Blade of Darkness at the three.

"Natsuru-san!" shouted the voice of Kaede Sakura.

Tojiro glared off to the side to see the surprised girl with her hands clasped together at her chest, looking in fear. Tojiro turned towards her, then took a quick gaze at Natsuru and the others, who were preparing to make a move, however, Natsuru was helping Akane stand up still. Tojiro immediately took march towards Kaede. In fear she began to step back, over to the edge of the building. Akane began firing her gun wildly, and Natsuru shot her Zauber magic as well. While he still walked, a curved barrier of Chaos energy formed on Tojiro's left side, which protected him from the attacks. Kaede was up against the railing, looking over her shoulder at what waited below, a very steep drop. Tojiro then sprinted forward, dropping his Chaos energy barrier.

"Sakura!" screamed Natsuru.

Kaede gripped the railing bars tightly with her hands. Tojiro drove his blade back, then straight forward at the frightened girl. Natsuru, Akane and Shizuku all looked in pure awe at what they were all looking at. Kaede finally opened her eyes, seeing the Blade of Darkness right next to her head, and into the true target behind her. Kaede was suddenly pulled by the neck of her shirt by Tojiro, then pushed to off to the side. The target Tojiro had impaled; another former Nightshade, and another part of his so-called twisted family.

The cloaked man grabbed Tojiro by his face and shocked him with a violent surge of Chaos energy, which launched Tojiro across the floor. The cloaked man removed the blade from his stomach and launched it at Tojiro without hesitation. Tojiro stopped on his legs, but wasn't able to dodge the Blade of Darkness from piercing straight through his gut. The Cloakmaster of darkness dropped to his knees in pain, feeling the sting of his own blade, and his own power within his veins.

"Dear nephew…I honestly thought you would be much more stronger than THIS!" said the voice of the cloaked man. His voice was etched and sounded like a madman. Tojiro's 'nephew' touched down on the roof, and he lowered his hood. He was a tan skinned man with a bald head, and a sharp look in his schizophrenic look.

"I am Jason Hi. The god of fire and watcher over the seventh circle of Hell; Violence." he began respectively.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: There's something about this power...this feeling...this hellish force that continues to strip its way through my mind!

Himari: You needn't worry, Tojiro. The Young Master gets in situations like those many times!

Yuto: Is that suppose to be some kind of compliment Himari?

Rinko: Guys, I hope you realize that this trip we're going on doesn't involve _him_. It could be dangerous if he follows!

Yuto: He won't do anything bad, Rinko. We can still use that Dark Ball, right?

Ryu: I'm afraid the Cloakmaster has more to worry about than a mere camping escapade, my friends.

Himari: Such as what Master Ryu?

?: You know what to do, correct **Kuro**?

?: I shall see it fit. No matter the cost of who stands by Tojiro's side, **Alma**.

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER X: SHADES OF THE MIND_**


	10. Chapter X

**_CHAPTER X: SHADES OF THE MIND_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Dominic, Alma Hanko and Kuro Senso. They are my original characters and are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

"Well…that makes a lot of questions clear." mumbled the Cloakmaster as he rose to his feet, removing the Blade of Darkness from his abdomen.

"Ahhh, how very true. I see you met the Kampfers! Very unorthodox bunch now, aren't they?" replied Jason.

"Don't care." steamed Tojiro's low voice, shooting a barrage of icicles out of mid air. Jason swung his hands, shattering each and every one before charging forward at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster charged as well, ramming his right arm into Jason's throat, then using it to slam his nephew to the ground. Jason shot a gushing surge of boiling blood from his mouth, which Tojiro used his all powerful cloak to protect himself when he jumped into the air. Jason shut his mouth and rose to his feet, shooting a series of orange Chaos Spears. The explosive bonds of Chaos energy exploded in mid-air all around Tojiro. The Cloakmaster desperately kept himself in a protective form, with his cloak wrapped around him.

Once he landed, Tojiro swung his cloak open, shooting a pair of red Chaos beams from his eyes. Jason swung his arms up, creating a barrier of fire to shield himself. The beams collided with clear intensity and force. The Cloakmaster growled angrily at his failed attempt of causing him pain.

"I am the god of fire, Tojiro! What I create…CANNOT BE STOPPED!" roared Jason violently.

"We'll just see how that small little flame of yours lasts." barked Tojiro, shooting single beams of red Chaos energy from his right hand and both his eyes. Jason did a forward flip, then spun in circular pattern sideways, then landed on the ground safely to grab Tojiro up by his throat.

"Nice try nephew." he slithered.

Tojiro then dug the claws of his right hand into Jason's chest, and began twisting them through the flesh.

"You damn brat! I'll show you suffering that you'll never forget!" shouted Jason, clobbering the Cloakmaster on the head, which caused him to fall out of his grip and onto the floor. Jason attempted to crush Tojiro's skull, but the Demigod of Death refused by using Chaos Control to avoid such a fate. He reappeared to kick Jason directly in the back. Jason turned, swinging his arm in quick forceful motion, only to which Tojiro ducked from. Tojiro swiftly grabbed Jason's arm, but his stubborn nephew sent a few damaging blows to Tojiro's chest. However, the Cloakmaster hoisted Jason off his feet, turned around and smashed Jason threw the ground, and into the school.

Jason sideways kicked Tojiro in the face as they fell, then quickly shooting a fireball from his palms, Tojiro was forced to create a barrier of Chaos energy to defend himself from Jason's fiery rage. The blast knocked the Cloakmaster through five walls, while still encased in his bubble shaped barrier. Tojiro swung his hands out, dissipating the barrier that helped protect him. A sharp shot of fire came through the holes Tojiro was flung through. The Cloakmaster shot the same sized stream of fire, then a blast of orange Chaos energy. The fire stream Jason grew amazingly grew in size. Tojiro flicked his hand, which caused the orange Chaos he fired to change into a strong defensive barrier. The fire ball of doom collided with the barrier with intensive force, blowing up the walls to the left and right of the building. Tojiro was pushed across the ground while he remained standing, his arms crossed to his face to shield from the gusty winds from knocking him on his back. The Cloakmaster finally came to a stop, only to see Jason melt up through the floor and kick Tojiro with a stunning high kick backflip. Jason landed back on his feet and lunged forward, grabbing Tojiro by his wrist to slam him against the wall. Then, in a diagonal direction, Jason began violently smashing Tojiro from one wall to another with all his strength and power.

Tojiro's eyes sprang open and he blasted Jason point blank with a stinging hurt of dark red Chaos energy. Jason smacked across the ground several times, that is until Tojiro caught up to him. The Cloakmaster grabbed Jason by the back of his head, jumped up to the ceiling and smashed his face into it, then came back down to smash Jason's head into the floor, leaving two distinct holes in both spots. Tojiro tossed Jason from wall to wall by holding his nephew by his ankles. Tojiro then tugged him back, and smashed his right fist down on the spinal area of Jason's back. Mortified and angry, Jason quickly turned around to punch Tojiro in the jaw, then reached forward to stop him from flying off, and head butt his nephew. Tojiro tripped Jason then pounded his right fist into Jason's stomach, which lodged Jason into the ground. Tojiro raised his fist back up, rotating his fingers around, then clenching his fist tightly. Jason tiredly got back up, and Tojiro steadily readied himself. Rising up, Jason pressed his hands onto the ground, and with his legs, sprung himself backwards, both his feet hitting Tojiro dead in the face. Tojiro smacked to the ground, but quickly rolled backwards to avoid a blast of lava Jason shot from his mouth.

"That can't be good, seriously." spoke softly the Cloakmaster.

"Hahahaha! That's not even the HALF of it!" snickered the confident Jason.

Tojiro stood ready, willing, and most definitely prepared. Jason lunged forward, jabbing Tojiro in the chest several times before punching him directly up the chin, then jumping up to deliver an elbow drop right onto Tojiro's neck. Tojiro was picked off the ground by Jason, but the Cloakmaster used Chaos Control to switch places with Jason. Tojiro violently shocked Jason with violent red lightning, but Jason, however, went from screaming in pain, to sudden laughter. Tojiro ignorantly looked at Jason's joy as a wish for a quicker death.

Hateful of seeing his nephew like this, Tojiro shot a pair of yellow beams from his eyes, which in direct contact, hit Jason as Tojiro was holding him, and sent the former Cloakmaster smacking across the floor and crashing into the wall at the end of the hall. Tojiro's orange eyes kept steady watch on the growing cloud of gray smoke at where his nephew was sent. Tojiro stood in a prepared stance.

"This human form of mine is beginning to lose it, but if I switch forms now, it shall affect my powers, the ghoul side of me trying to break out, and the chance of lethality. Good for me." said a nonchalant Tojiro.

A black hoof stepped out of the smoke, which exerted fire from under it. Another foot stepped out, doing the same thing.

"It's his animal form. One of the top fifteen of the Nightshade tier ranks." muttered Tojiro. Indeed he was right. Jason walked out as a black minotaur. The half man half bull snorted flames from his nose, and his red glowing eyes angrily gazed at the Cloakmaster down the hall. Jason began to laugh in a thick hollow conjunction.

"You just ran out of luck, little nephew. This time, I'm not going to go easy on you!" roared Jason, raising his fists, spawning flames around them.

The forward pointing horns turned red with brimming red Chaos energy.

"This only got…_a bit more taxing_." mumbled Tojiro, preparing himself for the first fight with a minotaur.

Jason smashed the ground violently with his fists, causing an eruption of lava to spurt down the hall, at Tojiro.

"He's combining the power of the Chaos energy to manipulate the fire's heat into a liquid form. What a smartass." Tojiro said, jumping up onto the ceiling, standing upside down.

"You little prick, get down from there NOW!" shouted Jason, jumping up and punching the ceiling. A single crack spurted into tens. Tojiro looked down at the boiling hallway of lava, and at the ceiling he stood on which began breaking away piece by piece.

"I sure hope this works." Tojiro said mentally, crouching down.

Tojiro shot a breath of ice which froze one section of the ground, turning that small portion of the hall into molten rock. Tojiro jumped down onto the pad, looking behind him and in front of him at the lava that filled the hall. Jason remained standing on the other end, thinking of a plan to give Tojiro fiery fate of death. Jason took in a single breath, and shot streams of fire from his nostrils. Tojiro amazingly swung his arms in the air to create enough water to cover his own body. Tojiro soaked himself in the water, then froze himself in the ice hardened armor. The fire overcame him, sending the ice armored Tojiro flying over the hall, and the river of lava. Tojiro than broke his arms out, shattering the ice armor, landing on safe ground to where the lava hadn't reached, yet.

"You damn brat! You planned that didn't you?" Jason said mentally.

Tojiro rose to his feet, but his arm began to pain him, and he dropped to one knee. Jason smirked at this chance. Jason began charging forward, shaking the entire hall with every step. Tojiro's face was sweating intensively. He slowly raised his head to see Jason running through the hall of lava, which didn't even harm him an ounce. Tojiro had no chance, he stood back up, and launched a wavering beam of green Chaos energy, which split into ten mini sized Chaos Spears. With each Chaos Spear, it exploded against Jason on impact, only slowing him down. Tojiro shot a barrage of fire balls from his right hand. Jason stuck his right hand out, gathering them all up, then by clapping his hands together, an inferno of fire shot forward through the hall. Tojiro crouched down, wrapping his cloak around his body. Jason angrily launched a glare, knowing the result.

The flames definitely overcame Tojiro where he stood, by the cloak of a Nightshade is one of the most strongest types of armor anyone could get. Only by another Nightshade attacking it's cloak physically, can true pain harm a Nightshade. Tojiro stood up, creating a series of embers to surround him. Jason surprisingly appeared in front of Tojiro, grabbing him with his large hand. In his minotaur form, Jason stood a staggering twelve feet tall. "So much for ice, eh? I'm surprised someone of even your stature doesn't understand the science between elements." Jason stated.

"Then…how about a lesson on physics?" said Tojiro, his eyes snapping open.

Tojiro waved his hands up, which caused the left and right section of the walls to break off. Jason was forced to drop Tojiro, and hold the walls back from crushing him. Tojiro kept his form strong in this Earthbending stance. His muscles continued to tense, yet his concentration was his strongest weapon, for it wasn't going to shatter. Jason's head was hung low from his current position, as he refused to be crushed like a bug and defeated so easily.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" screamed the angry Jason. He shot a fume of extremely hot air, which suddenly exploded in front of Tojiro's face, and launched him down the hall. Jason stretched his arms out, breaking the walls. Jason then charged down the hall, his steps leaving spurts of fire in the ground. Tojiro drove his right hand into the ground to halt his sliding. Tojiro raised his head, and quickly took a slide back to dodge a set of fists. Jason then kicked his hoof forward, but Tojiro grabbed it, flipping Jason onto his stomach. Tojiro jumped on Jason's back and began beating him in the back of the head. As Jason angrily got back on his feet, Tojiro took hold of Jason's right horn to hold on. Jason smashed his back into the wall, then did the same onto the other wall, yet Tojiro remained strong. Tojiro began tugging on Jason's horn, which caused him to feel the pain of the bone splitting from the soft tissue. Jason finally let out a burst of fire from his body, which sent Tojiro bouncing down the hall behind Jason. Jason angrily charged after Tojiro. Once coming up to his body, Jason kicked him directly in the stomach, which shot Tojiro through a series of six walls, ending up in a classroom of students. Tojiro jumped back onto his feet, ignoring all of the shocked students. Tojiro's ears tweaked, having a sudden urge to turn back. Tojiro turned around and slid across the floor on his belly. A growling Jason broke through the ceiling and landed on the ground where Tojiro previously stood. Jason grabbed one of the desks and tossed it at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro jumped up, grabbing the table by its leg and as Jason approached him, Tojiro smacked it down on Jason's skull, utterly shattering it. Tojiro landed back on the ground, only to do a backwards flip, then shot a blast of ice from his eyes. The ice surrounded Jason's legs, which he simply moved both to free himself from. Tojiro landed back on the ground, only to be ruthlessly punched and sent flying towards the front of the room. Tojiro left a serious dent and crater shaped hole in the whiteboard.

Tojiro's eyes opened, "Get the hell out of here already!" he roared at all the students.

Jason was tossed through the wall by Tojiro. The stampede of students trampled over Jason and down the left hall in fear. Tojiro dropped onto the ground, feeling his energy _slowly_ coming back to him.

"You think I'm a welcome rug, huh? THEN I'LL TREAT YOU THE SAME!" exclaimed Jason, grabbing Tojiro off the ground.

Jason jumped up to smash Tojiro into the ceiling, then tossing him through the floor, and down two levels, ending up in a locker room. Jason shot a stream of lava from both his hands. Tojiro quickly lunged off to the right, rolling until he got back onto his feet, his right fist clenched. Tojiro suddenly felt a force press against the back of his head.

"Don't move a muscle, ya' hear me?" said the female voice. Tojiro reached over his shoulder to grab the gun, then he turned himself around, coming face to face with Akane once again.

"What the?" he slurred.

Tojiro looked behind her, seeing Natsuru, Shizuku, and Kaede hiding behind the set of lockers.

"Let me guess, is this your hiding spot?" Tojiro asked dim wittingly.

"You're the ass causing havoc around our school! So maybe a bullet in the head will change that!" threatened Akane, kicking Tojiro back.

Tojiro ended up nearly falling back in the small pool of lava, but he was quickly grabbed by Akane.

"That looks cool. How about I turn you into nothing but a puddle of crap? How's that sound?" she said, pointing the gun into his forehead.

"Honestly, quit this nonsense." he said, pushing her back, and then using Chaos Control on himself. Jason broke through the ground where the two were just standing. The massive minotaur turned around to see Akane and the others.

"What do we have here? I'm definitely sure you Kampfers all together won't be able to measure up to all the annoyance and trouble Tojiro gave me." he stated.

"You never know." suggested Tojiro's voice. Jason looked over his shoulder, seeing Tojiro drive the Blade of Darkness directly into the minotaur's shoulder blade, causing him to roar in agony.

Tojiro jumped off his back, landing by Akane's side, but dropping to one knee, holding his left arm, sharing the same agony with his nephew.

"It would be wise to find another _hiding spot_. Possibly, away from here!" Tojiro shouted at the girls.

"Akane! We should really get out of here!" Natsuru responded, getting up, along with Shizuku and Kaede.

"That's not going to happen!" roared the angry minotaur, lunging at the group.

Tojiro aimed his right hand forward, "CHAOS SHOCK!" he called out.

The Blade of Darkness illuminated in red and violently sent a surge of lightning throughout Jason's body, stopping him in his tracks. Tojiro kept his right hand out, to keep the power consistent.

"You won't get another chance you fool, get the hell out of here!" hissed Tojiro.

Akane glared at the Cloakmaster and hurried off with the others, running out of the back door to the locker room, which led outside.

Jason dropped onto on all fours, at the point of his highest suffering. Yet, he still managed to laugh! Tojiro kept his hold of using Chaos Shock consistent and as wrenching as possible.

"The last Nightshade; Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku, HA! You're supposed to be feared by all…and hated by all! Isn't that a fools' joke?" screamed Jason.

"Those mortals don't matter to me, it's their future I'm worried about. Their lives don't deserve indecency, especially from cowards like YOU!"

Tojiro snapped vividly, shocking Jason even more. Jason growled in a gurgling groan of hurt.

"Heh. Is that so? Your stupid philosophy is pathetic, nephew. But what can I say? It's all you have left…right?" Jason replied, slowly looking up, smirking and chuckling.

Tojiro lowered his hand, and charged. Jason rose up, kicking Tojiro directly, shooting him through the rows of lockers, and through a concrete wall, which ended up into leading outside. Natsuru and the group heard the bang, stopping to turn around and view what had just happened. Tojiro rose to his feet, only to be kicked forward again by Jason. He smacked against the ground, which caused his left arm even more pain. Tojiro's eyes were shaking in pain, but they suddenly turned to a visage of anger.

"Should we help him?" quietly passed Shizuku, crossing her arms.

"Why the hell should we? I'd rather see if this freak beats the crap out of him or not?" said the red haired Akane, holding her gun by her side.

Cracking his knuckles as he marched up to Tojiro's wrangled and bleeding corpse, Jason appeared confident, seeing a victory in his near future. Jason reached back, removing the Blade of Darkness from his back, then tossing it down in front of Tojiro.

"You pitiful fool. Akuma sure was right about a lot of things, especially your weakness to see others suffer. You only protect them because you don't want their lives to be ruinous like yours. Are you truly _that_ afraid to see others in pain?" remarked a seething Jason.

Tojiro gritted his teeth, glowing red discharge began to drip from his wounds. Jason carelessly grabbed Tojiro, turned around and tossed him like a softball. Tojiro smacked across the ground several times. Jason then walked after him. Tojiro's metal arm sparked several sparks of blue, and even sparked so intensively, Tojiro fell back onto the ground.

"What's the matter, Demigod of Death? Can't bare to stand up and stare your killer in the eyes, hmm?" Jason gloated in a high voice of tolerance. Tojiro gripped the ground with his right hand.

"You sure must have changed a lot if those bandages cover your whole head. That's your first step to doing this world a favor; RIDDING IT OF YOUR UGLY FACE!" yelled Jason, punching Tojiro, shooting him across the floor.

Jason used Chaos Control to reappear behind Tojiro to grab him by the back of the head. Jason then smashed Tojiro into the ground, head first. Dragging his face through the dirt, Jason ran about twenty feet, before leaping up and smashing Tojiro back into the ground, laughing hysterically. On the roof of the school was another cloaked being, with the symbol of the Shade Empire on their back.

"Tojiro…what are you doing? This is definitely not like you to let someone beat you up so easily." said the voice of the cloaked female.

"Is it your purpose? Tell me, Tojiro." Jason spoke out.

"My purpose? What kind of demon such as myself…would _ever_ have a purpose in this world?" questioned Tojiro in pain, yet he stood straight up.

"Interesting. Your words always make those around you question what kind of place we live in, how idiotic." said Jason, his eyes cringing.

Tojiro was flung into the air, then Jason reappeared above him, stomping both his feet into Tojiro's gut. In a split second, Tojiro was in the air, and then he was lodged into the earth, laying down in hurtful pain and agony. Still he rose. Tojiro used his right arm to get to his feet, as Jason landed a few feet in ahead of him.

"Tojiro. Do something." said the cloaked female on top of the school.

"It definitely is bothersome to see you like this, you know. I heard in the battle against Dark Quake, you used that right arm of yours, and the power of the Chaos Wrath to kill him, something no other being, Nightshade, or god, has _ever_ done! What is that power?" wildly exclaimed Jason instinctively.

"My business is my own. This power…doesn't belong to the likes of you." Tojiro muttered.

"You're as ignorant as you are foolish! Tell me the secret of Chaos Wrath!" Jason demanded, charging forwards, his fists wrapped in deadly shocking purple Chaos energy.

"Chaos Eruption." Tojiro mumbled.

Waves of orange Chaos shot out of Tojiro's body, and splashed onto Jason, turning into a dome. From within was a glowing purple center. The dome grew small, then expanded into a bright explosion. Tojiro dropped back to his knees, his eyes looking sickly tired and worn out. Through the cloud of smoke, an angry minotaur charged. Tojiro looked over his shoulder at those behind him.

"YOU HAVE NOTHING TOJIRO! You're idiotic motives got your mother and father killed! It is YOU for the reason of their deaths!" he yelled, grabbing Tojiro by the neck, and continuously punching him across the face. The group of Kampfers horrendously watched this dreadful scene unfold further and further into something they couldn't bare to look at. Tojiro's head hung low as Jason held him by the neck of his cloak.

"Where's your motives now, huh? WHERE? Your past is a whole entirety of failure and dread!" exclaimed Jason.

Jason then snickered, "To think, you are _almost_ considered as worse as one of US!" said Jason, holding his right fist all the way back, tempted to knock Tojiro's whole head off from his shoulders.

"I can't wait to see what Yoko thinks once she finds you…that is…if she cares. Don't worry though, she's not even strong enough to even confront, she'd be a waste of our time, and her filthy blood would be disgusting to even splatter." Jason irritably threatened.

Tojiro's head flinched suddenly.

"Are you going to cry those tears? The tears of a Nightshade come from your sadness and solemn feelings. Once that happens, the skull will begin to slowly, slowly, slowly…crush. Thus…tears of blood. How shameful for a Nightshade, am I right, Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku?" Jason continued with a wicked smirk, holding back his right fist.

Jason drove his fist forward, but Tojiro's right hand rose up to stop it.

"WHAT? NO WAY! You're weak! You couldn't have stopped that strike!" exclaimed Jason in fright.

Tojiro looked Jason right in the eye, and what Jason saw was surprising. The bandages around the right side of Tojiro's face were ripped off, and his pupils were glowing blue. A large blast of blue wind, sent Jason flying across the ground. Tojiro dropped onto the ground, his head hung low. Jason rose to his feet, holding his head with his left hand. A swirl of blue began to gather at the dial of Tojiro's right arm.

"You may judge as you wish…you can threaten my family…you could disrespect the ones I've met and been kindly treated by…but when you threaten me and my decisions…" Tojiro began.

"This power…what is surrounding him?" said Jason in confused thought. A large funnel of blue Chaos energy formed around Tojiro, and sprang high up into the sky.

The funnel then immediately dropped down and pounded into the ground, creating a whirlwind of dust and smoke, from which everyone shielded themselves from.

The female on the roof watched on, "The state from which a Nightshade uses all their power. The power of Chaos in one single form; the Nightmare form." she swayed.

* * *

><p>Stepping out of the smoke was a brand new Tojiro. The bandages around his whole head were gone and done away with, but the headband remained tied around his head. He stood as the ten foot tall Werehog form, but his fur was not black, it was white. The spike shaped pattern of fur on his wrists were glowing blue. On the tips of his six quills, they glowed blue as well. The walls of his eyes were not white, but black, and the eyes themselves shined a valiant glowing blue.<p>

"YOU WILL NEVER THREATEN MY DESTINY! AND YOU SHALL NEVER QUESTION MY ACTIONS! I shall kill YOU and every other Hell God that challenges me! I am…NIGHTSHADE!" roared the ground shattering voice of Tojiro.

"He _actually _entered his Nightmare Form. How? Such a technique cannot be mastered in time…he was the first Nightshade I've seen to use such a power!" Jason said in still thought. Tojiro tore the sling from his left arm, and moved it freely, as it had finally healed by entering such a form.

"This is beyond normal limits, don't you think so?" said Natsuru surprisingly.

"I'm still curious over what that oversized idiot is." replied Akane.

Tojiro got on all fours, his razor sharp fangs and teeth gritted together in the most vicious snarl no other beast can match up against.

"You had to spoil it so easily. I'd never thought I'd witness such a turn of events. But it doesn't matter. Nightmare form or not…you are still that foolish demon inside, weak and useless all the same!" Jason spat out.

A sudden flash, and Tojiro was right behind Jason. He grabbed him by the back of his head, threw him over his own, and directly into the earth. Tojiro then clawed his angry fingers across Jason's chest, leaving severe gashes. Jason kicked both his hooves into Tojiro's face, who stumbled backwards. Jason then jumped to his feet, and rammed himself towards Tojiro. The enigmatic demigod grabbed Jason by his horns to stop them from gouging straight on into his intestines. Tojiro then forcibly bit down onto the right horn, and then swung Jason around several times. Tojiro finally jumped up, and let him fly. Tojiro spun in front ward flip in mid air, his arms stretching far, far out. His fists coated in blue Chaos energy, he smashed them down onto Jason, and crushed Jason into the ground, creating a massive cloud of dirt and smog. Tojiro landed on the ground, still snarling furiously, his arms retracted by this time. Jason came leaping out of the smoke cloud, landing on the ground to begin a violent spin, surrounded by an inferno of red flames. Tojiro crouched down, and shot forward, his arms sticking straight out, turning himself into a drill shaped beam surrounded with spinning blue Chaos energy. The two forces collided with violent force, grinding against each other, until an explosion of immense proportions was created. A cloud of red smoke, and fiery light from within it spanned to the skies above. Tojiro came flying out, landing on his feet in front of Akane. Tojiro swept his hands to the left and right. The whole cloud of smoke then split off by Tojiro's use of Airbending. Jason stood on the other side, breathing extensively, while Tojiro stood calm, collective, and with a small thirst of revenge and dire need to pummel the sense and soul out of Jason's chest. Jason gripped the ground, spawning a series of exploding lava fumes to shoot up out of the ground. Tojiro leaped over one just in time, then zoomed off to the left to dodge another, then quickly spinning in a tunnel of air to clear over another fountain of lava. Finally, the ground in front of Jason began to crack from right in front of him, to the left and to the right for about a mile wide long. A tidal wave of lava shot up out of the enormous crack in the earth. Tojiro took a quick break to stop. He crouched down and took a massive leap upwards. He held his hands over his head, creating a watery glob of liquid like Chaos energy that shined with immense blue.

"ICE…WAVE…CHAOS!" Tojiro chanted, charging for the middle of the lava tidal wave.

He collided, immediately turning the huge wave into ice with just one blow. Tojiro then smashed through the center, his fists covered in hardened ice. He began violently punching Jason across the face, and even smashing his fists down on his cranial area. Tojiro used his shoulder to knock his nephew to the ground. Tojiro stood over him, and continued his intense series of ice cold punches, until the gauntlets themselves shattered into nothingness.

Tojiro stepped back. He stuck his left arm out to the left, and flicked it. The entire barrier of ice then turned to water, simply dropping to the ground. Tojiro turned around, waving his arms to turn it all into steam. Tojiro's black cloak suddenly appeared around his large body. He turned around with an angry glare, seeing that Jason had gone and retreated. Tojiro then reverted to his human form, and all the wounds he had received from his fight with Jason had been fully healed. With his hood lowered, Tojiro rested his right hand on his head, ruffling it through his black hair. The cloaked female on the roof, her head was lowered.

"That's Tojiro for you." she said. Jason appeared by her side, back in his human form.

"You'd probably go and get Alma to heal those." said the girl.

"Whatever. You could've came in at any time, Kuro. What the hell's your problem?" barked a despicable Jason.

"Tend to your wounds already, then report this to Akuma." she replied. Jason huffed, creating a dark Chaos portal, which he jumped into, and the portal vanished seconds afterwards.

"We will have our time together, just like you said…Tojiro-kun." she said quietly, turning around and vanishing in a flash of white.

Tojiro turned himself around to the Kampfer girls.

"I surely promise that I'll try and not do the same to any of you…that is if you don't boil my anger." he stated, crossing his arms, making it a stone cold statement to their ears.

"I'd sure like to see you say that again! Right after I blow your brains out!" threatened Akane by instinct.

"Is that what you truly wish to happen? Your death? Your friends will surely not wish to see what I'd do to you. Besides, you're already injured, there'd be no point in bringing you any more suffering. So lower that pistol of yours before I forcibly take it along with your entire arm." Tojiro stated carelessly.

"You should really transform back Akane, it'd be a good idea." said Shizuku. Akane lowered her gun, and transformed to her normal, sweet, and kind form.

"Much better." said Tojiro, walking over to them.

Natsuru, back in his male form, was walking outside alongside Tojiro.

"This little meeting sure has caused a lot of trouble around the school. It'll probably be closed for a few days or so." he said.

"That better not be aimed at me." Tojiro included.

"Huh?" responded Natsuru.

"Your words best not contain the blame to be shot at myself. It wasn't my fault he tried to kill me, you, or your friends." Tojiro explained.

"No, no, no! Don't worry! I wouldn't blame you! Especially after what you've done to that guy you were fighting." said a nervous Natsuru, afraid for what would happen to him now.

Tojiro looked ahead, seeing a girl coming up to them. It was Natsuru's childhood friend, Mikoto Kondo.

"Natsuru! Hey! I prepared some curry for you back at the house! You MUST try it!" she screamed.

"Such much for having an _almost_ normal day." whined a complicated Natsuru, just by hearing Mikoto. Tojiro looked at him pitifully, then looked forward as Mikoto stopped in front of the two.

"Hi there! I'm Mikoto Kondo! Are you a friend of Natsuru's?" she asked with a smile.

"Hardly. I stopped this kid and his friends from getting mauled-"

"Hey, Mikoto! We should be getting home now to get that curry, huh? Don't mind Tojiro, he's just a troubled guy!" said a nervous looking Natsuru.

"Hey, who said you could interrupt me? And who's _troubled_?" said Tojiro, holding Natsuru up off the ground by his hair.

"Quit it! This is embarrassing enough dammit! Put me down!" he complained.

Tojiro growled, but yet he put Natsuru back onto his feet.

"Tojiro-san, would you like to come with us? It'd be our treat!" said Mikoto, keeping her smile.

"I honestly shouldn't. I have more important matters to-"

"You will? Great! Come on Natsuru!" exclaimed a joyfully Mikoto, grabbing Tojiro's wrist and pulling him with her until they would reach Natsuru's house.

"What…the hell…just…happened?" babbled a confused Natsuru, with an empty hapless look on his face.

Tojiro was sitting on the floor, observing the bowl of curry Mikoto served him with.

He sniffed it, "Well? Smells good, doesn't it?" says Mikoto.

Tojiro took a spoon and gulped a good serving of curry. He tasted it for a moment, and then swallowed it.

"I'm surprised you didn't freak out from how hot it was." said a surprised Mikoto.

"Trust me, I know how it feels to get burned." Tojiro replied, taking in another gulp of the curry.

Natsuru, doing the same, shared an ambiguous look at Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster put the bowl down, "This was the first time I had curry, and I must say I was impressed. Thanks for taking your time to have me here, Miss Mikoto." Tojiro acknowledged with his head bowing.

"You're too modest! Come on!" said a flattered Mikoto.

"She's definitely going overboard with this." thought Natsuru hopelessly.

"What makes me curious, is all of you and your powers. However, the reason you fight…where is that?" questioned Tojiro, crossing his arms.

"Are you talking about why the Kampfer must fight?" Natsuru responded.

"Yes. Do you even know why?" he asked.

"There are these guys called Moderators. Right now, we're fighting in the place of these two sides who are desperate to wage war against each other. So here on Earth, there are Red Kampfer and Blue Kampfer, both fighting in place for those battling out in space." explained Natsuru.

"Interesting. Fighting for the purpose to uphold the balance of your lives, but your reasoning…is quite strange. Doesn't it sound a bit meaningless?" asked Tojiro.

"You have no idea how much I told myself that! But, it's something that I, and none of the other Kampfer can change." said Natsuru.

"You shouldn't be so worrisome Natsuru. After all, we're all on the same side right?" answered Mikoto.

"She does have a point. Whether you hate to admit it or not." said Tojiro, looking at the slumped Natsuru beside him.

"Why are you so questioning? And how would you know I have a problem with agreeing her?" exclaimed Natsuru.

"Well, you slightly just admitted it now, and I read your mind and saw how you and Mikoto had a childhood friendship together. You two said a lot of unkind things to each other, if I must say." said Tojiro.

Natsuru sat back down, letting out a desperate sigh, "I give up." he murmured. A knock on the door came.

"I shall get it, got nothing better to talk about anyway." said Tojiro, heading towards the door. He opened it, and Akane was suddenly pushed inside, along with Kaede. Akane quickly removed her face from Tojiro's chest, and looked up at him, fearing the worst.

"Please…do come in." he said in a haunting voice, stepping aside. Akane moved her glasses a bit up and stepped through the door, taking off her shoes, with Kaede behind her, doing the same with her shoes.

"Oi! Tojiro, you can take off that thing…whatever you call it, you know?" called Mikoto.

"My _cloak_? Are you sure?" he said, walking back into the room where everyone was gathering.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be sure?" she replied.

"So this doesn't make you nervous?" he said, removing his cloak, which revealed his entire right arm, in one of the strongest metals this world hasn't ever seen.

He wiggled the claw like fingers, "Is it okay or not? Either way, I don't care." he said.

"Uhhh, heh?" said Mikoto, still staring at it in absence.

Tojiro let out a sigh and took his cloak off, setting it on the recliner chair he decided to sit down on. Natsuru remained quiet and still when he saw Kaede, knowing that the past events have got him questioning. While Natsuru looked obviously nervous, Akane and Mikoto held serious and angered faces. Believing Kaede was a culprit for the incidents of the White Kampfer, they held their suspicions tighter than anything else in their minds. Kaede, however, seemed so instigated and forgetful, like nothing was her fault, nor her problem. She was treated like an innocent by Natsuru, but who is to believe what after the events in the past? Tojiro's instincts and thoughts began to race through his cerebrum, and he wouldn't stand this type of hindrance any longer.

"If you could excuse me all for a moment…I shall be back in a minute." said Tojiro, walking towards the door.

"Be back quick! All the curry will be gone if you don't hurry!" called a happy Mikoto.

"Seriously, calm down." Natsuru's voice whined within his thoughts.

Tojiro walked right up to the door, and vanished with the use of Chaos Control, appearing on the other side, to face Shizuku Sango, who had just arrived.

"My, my, how did you learn that trick?" she implied with her silent voice.

"Whether you believe it or not, I sense a lot of temptation and irritability in this house, especially around Kaede Sakura." implied Tojiro.

Shizuku pondered for a moment, trying to incorporate if Tojiro was being all so serious or all too serious. Whether in facts or fiction, Shizuku could tell that the attacks of the White Kampfer were mysterious and daunting, the Kampfer herself could tell Tojiro was being straight about his opinion and whatever matter may arise in the future.

"So you came out here to say that? Nothing else. A bit strange, counting that we just met you." said Shizuku, putting on a studying face. Tojiro saw within Shizuku's mind, knowing she was searching for the truth.

"How about we go for a short walk? Maybe then we can understand each other, and the matters of what are decisions will make, hmm?" said Shizuku, turning back around and walking towards the sidewalk. Tojiro unthinkingly followed her, leaving his cloak behind, but with his weapons still on hand, he didn't fear anything.

Shizuku and Tojiro were finding themselves heading towards the park area. Tojiro watched everyone enjoy the leisure of this sunny day. Tojiro remembered such times when he was a boy, before becoming the man he was today.

"Tojiro? Are you staring into space or what?" said Shizuku. Tojiro shook his head loose, looking at Shizuku out of the corner of his eyes. Shizuku looked a bit blind spotted. His stare was a frightful thing to imagine by many, and about half of those people, never saw his eyes again.

"What makes you…" she began.

"Different? I would definitely enjoy an honest true opinion from someone I _can_ believe. But unfortunately, there are none of those people left in this world." he replied.

"I see, no wonder you've managed to be so curious about other peoples circumstances. Why is that?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Don't tell me you believe I'd take risks with everyone. People who's lives are being threatened or disrespected by others deserve their way of peace…while the one inflicting pain…deserves a harsh fate…known as death." he said seriously.

"You sounded very clear and honest. Is that truly what you think?" responded the curious Kampfer.

"The point of this walk is to question Kaede's intentions, not my personal mishaps which happen just every other minute. So…let us get to the point." he snared.

"Then you start first. This is your matter of concern." Shizuku put on.

"Concern, huh? As long as the right person gets the right punishment, I'm all clear on that, nothing else shall matter. Now, I've since just by looking at you that you share some very similar _concerns_ as me. What do you believe is Kaede's person?" asked Tojiro intently.

"Hmm, she appears as some normal girl. She does, however, have an intense infatuation over Natsuru's female form." Shizuku answered.

"Alright, that can sum up a lot." said Tojiro, staring at the sidewalk as they walked, with his left hand to his chin.

"But not enough, right?" Tojiro looked at Shizuku.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right on that. If Kaede is planning to do something serious…especially for something as foolish as love…she'll most probably do whatever it takes to get a hold of Natsuru's female side." Tojiro pondered continuously out loud.

Shizuku now felt she was on the same rope. The Cloakmaster's point was as clear as crystal, but there was still some fog that obscured the reason and truth behind this awkward mystery of love and probable despair.

"Not to change the subject to cause you a bothersome attitude…but do you truly believe love is foolish?" she asked with keen eyes. Tojiro stopped, staring up at the sky.

"Tojiro?" Shizuku said his name.

"My existence is as promising as my love life; unwinding, clueless, and unforgivable. The only one I loved was killed…she was killed by the selfish undoubtedly thoughts that stirred through the killers' mind. She died for my need for vengeance; **and I can't believe it was I who did it**." contemplated Tojiro, his head lowering with regret weighing it down.

Shizuku stretched her eyes a bit, unable to believe such words. Tojiro then nervously scratched the back of his head, with his eyes shut, and his mind in a thousand knots.

"I shouldn't have asked you that. I'm sorry to bring up something that was so hurtful for you to remember, Tojiro." she inquired.

"No need to be solemn, especially not right now. The past is the past, right? But somehow…every time I make an attempt to forget it…there's always something or someone forcing me to remember such horrors. I think that's why I've become this person I am today, guess I can't help it." he informed strongly.

"You do appear as a very caring person…whether you like to admit it or not. You just don't want to see anyone hurt or in pain. Because…you believe in something greater than peace, don't you think so?" she said, walking forward, then stopping to look back at the Cloakmaster with a courteous smile. Tojiro nodded in all agreement and walked up by Shizuku's side to continue their stroll through the park.

* * *

><p>Nearing sunset, Tojiro said his goodbye to Shizuku, knowing she planned on going back to Natsuru's house to join the others. Tojiro on the other hand walked through a quiet neighborhood. With the sunset far behind him, the silhouette demigod marched on until his senses told him to stop. Taking hold of the Blade of Darkness, Tojiro vanished into the ground by entering his Darkrai form. A limousine made its way onto the scene and stopped in front of a house. Stepping out was the driver, going around the limousine to open the door for a demon slayer. A demon slayer named Kuesu Jinguji.<p>

"Wait here. I'll take care of them." she said, walking towards the house.

"Her? So this has to be Yuto's house! What's she up to this time?" said Tojiro, peering out of the ground, putting the Blade of Darkness back in its sheath. Tojiro quickly flew to the roof, and his eye began to glow vividly. His vision gave him the ability to see into the house. He saw Rinko at the door, talking to Kuesu, while Himari and Yuto were in the living room, having some tea.

"She must be at good terms with them…for now, hopefully. But her attitude when she got out of the limo…it was colder than before. Something is definitely wrong here." thought the anxious Cloakmaster, reverting back to his human form.

"I sense that these fools aren't ready for what is coming their way, and you…air demon…must be the reason, huh?" Tojiro said, turning around in a blur to defend himself from an attack by the air demon known as Ageha.

Inside the house, Kuesu came into the living room, wearing a positive smile on her face.

"Afternoon Kuesu! What brings you here?" asked Yuto kindly.

"Nothing much actually. I've just come to see if this cat is taking good care of you until the day you come to join me, that's all." said Kuesu, flipping her hair.

Himari sent a death glare at her so-called rival, and Kuesu did the exact same thing.

"Hey Yuto, have you been hearing that noise on the roof?" asked Rinko, coming into the room.

"It's really annoying." said the green haired girl known as Shizuku. A sudden knock came at the door, and it opened.

Yuto and Himari went over to the door, and were surprised to see an injured Ageha standing in the doorway, her shoulder smothered in blood.

"Just who…is this…Ayakashi?" growled Ageha in pain.

The cloaked Tojiro appeared behind her, punching her in the back of the head, launching her forward. Himari and Yuto stepped out of the way as Ageha crashed through the sliding glass door that led to the backyard.

"Ayakashi? I'm far from such lowly classified demons." announced Tojiro.

"T-Tojiro?" exclaimed Himari.

"The cat girl again. I slightly apologize for breaking in so suddenly…but it appears this girl that I just sent packing wanted to attack you." said Tojiro.

"That was definitely not a good way to do it then. You really overdid it!" shouted Rinko, observing the damage.

Shizuku was crouched by Ageha's side, "She's unconscious. But I think she'll be alright." announced the crouching Shizuku.

"She's a trusted friend of ours! You didn't need to take such quick judgment!" said Himari.

"I'm sure she thought of me as the same I thought as her…a threat. Besides, I may even be able to revive her in no time flat." said Tojiro, walking forward and out into the backyard.

Tojiro kneeled down and placed his right hand down on Ageha's shoulder wound.

"She's awakening." Shizuku interjected.

Ageha's eyes opened, and widened when she saw the hooded Tojiro. She sat up, grabbing his cloak.

"I could easily turn this Chaos energy into something lethal, so you better let me go or your life is forfeit." advised Tojiro blankly.

Ageha looked at her shoulder, and his right hand on the gash of her shoulder, with streams of blue light sealing the wound up. Ageha removed her hand, continuing to observe Tojiro's healing process. Tojiro then pulled his hand away,

"There. Now get up." he shot with bothered feelings.

Ageha rose to her feet, sending a unsure stare at the Demigod of Death.

"It would be best if do us all a favor and explain why you were so adamant about coming here." Tojiro explained, stepping off to the side.

With Yuto, Rinko, Shizuku, Kuesu and Himari all paying attention, Ageha lowered her head for a moment. She looked back up, keeping a strong expression on her face.

"There's a group of demons after you, Yuto. And they're after your power Himari." Ageha stated justly. Tojiro wasn't surprised by business which wasn't his, so he turned his head away, looking horrendously careless.

"Why? What kind of Ayakashi would be after me and Yuto? And what power of mine do they want?" questioned Himari.

"When I was spying on them, one said that there's a powerful demon side to you, and I do believe we all saw it before." said Ageha.

Yuto easily remembered the power Himari could unleash from within. Turning into a beast on the verge of hunger and bloodlust, something Tojiro himself faced once in his past was no different than now. Tojiro looked at Ageha, and the expressions the others showed, all weren't so positive.

"So did you catch a good glimpse at them?" asked Yuto.

"Yes. In fact…they looked like him." said Ageha, pointing at Tojiro. Now, the Cloakmaster was deeply interested. No one else he knows wears the same cloak he does.

"Where did you see them?" asked Tojiro unsettlingly, unfolding his arms, and approaching Ageha.

"Is it your business?" she interpreted with a tight glare. "Yeah…it is. So where did you see them?" Tojiro demanded, stopping in front of the air demon. Ageha turned her head away, sighing.

"It wouldn't be much of a point, but the moment they were done talking…they simply vanished into thin air. That's all." Ageha answered, looking back at Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster was angry on the inside at such news, but it wasn't so surprising in the end. Tojiro walked past everyone, and out the shattered glass door, then jumping backwards onto the roof.

"Hasn't he changed? He was much different when we first met him." said Himari.

"Defending the stranger, cat? Then you mine as well hand Yuto over to me." sneered Kuesu.

"Don't be so foolish. I'm never going to leave the young master's side. I am his sword and shield." defended Himari.

"We're all surrounded by fools." mumbled Shizuku.

Tojiro sat on the slanted edge of the roof, staring at the sunset far in the distance.

"Troubles again, huh?" said the voice of Ryu Kaze.

The godly man appeared in a black mist from Tojiro's right.

"You seem to be angry over the smallest of news. I believe you'll be able to find the Nightmare Scythe with ease, you should relax while you have the time." said Ryu.

"You're right only on time…everything else is false. What kind of time do I have, seriously? I've no understanding of what these accursed Nightmare weapons hold for me! If Julius had the Chains of Fear, than the other Hell Gods must have their own! Why didn't Akuma use them to break the barrier of Chaos Fear that surrounds the Nightmare Scythe in the first place?" complained an angry Cloakmaster.

"Because the ones you must find…were forged by me." Ryu answered. Tojiro appeared stunned, standing in a more calm posture.

"You have the Chains of Fear, and you already have the Blade of Darkness." said Ryu.

"The Blade of Darkness is a Nightmare weapon?" said a shocked Tojiro.

"At first, once it was Dragon's Bane, yes. Since you transitioned your Nightshade powers into the broken Dragon's Bane, the power of its Chaos Force still remained within it, so yes; it is a Nightmare Weapon. And you only have to find one more." continued the vague Ryu.

"I highly doubt Akuma would send out the Hell God that holds the one I need then. That figures." said a pondering Tojiro.

"Probably." responded the god, suddenly observing the holy lock.

"No wonder you're so distressed." persisted Ryu.

"Hmm?" answered Tojiro. Ryu pointed at the holy lock.

Tojiro huffed, "It doesn't matter. It isn't as powerful as it's suppose to be." Tojiro said, turning around.

"But since it's doing a duty that will change the negative Chaos energy in your body to positive Chaos energy…it still signifies a problem. Why are you still wearing it? I believe you'll be able to fight the ghoul blood that's trying to take over. You did defeat your Werehog soul a while back, and it hasn't bothered you since." commented Ryu.

"Facts don't prove enough, not for me. I'd rather suffer and be able to fight…rather than be insane and unstoppable." Tojiro explained rightfully, lowering his head in the process.

"You'll have to fight even more than ever this time, Tojiro. If that holy lock isn't focusing it's power simply on sealing your ghoul blood, it will begin to cleanse your body of negative Chaos energy…**and kill you**." said Ryu, with a stretched drastic attitude.

Tojiro remained as he was, quiet and motionless. As the sunset finally disappeared under the horizon, and night began to fall, he could feel the tense force of irony crawling over his shoulders like an army of ants.

"Perhaps it shall happen, but perhaps it won't. Death; to me isn't much of a threat to anything else that's been trying to kill me over the years. How can I be afraid of death…when I am it's one and only personification?" he said.

Ryu was stricken by Tojiro's cold words, but he held enough thought and understanding that Tojiro was indeed, correct of what he stated. Unable to cope with anyone about such words would be a disaster, and simply be explained in a way that no one could believe, nor understand. Nothing else would prepare Tojiro for his final battle in this final journey he must partake in. Everybody around him is unaware of what he is…and what he wants, therefore the Cloakmaster of Darkness doesn't want anyone getting involved and risking their lives in a war he started, and thus, a war he must put an end to. Whatever cost there is, Tojiro denies. The cost of one life can or cannot be amounted to the losses of millions, or even a whole world. Knowing the individuals inside the house he sat upon would definitely want to make sure nothing risky happens, Tojiro wouldn't speak a word of his holy lock or anything of the same topic, willing to leave his pain to sort out for himself. However, such a fate would be senseless. Rinko was in Yuto's bedroom, alone with the window open, hearing every word that transpired between the Demon God and Demigod of Death. She quickly closed the window, standing in confusion and worry. Rinko quickly turned around, heading for the door, swiftly reaching behind herself to close the door behind her, and head on downstairs. The truth of her intentions were fogged and unclear, while everyone else wandered their own ways, unaware of the words spoken between Ryu and Tojiro.

During the night, Tojiro was seen in his Darkrai form flying back to Yuto's house after he went back to Natsuru's house to get his cloak back. With his hood lowered, the Cloakmaster simply plopped himself down on the roof, looking up at the sky and the stars that strutted beautifully across its raven hue. His glowing eye became tense, and it looked to the right. He quickly turned around, hovering in mid air, then flew down to the backyard, and he found Rinko, making an attempt at getting back inside the house.

"Uhh, good night?" she said, sweating nervously.

Tojiro lowered his fists, "I'm surprised it wasn't Kuesu or Himari trying to spy on me. What are you doing up so late anyway?" he said in a tone of figurative curiosity.

Rinko became tense now, as if it was more difficult to stay calm a few seconds ago.

"It's nothing. I just thought you weren't going to be coming back, that's all." she put it straight.

"Okay. Whatever." he said, floating past her, and into the house.

"You do know I had to clean up a lot of glass earlier today because of you!" she suddenly yelled, turning around. Tojiro stopped, and snapped his fingers. The shattered glass door was suddenly rebuilt with a whole new glass pane.

"Now, will you go to sleep or not?" he said, turning around as well, giving Rinko a disturbing glare.

"Yeah. I suppose so." she said, yawning, inside the house, and past Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster waved his hand at the door which closed it, and he hovered down onto the couch. Rinko was already halfway up the stairs and watched him, he didn't move an inch. Rinko then continued on upstairs for a good nights rest.

Tojiro, after a brief silence and unsettling resistance of moving, Tojiro looked off to the right, spotting the Dark Ball. Tojiro hovered over to it discretely. The Dark Ball is a very old artifact, older than Tojiro, by technicalities. Biologically, Tojiro is nineteen years old, but technically, he's over a couple million years old. The Dark Ball was created as a type of storage device by the Great Shade Empire's High Priests. At that time, it was Dominic, the head priest who decided to construction of these devices. They were able to synthesize with a Nightshade's power, and put them inside the Dark Ball unless called upon by anyone in the outside world. No Nightshade was able to break out of a Dark Ball themselves, but that fact may not be the same with the Cloakmaster of Darkness, Tojiro.

"They kept it here, huh? It shall come in handy." he thought to himself, holding the artifact in his right hand, looking around the ancient tool of his people.

With a Nightshade concealed within the Dark Ball, it will instantly heal any wound, whether it be outside or inside the body. It would even restore enough negative Chaos energy to the Nightshade as they rest inside of it. However, if a Nightshade is to be caught in it, and someone from the outside destroys it, you would be lost inside a perilous network of hubs and portals, with no hope of escaping it alive. Very, very, and truly, very few Nightshades only made it out of the Dark Ball's mysterious labyrinth, but obviously never had the chance to tell the tale once they escaped of course. Tojiro put the Dark Ball back on the cabinet, and turned around to have Kuesu chokingly press him against the cabinet. "You're after him, aren't you?" she questioned intimately.

"After _whom_, exactly?" he replied calmly, yet with a stir of anger that could arise any second now.

"Don't play dumb with me." she hissed.

"That sure is a lot coming from someone with a chest as big as her brain." he replied.

Kuesu angrily pressed harder against the cabinet.

"This is the first time someone lived to say such things, I'll make you regret them." she threatened with open hatred.

"Be honest with yourself…would Yuto truly want your blood covering his whole living room? Come now Kuesu, you're more stronger than that to let my meaningless opinions hit you so hard." he said, pushing her onto the floor.

"Stop being so foolish and save your anger for those who truly deserve a good serving of wrath. I already done enough to you all in the past." he said. Kuesu quickly stood up, holding her book of spells in her left hand.

Tojiro sparked a ball of intense blue electricity around both his hands merely by clenching them.

"You're a fool for tempting my anger so easily." she hissed angrily.

"No problem with me." he replied, aiming his hands at her.

"Excuse me?" said a sudden voice.

On the stairs was Himari in her white robes.

"You both can save your violence for later." she atoned.

Tojiro then pointed his left hand at her while she stood on the staircase, while keeping his right hand pointed at Kuesu.

"That make anything better?" he asked.

"No. It doesn't. Just what is your problem?" she asked, walking down the stairs. Kuesu stepped out of the way as Himari walked past her and stood a foot or two away from the Cloakmaster. With both his lightning covered hands pointed at Himari, Tojiro was merely one nerve away from letting his anger out in the form of forced electrotherapy.

"I know you're the wrong type to pick a fight with…but surely you must have something telling you this is wrong." said the cat girl.

"On the contrary, Himari. There aren't many objections I can think of right now at the moment." he said, making the lightning spheres around his hands flicker and spin even more.

Silence followed. It felt that this moment was an awful drawback of a plan that could not remedied.

"Kuesu…did you cause him to be like this?" she asked.

"I don't believe you have the right to answer that question. I can't believe you'd even think of protecting him than Yuto. That's a bit disgraceful for someone who vowed to protect him." said Kuesu with great question in her voice. Himari turned halfway around and looked at Kuesu.

"Whether you can handle the truth or not…I am trying to protect the young master right now. We've seen what Tojiro has done before…and frankly…it'd be better to stop him from taking us all out without knowing the reason for his wrath." Himari explained excellently.

Tojiro tilted his head, then he looked down. It was Rinko's cat, waving its paws up at the strange being that it had never seen before. Tojiro then looked back at Kuesu, then Himari, giving lengthy glares and sickly looks even if he didn't make much facial appearances in hid Darkrai form. Tojiro lowered his hands, and the lightning spheres vanished into thin air. Kuesu appeared surprised at this. Himari looked back at the Cloakmaster, who was staring off into space.

"I'll save it for the morning, I suppose." surmised Himari, walking away from the pair, and back upstairs to Yuto's room. Tojiro looked forward, seeing Kuesu already at the door. She cracked it open an inch, then looked over her shoulder.

"You're lucky the cat girl thinks something of your vile self. Next time I see anything suspicious come from you that may harm Yuto…**I'll silence you**." she said, before walking out the door, and shutting it behind her.

The girl's cold words felt like thick air with no meaning to the Cloakmaster, already estimating that she couldn't handle whatever he had in store.

"For the morning…we shall see…about that." he said, looking over his shoulder, at the Dark Ball on the cabinet.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Following Morning<strong>_

On this sunny Friday morning, Yuto was first to wake up and make his way down into the kitchen. He was already dressed and prepared to go to school, but he still had time on his hands. Yuto went into the living room instead. What he found was the Darkrai Tojiro sleeping on the couch. He was laying back against the couch, his head lowered. However, Rinko's cat suddenly appeared behind the couch, jumping up onto it, observing the white hair which drifted off Tojiro's head. Yuto clasped his hands over his mouth, and slowly tip-toed his way over to the cat.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to bother him." said Yuto, reaching for the cat.

"That sure sounds honest, Yuto." said Tojiro.

Yuto quickly held his hands up in fear. Tojiro's eye opened and blinked a few times.

"What is it?" Tojiro asked Yuto sternly.

Yuto pointed with his left hand while it was still raised. Tojiro looked at the cat, curiously trying to smack at his white hair. Tojiro grabbed the cat quickly by its scruff, and held it in front of his face.

"Don't make me assimilate you." he said abruptly.

"Please don't assimilate the cat, Tojiro." said Yuto with a nervous smiling face.

The cat let out a meow and then licked Tojiro's face, which he growled from. He dropped the cat on the couch seat next to him, and it looked back up at him. Shizuku then came down from behind Yuto.

"Hey there, good morning!" Yuto said kindly.

"Good morning, young master." said Himari's voice, coming in from behind Shizuku, grabbing Yuto's arm, pressing her breasts against his arm.

Yuto immediately broke his expression into a nervous face of shock, and blushed unquestionably.

"It's not even worth it." murmured Shizuku, walking into the kitchen.

"Wait! Shizuku! Wh-W-Where are you going? Don't leave!" said Yuto, nervously trying to get Himari off him, and hopefully praying not to get beaten down by Rinko, especially in the morning of all times!

"Could one of you please desist and help me here?" asked Tojiro.

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Himari, looking around Yuto, and Yuto looked at Tojiro as well.

Rinko's cat was nestled on Tojiro's head, fast asleep.

"This isn't humorous. Remove the feline from my head…honestly!" he complained.

Yuto and Himari broke into a kindred laughter, while Tojiro sat in one very grumpy stature, with the cat sleeping peacefully on his _soft_ head.

"_Worldly training_? What kind of nonsense is that?" asked Tojiro to the cat guardian.

"You're one to talk! Everybody must train when they're outside! It relieves a lot of stress." said Himari.

"Hmmm, I remember relieving my stress with my weapons…that's how I relax. That or meditating." replied Tojiro, who was outside with Himari.

"Not to bother you, but you should've left that cat on your head. It seemed to enjoy it up there." said Himari with a slight giggle.

"Surely you jest with those words." barked the Cloakmaster, turning around immediately. Himari then began laughing, but later calmed herself down.

"It's for Yuto. Perhaps you could help him." Himari implied honestly.

"That's not my problem. I can see how devoted you are to protect him, so _you_ help him. I'll just sit back and say how much of a fool he is if he screws up." explained Tojiro, his arms crossed.

"Don't be too serious, now." said a smiling Himari.

"You've been here for some time now. I surely believe you have kept good watch over the boy. Has there been anything truly threatening? Anything the least bit?" he asked.

Himari looked away suddenly, signaling this was a yes to Tojiro's curiosity.

"Who has prompted you to believe Yuto's life is in more danger? I doubt they're a threat." said Tojiro strongly.

"A girl named Tama. Her form is a powerful demon fox. Just recently, she sucked some of my blood out to feed her power. And right now, I'm beginning to believe she's going to try again at taking Yuto's life, as well as mine." said Himari.

Tojiro sighed irritably.

"If there's ever something you need to believe when fighting against a foe who refuses to stop…learn that you can turn them into something…of a fool. Anger can make the strongest warrior become a sap in just seconds. If this Tama you speak of, does attack…I'll make sure she doesn't ruin your peaceful lives, trust me." sternly acknowledged Tojiro. Himari was giving the Cloak master a stunning look.

"Are you seriously telling the truth? It's not like myself and the others can't handle her." said Himari.

"True. But I hate beings who are too confident in victory every single day…they deserve to taste loss…at least once, right?" informed the Cloakmaster.

"His thinking…it's rational…but yet so violent. He's a being…who refuses to let anyone become of power. How strange." thought the cat girl.

"Whenever we must leave, I shall be meditating." he said, flying up onto the roof. Himari put on a smile, feeling more reluctant to have Tojiro assisting her and the others.

Rinko, already aware of where they were headed, was preparing herself for the trip to Yuto's old home in out in the forest. Shizuku walked in, carrying a basket.

"Oh! You can just set that down there, Shizuku." said Rinko, pointing to the table.

"Okay." she muttered, setting it on the table.

"Thanks!" said Rinko, as Shizuku left, going back outside.

"Is Yuto still upstairs, Rinko?" asked Himari, coming inside.

"Yup! Last time I checked at least." she answered.

Himari made her way upstairs, and into Yuto's room. He was busy at work stuffing all the essentials he would need for the trip.

"Young Master? Would you like some help?" said the cheery cat girl.

"No, no. I got it." he answered, finally zipping up the backpack.

"I know you're ready, so what'd you come up here for?" he asked.

"Well, actually…I was wondering…" she said, looking off to the side.

"Wondering…what?" he asked, feeling as if _something_ was about to happen.

"Tell me, is it right to bring this?" she asked, pulling the Dark Ball out of her sleeve. Yuto's eyes blinked a bit, but then he remembered the device.

"You believe Tojiro is, against us? Come on, Himari. He didn't do that in the past, why would he do it now?" asked Yuto with a smile.

"You've seen what he done last night to Ageha. He appeared…so careless." clued in Himari.

"You were outside talking to him, right? What did he say?" asked Yuto.

"I told him about Tama." replied Himari, looking at her master. It was true. Yuto looked even more nervous, but he had trouble understanding Himari's point.

"So then what? If she does attack, don't you think we can all take her out? Wouldn't that be good?" explained the boy calmly.

"Tojiro…he's a legendary demon. Far from what we consider an Ayakashi. We need to-"

"Trust me Himari, I do believe what you're saying, but Tojiro doesn't seem like he doesn't want to hurt any of us, except maybe Kuesu…but still! He was protective over us all when we first met him, and that was way before we even faced Tama." said Yuto, holding her shoulders.

"Young Master? Do…do you trust him that much?" she asked.

Yuto then hugged Himari tightly. The cat girl's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"I trust in you…to trust him. If we have to, we can convince him to move into the ball if you want. He doesn't hate it or anything, right?" said Yuto, splitting from the hug, with his hands still on Himari's shoulders.

She decided to manage his words into truth and complexity, and she smiled in agreement. "Alright." answered the cat girl, with a beautiful look in her eyes, hugging Yuto once more.

Later on, Kuesu's limousine arrived, which would transport the group out to Yuto's house for some real time training, and who knows what. Yuto, Himari, Rinko, Shizuku, and Ageha all headed towards the limousine and got in.

"Say, where is that one Ayakashi?" Kuesu asked Yuto after he got in the car.

The hedgehog turned Tojiro landed on the hood of the car.

"Tell that idiot to get off the hood right NOW!" Kuesu exclaimed angrily.

Tojiro stepped off the vehicle, with his hood down. Once everyone was inside, he took a peek inside, everyone looking at him, with him returning the favor to them.

"I'll be running alongside you guys. Don't wait up if we run into trouble, got it?" he informed.

"Understood!" they all answered, except Kuesu, who had her arms crossed, and staring the opposite way.

Tojiro closed the door, and walked around to the car's left side. The group watched him flip his hood over his head. The driver of the limousine then sped off, and the Cloakmaster of Darkness quickly ran off at the same speed, he is in the form of a super fast hedgehog, remember?

About a half hour later through the drive, the group were just leaving town. They could all see the mountains and large forest ahead of them in the distance.

"How's Tojiro holding up?" asked Rinko. Yuto pressed the button next to him to lower the window. Tojiro was still running, except backwards, while reading a newspaper. Yuto wore an expressionless face.

He lowered the window back down, "He appears…just fine." said Yuto, trying to hide his awkwardness.

"So the purpose of this whole trip is what exactly?" asked Kuesu.

"We visited Yuto's old house once before, right? At that time, we drew Ageha's attention. Who's to say we don't catch Tama's?" answered Himari.

"If I remember right, you really didn't like how Tama used you as her own personal snack. Why are you so confident this time?" asked Kuesu with curious adamancy.

"Don't forget, this is also for Yuto's training. He is definitely showing progress." Himari implied instinctively.

Kuesu tightened her gaze, and looked out the tinted window, at Tojiro.

"That must be her so called confidence. She won't learn until it hits her, won't she?" thought Kuesu to herself, smirking in the end.

"We need not to worry. After all, we got this thing." said Shizuku, somehow holding the Dark Ball up in her right hand, turning it around and around in the palm of her hand.

"Shizuku! W-W-Wha-What are you doing?" stuttered a mad Yuto.

"What's to be so nervous about? I just grabbed it from Himari." she replied quietly.

"You stole it from me? How in the hell did you manage that? Seriously?" shouted Himari.

"If Tojiro finds out…HE'LL KILL US!" Rinko added.

"Who's killing who, exactly?" Tojiro asked, suddenly poking his head through the limousine's small sun roof.

Yuto, Himari, and Rinko yelped by surprise, with Rinko quickly snatching the Dark Ball from Shizuku and hiding it behind her back.

"No-No-Nothing at all is going on! Killing? Pssh! What are you talking about, Tojiro?" clamored Rinko against the Demigod's curiosity, giving off a strange vibe, while Himari and Yuto were nodding to her every word. Tojiro lifted his eyebrows, and he poked his head back out, looking at what was suddenly tailing the limousine.

Entering out from the forest area on Tojiro's right, was a moldy skinned saber tooth, with the left and right sides of it's ribs exposed. Tojiro grabbed the beast as it lunged at him and tossed it off to the side, letting it tumble away in pain.

"Tojiro? Hey, Tojiro! What's going on up there?" Kuesu exclaimed, demanding an immediate answer.

Tojiro waved his hand, which closed the sun roof.

"Nothing. Just keep on driving." he said, punching his right fist into his left palm. His focus was kept on behind the limousine, spotting eight more of the ferocious mutant sabertooths catching up to the group.

Tojiro began waving his arms in Earthbending techniques. A stone shift of earth on the road impaled straight through one of the beasts, while another jumped over it, shooting a solid piece of hard tooth out of its mouth. The shot hit Tojiro right in his shoulder. He growled and angrily removed it. By the time he looked forward, a saber tooth had already lunged down, and pinned him down. As the limousine entered a steep turn-around with a cliff side to the left, Tojiro was nearly slipping off the car. Tojiro took the tooth that hit him earlier and drove it up through the saber tooth's lower jaw. He used his feet to kick the beast off the limousine. He jumped into the air shooting a flurry of green explosive Chaos Spears. The blasts hit the ground, exploding on mere impact, blowing away gravel and concrete from the road. One chunk of rock shot back towards a saber tooth, shattering its skull. Tojiro landed back on the limousine, tripping, and quickly grabbing hold of the roof with his metal clawed hand. Tojiro saw a saber tooth running alongside the left side. He quickly looked to the right, seeing another taking the same pace as the fast pacing limousine. Tojiro took in a stew of air. He released his metal hand from the roof. The two saber tooth tigers lunged at the Cloakmaster. In slow motion it seemed. The Demigod of Death stood up, grabbing the two monsters by their snouts, then exerting explosive fire, to blow them apart, and sent their burning corpses flailing down the road behind the limousine. The sun roof opened, Yuto's head came up. With intense winds blowing against his face, he looked up at Tojiro with one eye. "What's attacking us?" he shouted over the wind.

"Get the hell down you foolish boy!" shot Tojiro's slicing tone, turning around to push him back down.

A saber tooth landed on the limousine and sank its teeth into the back of Tojiro's skull. His eyes broke open with a furious glowing red of hate. The saber tooth suddenly backed off, shaking its head violently. Tojiro turned around and watch the saber tooth begin to scratch its face. Tojiro knew what caused it to draw back, but he wouldn't utter a word. Tojiro took the initiative by charging at the beast. He punched it across the face, then as it was down, he jumped a foot or so off the roof, and smashed his fist into the saber tooth's skull, breaking it in half. He picked the body up and then tossed it towards another saber tooth, which sent it bumping and slamming against the paved road.

Tojiro turned around, noticing the limousine had begin taking a straight road, but something else sudden caught his eye. Far up ahead, the ground began to split and out came three larger gorger worms.

"Those damn beasts? From the Third Circle; Gluttony. How quaint." Tojiro thought to himself.

A saber tooth grabbed Tojiro from behind, and began gnawing on his flesh. Tojiro grabbed the beast by its teeth pulled them outward, then finally, he tore the bicuspids out. The saber tooth dropped to its belly, blood spilling from its mouth. Tojiro faced the beast, and in an angry manner, he drove both of the torn out teeth, right into both of the beast's eyes, then followed up by kicking it directly in the face, sliding it off the limousine. The Cloakmaster quickly turned around to see the hungry Gorger Worms continuously biting their teeth together. Tojiro held his left hand up, creating a burning rich fire ball in his palm. He held his right hand up next to it, synchronizing his Chaos energy with the flames to make it more powerful. The flames turned to a fearsome red, and it grew larger in size. Tojiro than ran forward, stepping onto the hood of the limousine, and tossed the flaming ball of chaos forwards. The worms grunted in confusion. The blast exploded it fierce impact, blowing the beasts into molten flesh. Tojiro then swiped his hands in sideways motions to distinguish the wall of flames, and the limousine passed through the black cloud just in time.

Tojiro then saw high in the air, two black silhouettes.

"Two more Cloakmasters! Damn them for being such a nuisance. Akuma must be getting pretty desperate." Tojiro said, preparing the kusarigama known as the Chains of Fear, ready in his hands.

The cloaked individual on the left held a gold staff. At the top, it formed into a circle, with a cross in the middle, and a blue gemstone in the middle of that cross. The cloaked individual on the right held a Guandao spear which it's pole was black and the blade was a darkened silver with a red mural of a dragon on both sides of the blade.

"Let me take care of him, Alma. I must." said the female on the right.

"You will not do such a thing Kuro." said the older female's voice on the left.

"Why not?" said the girl on the right named Kuro.

"Because you are not a part of his family…you are simply a misconception of what he saw of you. But do not worry…you will get your chance…my dear." said the woman on the left named Alma.

Alma raised her staff high. A spark of light shined from the gemstone and shot down towards the ground. The beam hit and began the crackle and shutter the street road. "Oh…dammit." mumbled Tojiro.

The road up head began to shift and shoot up chunks of the cement and pavement, creating a momentous blockade of earth and rock. Tojiro jumped into the limousine, entering his Darkrai form.

"Buckle up fools. This may get unsettling." he advised calmly.

Tojiro morphed through the floor as a shadow.

"CHAOS…CONTROL!" he commanded.

All of time froze. His hand when in the road under the limousine, his left arm rose up, becoming tangible. He then began pushing up and up with his other hand. Finally, he slowly rose up, holding the limousine over his head. The Chaos Control wore off, and they were still heading towards the momentous wall of earth that was concocted by Alma.

"Are we going to die?" asked a shocked Yuto.

Tojiro's one eye glowed with intense brilliance. "Chaos…Thunder!" he shouted.

A series of rings the same color as his eye expanded out of his eye, coming towards the massive earth, and vanishing. "What a pathetic attempt at-" The entire middle of the earth mound exploded, leaving a humongous perfect circle hole in it. Tojiro then shot his way on through it, and slowly made his way back down to the road, leaving Alma stunned and at a loss for words.

"You don't call him the Master of Chaos for nothing, Alma." said Kuro's low toned voice.

"Just stop them dammit! NOW!" ordered Alma, pointing her staff down at them. Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form, still holding the Chains of Fear in hand.

"Only one? Where'd that other cloaked bastard go?" he said, looking left and right.

Kuro suddenly appeared to Tojiro. The Cloakmaster turned around, feeling her presence. He held his weapons up, but Kuro grabbed him with a forceful grip at the throat. Kuro then lowered her hood, shocking Tojiro. She was in a hedgehog form as well. Her quills were short, but she had flowing silver hair going past her back, and blood red eyes wavering at the sight of the Demigod. Kuro then smirked, and used her left hand to lower Tojiro's hood.

"Remember me? **Tojiro-kun**?" she said, pressing a lavish and voluptuous kiss onto Tojiro's lips. His full red eyes were shaking, unable to believe he had finally come face to face…with an old flame.

Kuro finally broke from the lavish kiss, and smiled. "Remember me…and this kiss…alright Tojiro-kun?" she said, before simply vanishing into thin air.

Tojiro lowered the Chains of Fear, a dark red aura forming around him.

"Good job, Kuro. Now that you harmed his fragile little spirit…he'll snap. And his anger…the most powerful anger of all…shall be unleashed." said Alma, as Kuro reappeared by Alma's side.

Kuro had a confused and saddened look on her face as she heard Alma's true, but still cold demeaning words. Alma then flew off across the sky, while Kuro remained still.

"I'm sorry Tojiro-kun. I had to join them." she said, putting her over her head, and flying off after Alma. Tojiro stood still, quivering.

"Tojiro, my love. What did you just do?" said Victoria's voice within his mind.

His imagination ran wild. It ran rabid like his anger. He could see Victoria's face, and her eyes, such a sad and grave look.

"You…**betrayed me!** Why? How could you shatter the love we shared?" she shouted in the back walls of his inner thoughts. He then envisioned a single drop of water falling into a black lake, sending blood red rivets through the water. "Victoria." Tojiro's voice whispered.

The limousine came to an instant halt, and Tojiro was flung off the car and he was sent rolling across the ground, the aura of dark red still emanating around him. They had finally arrived at Yuto's old house. The group quickly got out of the limousine, Yuto being the first, with Himari right behind him.

"Don't go near him, trust me. That aura doesn't look good." churned Himari's secure voice, holding Yuto by his wrist.

Yuto took a couple more looks from Himari and the motionless Cloakmaster. With the Chains of Fear in front of Yuto's feet, he reached down to grab them, once Himari let go of his hand. They suddenly shot across the dirt, towards Tojiro. The whole group looked up, seeing Tojiro was already up on his feet, and the Chains of Fear quickly being held in his hands. The ominous aura glistened and shook uncontrollably around his body.

"What is happening to him?" said Kuesu, standing by Yuto's side.

Tojiro's hood put itself over his head, he looked forward with red furious eyes.

"That cannot be good." mumbled Yuto. Tojiro swung the blades out on their infinite chains. The group quickly moved away from the limousine as both blades hitched onto the grill of the limousine. Tojiro then leaped up into the air, performing a front flip afterwards, then pulling himself down towards it, flattening it completely, causing it to explode into flames. The group put their backs to the old house that was far behind them. In the flames, the cloaked demigod stepped out, putting the Chains of Fear back in their holders.

"I'm not breaking any more promises! NOT AGAIN! NEVER!" he roared, charging towards the group.

"What's up with him?" exclaimed Rinko.

"I knew this would happen. He couldn't keep his promise." thought Himari, unsheathing her sword.

"Tojiro doesn't make promises!" called out an elderly man's voice. The group looked behind them. A man in a dark brown cloak suddenly walked up to the group.

"He's as promising as dirt. Chaos Eruption!" he called out, raising his wooden staff. The red gemstone placed in the top of it, released a large wave of orange Chaos energy, which lashed out in serious waves that clashed against Tojiro. The Cloakmaster went smacking across the ground, ultimately ending up back on his feet. The man lowered his hood; it was another last survivor of the Great Shade Empire. The leader of the Shade High Priests; Dominic.

With his long white beard, and sharp eyes, he observed Tojiro's state, thinking of how and why his Chaos powers are acting so disastrously.

"A spell of some sorts. A combination of Chaos energy and magic. But how? How to remedy this power from his system shall surely be a challenge." Dominic questioned himself mentally. Tojiro suddenly grew fangs in his mouth, and his eyes became predatory and fearsome.

An aura of black and red transformed him into his human form. With blood dripping from his mouth and fangs, the demon changed Tojiro charged forward.

"Frozen Chaos!" shouted Dominic, pointing his staff up at the vicious Tojiro, releasing a blue blast of swirling Chaos energy. The blast sent Tojiro rolling across the dirt, steaming from the power of a move which is positive Chaos energy. Wiping his mouth, Tojiro rose back up, shooting a pair of red beams from his eyes. Dominic struck the ground with his staff, which created a dome of yellow Chaos energy around the whole group. The blast broke through the dome, and Tojiro was set to charge.

"Dammit! He's far too persistent in this level! His demon powers are overwhelming his Chaos powers!" said Dominic, holding his staff.

Tojiro changed his left hands' fingers into the Nightmare Claws, five long razor sharp fingers, and swung away at the high priest. Dominic jabbed the Cloakmaster in the gut, which froze him in spot.

"Seal of Enforcement!" said Dominic. A blue wave spouted from the staff that was pressed against Tojiro's gut and shot him across the ground, keeping him surrounded with an outline of blue. Tojiro remained still.

Dominic took in a much needed breath, "That should hold him for now."

Yuto and the group approached Dominic, who turned around to them.

"Greetings to you all! Sorry for not introducing myself, but this young man seems to be under a dangerous spell which has got him out of control. My name is Dominic. Was he with you very long, or did he simply attack you?" Dominic began, incoherent to any questions.

"No. We've know him for a while. We all came here together until we were attacked by these strange Ayakashi-"

Dominic then laughed suddenly, interrupting Yuto. "Dear boy, what Tojiro defended you from weren't simple Ayakashi. They were from the realm of Hell itself!" he announced severely.

"He-Hell? You can't be serious!" Himari said surprisingly.

"For now, that seal will keep him still and quiet. There's no way he can break it, I hope so at least." said Dominic, looking over his shoulder.

Once settled in, the group were curious as to what the high priest Dominic had done with the Cloakmaster.

"Was it too risky? Was it the right thing to let him come with us?" Himari questioned within her thoughts.

"Himari? What's wrong?" asked Yuto suddenly.

"Nothing! Everything's all right, master!" she said with a fake smile.

The sliding door suddenly opened, and in walked Dominic, with Kaya by his side.

"Himari, what's with this guy?" asked Kaya.

Dominic appeared estranged by such a question.

"Don't worry yourself Kaya, you can trust him." Himari answered.

Kaya then sighed, believing Himari's words, and sat down with the others. Dominic closed the door behind him. He turned to face everyone, who were all sitting on the ground comfortably.

"If any of you are worrying about the demon…you truly shouldn't. The seal I locked on him will keep him quiet until I can find out how to dispel the energy that's making him like this." he began.

"Has anything like this happened before in the past?" asked Yuto.

"Not at all. Actually, this is the first time it ever happened in the history of his people." said Dominic.

"In all history? What is it exactly?" asked Kuesu.

"Tojiro's true form lies within him. Tojiro is truly a Dragon…yet it slumbers inside him, deep inside him." Dominic said.

"Dragon? Is that bad?" asked Yuto.

"It's worse then that, my boy! It shall be catastrophic if that beasts comes out. It will devour his soul, and live limitlessly in this world of ours." said Dominic, walking over to a small counter, where some hot tea was ready.

"Now…if I could ask of any of you…just what did you do to him?" he said, pouring the tea in the small cup.

"We weren't responsible for anything." Kuesu declared.

"He began attacking us as soon as we arrived here." Shizuku added. Rinko began thinking to herself if the reason behind this sudden calamity was what she heard from Ryu and Tojiro's conversation.

"I'll begin with this then; before, Tojiro called upon the powers of the Dragon for the first time. However, he had complete control over its power. That was a one time deal, though. This time…something in his spirit is beginning to untangle the sealed Dragon within him." he began.

"How did Tojiro turn into the Dragon before then?" asked a peculiar Rinko.

Dominic took a drink of the tea, and turned around. "His right arm. It's what he uses to mentally and physically take over his Dragon form. Now, however, the Dragon is doing what it should've done so many years ago." he continued.

"What exactly?" asked a persisted Yuto.

"The Dragon has a mind of its own, which still confuses me on how Tojiro was able to summon control over it before. Regardless, the Dragon is a very evil beast. Its power and hate knows no bounds, and being locked up inside Tojiro is just making it even angrier. What you saw today…was a slight rendition of how the Dragon feels when_ it_ takes over Tojiro's body." Dominic explained, taking another drink from his tea.

The group was officially shocked by such news. "T-T-The Dragon was…in control?" stuttered Rinko.

"I'm afraid so. And whatever spell made him do this…it must've been very powerful…and very nightmarish. My best guess is that the spell used on him was to take control over him, or simply rile up his anger and let nature do the rest. But somehow, there was something he saw within himself…that made him so enveloped with violent intentions." slumbered a deep voiced Dominic, putting the empty cup on the small cabinet behind him.

As silence fell among the room, no one could sum up the courage to even say another word or even ask another question.

"Tojiro is a strong boy…his hatred is what changed him. That's something that can't be healed." Dominic stated.

"Where is he?" asked Himari. Everyone looked at the cat girl with surprise. Dominic raised his brows.

"Where is he now? Show us." she said with determination and confidence.

Dominic led the group to something of a shed which he conjured up with Chaos Control. He waved his hand in front of the large metal door. The multi locked system spun it's gears and turned in clockwise turns. There was a large symbol of the Great Shade Empire on the door, and it began to glow red. Dominic jammed his staff into the keyhole and turned it. The doors swung open, and inside was the Cloakmaster; suspended by glowing blue chains around his neck, wrists and ankles.

"Right now he's stable. The spell seems to turn on at different intervals. You may talk to him if you any of you wish so." said Dominic, walking away, back to the house.

Tojiro's head looked up at them, and he shook it to give his blurry a clear chance.

"Ahhh, the fools I nearly killed myself over. I take it we arrived safely?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah. You could say that." said Yuto, scratching the back of his head.

"Good then. Even if this damn beast inside is trying to break out…I won't let it." he declared.

"How did you know?" said a surprised Rinko.

"I'm not stupid. I remembered this power…but now…I can't control it. Even if I do press the button on my right hand, the Dragon would take over. Gracious isn't it?" he said, yawning afterwards.

"You shouldn't be so cocky. You could have killed one of us." said Kuesu with her arms crossed.

"Perhaps. But I don't succeed by trying…I succeed through actually doing what I choose. Does that make you feel any better? Maybe an inch or so?" he pestered.

The group were shocked to hear Tojiro in such a mental state.

"So none of you caught an eye of that girl who kissed me?" he brought up.

"Heh?" exclaimed half of the group.

"She was…a Nightshade like me. I can't believe I would've seen her again in my whole life." he said, his head lowered.

"She just kissed you? So is that what made you go crazy?" asked Kaya.

"I made a promise to my first love…and by being so foolish and letting that girl provoke me so easily…it's pathetic!" he shouted.

"Who was your first-"

"Don't you goddamn dare to make me bring it up, Himari. Or else, I'll let this Dragon do what it wants…**and let it kill all of you**." he steamed with infuriation.

If it was fright or frigid fear, the group stood in complete shock. Tojiro gritted his teeth, which were no longer fang like, and he turned his head away, staring at the wall.

Dominic returned, "Step back now." he alarmed discretely.

The group turned towards the house, without another word, and let Dominic close the large door, leaving Tojiro once again in darkness.

"I couldn't believe he actually said that. He didn't even care one single bit when he said it either." said Rinko.

"That…my friends…is what the promise of a Nightshade…truly is." said Dominic importantly.

"For now, none of you should worry about him. The Dragon inside him won't get out by itself. Only if Tojiro willingly removes the seal within himself will the Dragon's power belong to him…for him to unleash. All of you must get the time you need alone. I know it. I shall do what I must to prepare myself as well. Good day." said Dominic, vanishing before their eyes.

The group turned back around to the house and continued on walking, hoping to forget the words that escaped Tojiro's mouth so easily and willingly. If for anything would they be able to continue throughout the day in this mood, could they even be ready to face the nine tailed fox; Tama, when she attacks? As a matter of fact, will they even be able to sleep at night, knowing there's a very persistent demon in their nearby shed that'll kill them if he gets the chance? No matter. It perpetuated through each of their minds that possibly Dominic, and their power together would protect them all from whatever force may arise, whether it be of good or evil natures, they mustn't stand down, and they mustn't give up at such a time.

It was about 5:30 in the afternoon, Yuto was walking alone in one of the short hallways, and came into the main room. When he opened the sliding door, he found Dominic and Kuesu reading some scrolls and documents.

"What are you two actually doing?" asked Yuto in confusion.

"If Tojiro's going to threaten us, we have to find a way to _properly_ force him to quit. Reading through the scrolls that belong to Dominic may prove useful." answered Kuesu, setting one scroll down to pick up another.

"It's good to see them at work. That much is true." Yuto thought to himself, closing the door, and continuing on through the house.

"Tell me Kuesu, what made you so quick to assist me? Surely you despise him?" said Dominic, flipping through a set of scrolls.

Kuesu gave him a sudden look.

"Much like Tojiro, it is easy for me to see into others' minds. He sure has said many rude and evil things, I'm sure of it, right?" he asked, looking at Kuesu.

"It doesn't matter. What he does is what he faces in the end. Besides, if I don't do something, Yu-chan will be in danger." she quickly answered.

"Be honest with yourself then. Looking through my set of lethal magic scrolls doesn't seem to increase your chances of getting even with Tojiro." adjourned Dominic, holding his hand out.

Kuesu handed the two scrolls and the book back to Dominic, which he put by his side.

"That type of magic isn't like yours. Performing magic against a Nightshade certainly increases your chances of victory, but it is the raw hatred that gives a Nightshade his power." said Dominic.

"He can be as complicated as he wishes. His hatred means nothing." she barked instantly.

"His hatred has made him the last of his kind." Dominic answered back.

Kuesu looked at him suspiciously.

"Tojiro was born in Greek times. Even as a newborn, he saw his father die. The night he became a Nightshade was also the night he killed his mother, I witnessed it all, and to this day, I truly question why our people even began to honor and respect Nightshade. You and your friends have something Tojiro doesn't…heart and friendship, literally!" said Dominic, closing the scroll he was holding.

"This doesn't worry me at all, old man." said Kuesu, crossing her arms figuratively.

"Of course you aren't! You're a powerful magic user yourself…but Tojiro has hate, he doesn't need to worry about the loss of friends because he doesn't have any…nor does he want any. The boy thought so positive once he was just a child, but now he's gone down a road he was forced to travel. Anyway, it's time for a break. I insist you get something to eat, much to my own concern, also." said Dominic, making his way out of the room swiftly, in dire need for food.

In the kitchen, Dominic arrived by Shizuku's side, who was already busy at work.

"Smells wonderful, my dear! When will it be ready?" he asked kindly.

"It's ready when it's ready. Calm yourself." she answered.

Dominic wore a sudden face of disappointment and sadness. Himari and Yuto were outside sparring. Blocking a strafe attack, Yuto stepped back once he defended himself.

"I'm beginning to believe if Tojiro truly is a burden to our group." said Yuto.

"True enough. Our focus doesn't seem to well." replied Himari, swinging her wooden sword.

Yuto raised his wooden sword to defend himself, but Himari quickly pushed him back, then pressed the wooden sword to Yuto's neck.

"I…I guess you're right." Yuto said nervously. Himari retracted the wooden sword, stretching her arms.

"It's better just not to think about it. That's what we need to do." she said.

"Agreed." replied Yuto, following Himari to sit down on the wooden porch outside the kitchen of the house.

"If…Dominic does find a way to remove that crazy spell from Tojiro's system, how will he react? Would he try to fight against us?" Yuto suggested.

"If something like that even happens, I'll protect you like always. Don't worry, master. I shall stay by your side." she said, looking at him lovingly.

Yuto turned his eyes nervously, avoiding her sly and loving gaze.

"W-W-Will you now?" he said, as Himari slowly approached his face.

Yuto then turned his face to her, slowly bringing his face to hers. A wooden staff in-between the two, and they reeled their heads away, as a large barrier expanded from the top of his staff, and encircled the whole house. A sudden of flurry blue beams of fire just began colliding to the barrier when it just formed up. Dominic finally lowered his staff, causing the entire barrier to dissipate instantly.

"She's…she's here?" exclaimed Rinko's voice. Himari and Yuto rose to their feet, spotting Shuten Douji, with Tama sitting on his shoulder. "Now, what do we have here?" he presented, a short and sinister smile blanketing his face.

Himari quickly drew her sword and charged forward. Tama jumped off Shuten's shoulder and shot a sphere of blue flame down at Himari. The cat girl quickly leaped off to the left, skidding to an instant halt. Tama hovered in mid air, attempting to simply intimidate Himari.

"Stand down Himari! She's too powerful!" exclaimed Dominic.

"No…she isn't. I won't let her defeat me!" said Himari, leaping up at the girl.

A barrier immediately was created to defend Tama. Himari was back lashed, and sent flying towards the ground, crashing into it with fierce force.

"Himari!" shouted Yuto, running out towards her.

"Yuto, wait!" shouted Rinko immediately.

"You'll only get yourself killed!" yelled the high priest.

Yuto quickly stopped by Himari's side, picking her up in his arms.

"Tama's too powerful. There's…only one thing we can do." Yuto said within thought, looking at the shed containing Nightshade.

Yuto immediately ran for it, keeping Himari tight in his arms. "Ahh, dammit! He's going for Tojiro!" exclaimed Dominic, quickly heading after the pair.

Tama released a fiery barrage of blue streaked flames. Dominic waved his staff, creating a protective wave shaped barrier over the two as they ran. With no effect, the fire balls collided. Dominic used Chaos Control to appear by the two.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" yelled Dominic.

"He's our only chance Dominic. I won't risk Himari's life over my foolishness! Set him free, now!" Yuto demanded.

Dominic remained hesitant, and looked off to see Ageha and Shizuku being thrown to the ground by Tama's fierce power. Dominic looked back at Yuto.

"Set him free, it's all we got." stammered a struggling Yuto.

Dominic hesitated even more, but he turned his head to the gate and quickly crammed the head of his staff into the keyhole which was in the same shape of his staff. The symbol of the Great Shade Empire glowed red, and the door swung open. Yuto set Himari on her feet, from which she steadily stood up on her own.

"Master! Master, wait! You can't be serious on letting him free." Himari questioned, approaching Yuto.

Tojiro glared down at him menacingly, his glaring orange eyes didn't leave him for a moment.

"If I'm going to protect you Himari, I'll do whatever it takes." he said, looking at her.

Himari let out a gasp. Dominic was suddenly flung out of the entrance of the shed by Tama. Yuto quickly looked over his shoulder with fright. Tama opened her mouth, a dangerous amount of her fox fire forming from in the back of her throat. Yuto quickly turned back to the chained Tojiro, and grabbed the chain, creating a sudden gold glow. Tama let loose her intense fiery power straight into the small shed. Tama quickly ascended back up onto Shuten's shoulder.

"Yu-chan." said Kuesu, watching the flames. The pit of flames sparked and constantly burned where the remains of the shed were.

"Well done Tama-san. How about feasting on the rest of them?" said Shuten.

A sudden plank of metal hit Shuten in the back of the head. He turned around, causing both Tama and Shuten to appear surprised. Standing down on the ground was the ten foot tall Werehog changed Tojiro, holding Himari and Yuto in his large furry arms. His eyes full of glowing red, steam blowing through his nostrils and from in-between the claws on his right hand.

"You haven't even got a taste of the main course yet, you petulant fools." mongered Tojiro.

With the group approaching from behind, Tojiro turned around to set both Yuto and Himari down.

"You're lucky, both of you. And I am humble for you letting me free, Yuto." said Tojiro, bending forward, talking to them.

"No problem. Just…get rid of those two, okay?" requested Himari.

Tojiro quickly to his hedgehog form, arming Black Death in his right hand, holding it still.

"And I shall keep that word." he said, turning around and launching into the air in the process.

"Regrettably, I don't really like your kind. So I shall make this as short as possible." said Tojiro, shooting various bursts from his gun.

Tama and Shuten immediately vanished instantly, and reappeared behind the Cloakmaster to send him flying straight towards the ground with a boom of wind. The Cloakmaster crashed with intense force. He gripped the ground, causing chunks of earth to grow up to his elbow. Lifting his fists of earth gauntlets, Tojiro began punching the ground. A large barrage of boulders began spouting out of the ground and shooting up at Tama and Shuten.

"He definitely is a different Ayakashi, hmm Tama?" said the smiling Shuten.

She nodded in agreement. The pair quickly vanished from the sky and appeared apart from the Cloakmaster.

"Just as we planned now Tama. Do it." said Shuten.

Tama quickly flew up, turned around and charged down towards Yuto.

"Master!" exclaimed Himari, quickly running over to him to stand in front of Yuto defensively.

Tama simply waved her arm, causing Himari to be shot back towards the house, crashing through one of the walls. Tama hoisted Yuto up off the ground and began squeezing his neck.

"Yu-chan!" cried out Kuesu, preparing a series of magic fire balls around her. "Now now, do that and she'll kill him in an instant. You wouldn't want that now, right?" said Shuten. Regrettably, Kuesu lowered her book, and her magic vanished.

Shuten looked at Tojiro.

"Didn't you hear?" questioned Shuten.

"The words of fools never phase me. Take that pathetic girl of yours and turn her on me, you coward." Tojiro demanded.

"I'll have to refuse. Watching the boy suffer is what we need right now to unlock the cat's true power." said Shuten, turning his head back to Tama.

From inside the house, an X shaped ray of red came out at Tama. She quickly tossed the nearly dead Yuto off to the side, and created a barrier to deflect the blast. Stepping out of the hole in the house was Himari. "What…what has happened to her!" exclaimed Rinko. Himari's hair was white, and her crimson red kimono torn in various spots. She wore a devilish grin, her true nature stood before them!

"There's what we want. Tama, you may eat her now." rallied the smiling Shuten.

Tama charged directly down at her and Himari let out an angry roar, leaping up at Tama. The two supernatural forces collided in a riveting explosion of lights. Himari was sent crashing to the ground, while Tama remained hovering in the air. Himari got up and looked at everyone behind her, grinning with bloodlust.

"The cat's lost her mind big time! Stay back you idiot feline!" commanded Kuesu, launching a series of magic fire balls at Himari.

The fully transformed demon cat was jumping from one angle to another, then finally was ready to swing her claws at Kuesu. Until, the Cloakmaster appeared in front of her, punching her in the gut with his rock gauntlets.

"She's too much for you all to handle. Yuto's already hurt. No more pointless sacrifices are needed." Tojiro determined, shaking his hands, which removed the earth from around his arms.

"What are you trying to say?" said Ageha offensively.

"If Yuto risked his life to come this far…I don't think he'd want you to end up in the same way he is in right now. Get to safety now, you bunch of fools." said Tojiro, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, and charging forward.

"Kuesu…we really need to get Yuto to safety. It's our only chance." Shizuku implied quietly.

Kuesu turned halfway around, looking back at the battle. "You better win this fight…for Yuto's sake." she whispered.

Tama was lying on top of Himari, attempting to suck out her blood. Tojiro quickly did a strafe kick right into the side of her chest, sending Tama furiously rolling across the ground.

"Keep your eye on me…I am your opponent!" Tojiro shouted.

Himari's eyes snapped open. Tojiro quickly turned to her, raising his blade up which she grabbed onto. Himari glared into Tojiro's blank white eyes with hunger.

"She's violent like me when she's in this damn form!" Tojiro exclaimed in thought.

Tojiro with all haste, grabbed Himari by her throat and shocked her with an intense and violent surge of blue lightning. Himari roared and screeched in agony.

"Undeniably, this is all for your own good." Tojiro mumbled to himself.

Himari then hung loose in Tojiro's grip. Tojiro meaninglessly dropped her, turning to Tama, who suddenly bit down on his neck. Tojiro's eyes twisted into hate. Tama's eyes widened as well. She backed away, coughing horrendously, actually dropping to the ground, trying to spit the blood out. Tojiro carelessly observed her, then looked forward at Shuten, who was more surprised than Tama was.

"How is that possible? What in the world is wrong with her?" exclaimed Shuten.

"You low lives don't understand, don't you? Being a rotten, wretched being like myself has its consequences. Not only for myself…but for others as well. If she didn't suck out my blood…she got a good dosage of my Chaos energy. In turn, it'll turn her into nothing but a bag of dead meat. My blood is evil and coarse…no being has been able to prove that wrong." spoke the horrifying Cloakmaster.

"You're just a freak! You have no power over us! How dare you protect these lowly humans! You damn fool!" roared Shuten.

Tojiro suddenly appeared behind Shuten, sticking the Blade of Darkness straight through his back, through his heart, and out the chest. "If you're so great…make an attempt in vain and tell me how you didn't see this coming." Tojiro said darkly.

Tojiro kicked Shuten's corpse to the ground, in turn removing his blade from his back. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, looking back at Tama, who helplessly sat on the ground, cradled in fear. Tojiro approached her, showing no pity in his cold eyes.

"Didn't taste good, huh? Well, I can't help it if people refuse to learn through experience." Tojiro said, raising his left foot over her skull.

"Stop it right there, child." shouted Dominic's voice.

Tojiro angrily growled as the high priest began walking towards him.

Tojiro put his foot back on the ground, "You better have a good reason for stopping me like this you bag of bones." Tojiro spat.

"She appears harmless, all she wants is food! Take it easy on her. She just drank your rancid blood on accident, let her be." said Dominic, turning around and making his way back to the house. Tojiro looked back down at Tama inconsiderably.

"Get moving." he ordered.

Tama quickly ran off to the house with Dominic. Tojiro stepped over to Himari's body, picking her up. Her hair was back to it's normal black hue, yet she wasn't awake.

Tojiro looked at her confusingly, "So much for my word, huh?" he said, continuing his way to the house.

Yuto was steadily awaking, with the girls crowded around him.

"Finally awake." greeted the taciturn Shizuku, as Yuto slowly sat up.

"Himari! Where is she? What happened to her?" he suddenly questioned.

"Calm down you fool, she's right here." said the confined Tojiro, appearing in the room.

Tojiro set her down, and Yuto kneeled down next to her.

"Is she even breathing?" asked a concerned Kaya. Dominic checked her pulse.

"Faint. Very faint. Even if I use some of my energy to help revive her…it's still a long shot." said Dominic.

"Himari…" mumbled a worried Yuto.

Tojiro blinked a few times, and took in a careless sigh. Tojiro walked around to Yuto and moved him out of the way. Tojiro pointed his right arm at Himari. Holding his right hand still, a small patch of blue streams came out from the palm of his right hand.

"Tojiro, no!" Dominic included.

"Be quiet, old man." Tojiro barked.

The blue streams wrapped around her, and shined for a moment, then vanished in an instant. Tojiro rose up, appearing unable to stand. He slowly limped out of the room, holding his head.

"Damn…I need a break. I'll be outside." he announced, leaving the room.

Himari opened her eyes, and she slowly turned her head, seeing Yuto by her side.

"Young Master? You're…you're okay." she said with relief.

"Now that you're awake." he said kindly. Himari looked away in embarrassment, "Your kinds words are too nice, master. You're embarrassing me." she said innocently.

With smiles all around, it was well enough to say that Himari would continue to live on, with her young master. Dominic was busy in thought, about why Tojiro would use such power to save another's' life. Was it unorthodox? Check. Was there reason behind it? Check. What reason was it? Unmarked.

At sunset, Tojiro sat on the house's roof, in his human form, his hood lowered. He set his eyes on the beautiful sunset, his orange eyes blinking, then he looked back down at the ground.

"Was it truly necessary?" asked Dominic's voice.

The Cloakmaster turned his head to the left, watching the high priest walk over, and sitting down next to him.

"It was worth it to see her enjoy her precious life. She didn't deserve any fate like suffering." Tojiro answered. Dominic sighed, pressing his hand on top of Tojiro's head, shocking him with a crimson red dose of lightning. Dominic then removed his hand, appearing as if nothing had happened.

"You rotten old piece of crap! I'll kill you right now!" Tojiro shook with anger, raising the Blade of Darkness over his head.

"I cured you of that spell." Dominic interrupted.

Tojiro raised an eyebrow.

"I take it when you faced Kuro she would have kissed you out of emotion. That kiss was actually a hypnosis spell. It's good you didn't let it affect you so easily…being you of course." plotted Dominic.

Tojiro sheathed the blade and sat back down. "Whatever, old man." mumbled Tojiro.

"Knowing that the Nine Hell Gods are back, you're going to need the Nightmare Scythe." claimed Dominic.

"I'm already ten steps ahead of you. I already have the Blade of Darkness and the Chains of Fear." Tojiro answered.

"What happened to Dragon's Bane?" he asked curiously.

"Overwhelmed by Chaos energy I suppose. I changed it into this new blade." reacted Tojiro tiredly.

"That still makes it a Nightmare weapon then. Good, good. And you have Julius's Chains of Fear, you only need one more which will lead you to the location of the Nightmare Scythe." Dominic responded. It was silent between the two, as they kept their eyes on the sunset.

"Could you tell me…why you did that?" asked Dominic all so suddenly. Tojiro remained in a mode of silence.

"You could have easily used your Chaos energy to heal her. Instead…**you used some of your own life force**." rendered Dominic with tilted eyebrows that looked worried.

Tojiro huffed in response.

"You may be right. I could have used Chaos energy…but I could not. My Chaos energy isn't always so helpful when it comes to healing. Believe me, it would have made things worse for her. Besides, I'm not a weakling." Tojiro said in a figurative tight response.

"Your life force isn't something like your Chaos energy that simply regenerates when you use it!" Dominic exclaimed.

"Like it will matter. I did what I believed had to be done. Stick your concerns somewhere else, Dominic." Tojiro answered roughly, standing up.

"Where are you going this time?" he asked.

Tojiro pointed up at a strange blue portal that awaited far out to the north. Dominic stood up as well.

"An invitation to a trap?" guessed the wise Dominic.

Tojiro shook his head, "More like a favor to get rid of me. I'm leaving. Tell the others my goodbyes, okay?" Tojiro said, flipping his hood over his head, and shooting off across the sky.

"That boy must truly be asking for a death wish." Dominic retorted silently, chuckling lightly afterwards.

As Tojiro neared the portal closer and closer, he looked at the sunset one final time. Tojiro set his gaze forward, and dashed his way on through the portal, and onto the next leg of his journey.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: This is pathetic. This is karma! Wait, isn't it always like this?

Yukinari: Can't we just focus on getting back home, Tojiro? GAHHH!

Miharu: Wow Yukinari. I didn't know you had your own battle cry! May I try?

Tojiro: You effortless fools, its my Werehog form attacking us!

Yukinari: Do something already! Tojiro! OH MY GOD! He's charging! RUN!

Miharu: The rain on Seiren sure is great, isn't it Yukinari?

Tojiro: Just run to the house! Don't look back, I'll handle the Werehog!

NEXT TIME!

**CHAPTER XI: A Wager of War, A Time for Chaos!**


	11. Chapter XI

_**CHAPTER XI: A WAGER OF WAR, A TIME FOR CHAOS!**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu! Those two are my original characters and thus belong to me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_**Planet Seiren, 10:30 am **_

Tojiro launched out of a large steaming bathtub and into the ceiling.

"Damn you karma." he said in a muffled voice. Tojiro released himself, landing back in the water.

"Now…where in the hell have I seen this before?" he said, turning his head around, observing the large luxurious bathing room. He held his right hand out, with his hand turned over. The blue button on his hand released a holographic image of planet Seiren, with it's name at the top.

"Seiren? This planet with nearly all its males extinct, while everyone else is female? Lucky me." he said, lowering his arm back down, and grumbling to himself.

A pair of arms suddenly grasped him from behind. "Wow. Already getting off to a good start." he said, grabbing Black Death.

He used Chaos Control to free himself from the grasp of this woman. He reappeared on the dry floor, pointing his massive revolver at her. It was a woman named Maharu, Miharu's older sister. And yes…she was naked.

"I can't believe a man would just pop up in my house so easily! This is definitely my lucky day!" she said, walking towards him.

"It will be lucky for you if you ever see the outside of this house if you don't stop moving!" Tojiro exclaimed with great loss of his temper.

"Would you _really_ want to shoot me? Just put that little gun of yours down…okay?" she said, pressing her chest against him.

"I politely refuse, now back off." he said, releasing a surge of Airbending, throwing Maharu back into the bathtub. Tojiro put Black Death back in his holster, turned around and kicked the doors down, and immediately taking a right down the hall.

"I just got here…and this seems like a freakin' maze! What's with this planet?" Tojiro yelled in thought. Tojiro arrived in the main lobby, finally.

He approached the door swinging the double doors open. "There he is girls!" said one woman out of over a hundred grouped right outside the door.

About ten sweat drops formed on the back of Tojiro's head. He quickly shut the doors.

"Karma can go to Hell. It's official." he spat with a blank face.

The doors began shaking and breaking from the so called angry mob of desperate females on the other side of it. Tojiro fired a blast of red Chaos energy into the roof. Fully dressed, Maharu arrived on the large set of stairs in the front of the lobby.

"Don't leave future husband!" she shouted.

"What's that? Leave? Okay then." Tojiro said, shooting up through the roof.

Tojiro's eyes popped as large as fish bowls when he saw the vast number of females standing in front of the house.

"If there's anyone I can trust, it's Miharu. Hopefully Yukinari is with her." he said to himself, shooting off across the sky.

"Good lord, why must this be so difficult?" he shouted, using his sharp eyes like a sonar, attempting to find Miharu. Tojiro landed on a roof, in a quiet part of town, for now obviously. He stopped in front of an ominous dark alley.

"My hunch must be correct." he mumbled, walking down the alley.

In a small space about mid point in the alley, was Miharu and Yukinari.

"Someone's coming! Miharu, do something!" said Yukinari in a hushed voice.

"Like what, Yukinari?" she asked. Yukinari took two garbage can lids and handed them to Miharu.

"Smack them against both sides of this person's head!" he explained in a dire voice.

"Why? Is the person evil?" she said, ironically springing the point.

"If it's a girl, I'm not going to give her splitting headache!" Yukinari stated.

"Uhhh, excus-" said Tojiro, looking at both of them already.

Miharu yelped, slamming both lids against the sides of his head, putting a hilarious expression on his squished face.

Miharu opened her eyes, "Did I do it right?" she asked, opening her right eye nervously.

Tojiro suddenly fell backwards, slumped against the wall. He then began flicking his ears, "Was that honestly necessary, Miharu?" he questioned eagerly.

"Tojiro? Is it really you?" said a surprised Yukinari.

"Honestly, you could've done it yourself Yukinari, that way it wouldn't even hurt." said Tojiro hopelessly.

"Yeah, it's definitely him. No one else says cold words better than he does." said Yukinari with a displeased expression.

"Future husband! There you are!" shouted Maharu's voice, from the entrance into the alley.

A sudden herd of women grouped up behind her. Tojiro grabbed both Yukinari and Miharu by the back necks of their clothes and charged down the opposite way of the alley.

"Get em' girls!" commanded Maharu, charging forward, with a literal army of females charging behind her.

"You do realize how lame this is, right?" shouted Tojiro as he ran.

"I take it you met my big sister! She's nice isn't she?" said Miharu sweetly.

"More like the complete opposite!" Tojiro responded angrily.

"Tojiro, up ahead!" Yukinari pointed.

He came to a stop, seeing another group of women blocking the other end. "You gotta' be freakin' kidding me." said a loathly Tojiro, wearing a dull look.

"CHARGE!" screamed the women.

Tojiro then held Yukinari and Miharu under his arms. "Hang on you two." he said, getting in a sprinting position.

"Wow, Tojiro sure hasn't changed hasn't he?" said a smiling Miharu.

"Just what do you mean by that?" exclaimed a scared Yukinari.

"He likes taking chances! Isn't that brave?" she said.

"It's extreme! Tojiro!" Yukinari cried, as the women approached from both behind and in front.

"Now." he mumbled.

Tojiro sprang forward, and began running on the heads of the herd of women.

"Apologies. My bad. Excuse me. Damn that one was flat! Watch out! Big head, there's my chance!" he said as he jumped from one to another.

Tojiro then shot off into the sky from one leap, heading towards a clock tower. He landed on the square surface of concrete and stone that surrounded the near top, and he put both Yukinari and Miharu down, then he sat himself down.

"What's with women these days?" he questioned, shaking his head in confusion.

"Remember Tojiro, only ten percent of Seiren's population are men. They're almost extinct." she said in a calm mood.

"Don't worry. There's no way I'm going to forget this planet's history. Definitely not." he said, stretching his legs.

"How'd you even end up here anyway?" asked Yukinari.

"I just entered a portal. Probably set up by someone." Tojiro answered, cracking his knuckles.

"Actually, it may be that Seiren did it." Miharu suggested.

"The planet opened the portal? Is that even possible?" he asked.

"If some kind of energy was nearby, besides, look how close we are to Earth!" said Miharu, pointing at the big blue planet.

Tojiro's eyes widened, "Holy crap. Didn't notice _that_ before." he said, scratching the back of his head.

Miharu and Yukinari giggled in reliance to his surprised reaction of seeing how close Earth was to Seiren.

"I take it something back at your house occurred that made you end up here with Miharu?" he asked.

"You could say that." said Yukinari, in a nervous state.

"Kirie caught me naked as I was hugging Yukinari in the bathroom!" Miharu answered happily.

"I see how that would happen without much fault." said Tojiro, sweat drops on the back of his head.

"As soon as we ended up in Miharu's bath, no one was home. So she decided to make some food for me and herself." Yukinari included.

"While she was naked?" said Tojiro.

"WHAT? No! Not at all! Nothing like that happened! I swear! She was dressed, trust me!" Yukinari bawled.

"Good lord, I believe you already! Give yourself a heart attack while you're at it." said Tojiro, fixing his arms behind his head, looking up at the sky.

After about fifteen minutes of simple relaxing, Yukinari looked over the edge to speculate.

"See any, Yukinari?" asked the pink haired girl.

There was a whole slew of females gathering down below. Yukinari pulled his head back up, appearing to have eaten something sour.

"I take it the situation is, bad? I suppose?" Tojiro responded.

"It's worse than that. There's no way we'll be able to get back to Miharu's house by getting mauled." said Yukinari, sitting down next to Miharu.

"Indeed. Since they're after you and me, it would be best to simply use Chaos Control to get back to the house." said Tojiro.

"Chaos what?" said a confused Miharu.

"It's a simple ability to slow down time or simply to teleport places." Tojiro answered her, rising to his feet and sticking his right hand out. A sudden surge of dark red electricity shocked Tojiro for a quick second or so.

"Tojiro! Are you okay?" asked Miharu, standing up next to him.

"Damn. It has to be that dosage of energy Dominic gave me to rid that spell off me. It hindered my powers over Chaos Control." he said, looking at his hand.

"What about your other powers? Can you use them?" asked Yukinari.

"Sure can. Chaos Control is the only one I can't use right now. Everything else checks out though." he said, creating a fire ball in one hand, then manipulating the air to blow it out. Tojiro then created a small sphere of Chaos energy in both his hands, then clenched his fists to dissipate the energy.

Rain began to fall. "Why would it start raining? This sucks!" whined Yukinari.

"It's not so bad, Yukinari!" Miharu added. Yukinari noticed her clothes getting wet, and revealing a bit more under her clothes.

"I don't suppose that's what she meant by 'not so bad'." Tojiro stated, trying to snap Yukinari out of his gaze.

Tojiro walked up to him and slapped him in the back of the head to awaken him. Yukinari spun his head, "Thanks for that. I needed it." said Yukinari.

"Sure, sure. Keep lying to yourself." Tojiro backstabbed, walking around to another side of the clock tower. Tojiro squatted down at the edge. He looked far off in the distance.

"Hey, Miharu! Come here for a moment!" he called.

"Yes?" she said nicely, imitating how he was crouching.

"Is that your house out there?" he asked, pointing out to it, then looking at her for an answer.

"That's the one alright!" she replied.

"Then I shall make good use of all this rain. Stand back you two." he said.

Tojiro held his arms up, all the rain, every little droplet stopped immediately. Every rain drop then converged on the same spot. Tojiro then waved his arms down like a rolling tidal wave. The water gathered into one wide ramp. Tojiro then shot a breath of cold from his mouth, freezing the water into one large ramp. The rain storm continued to fall.

"Tojiro, you're crazy." mumbled a still Yukinari.

"Wouldn't be the first time." he replied, grabbing old of the two, and holding them under his arms.

"This looks fun! Aren't you excited Yukinari?" said a brilliant smiling Miharu.

"I think I'm going to be sick." replied the pale looking boy.

"Here we go!" exclaimed Tojiro, running down the ice ramp.

With instead pace and balance he ran down it.

"I am not opening my eyes! I am not opening my eyes! I am not opening eyes!" repeated a worrisome Yukinari.

Tojiro then ceased his running, and the group went down the steep drop. He sat down as they slid down the massive ice ramp.

"Have we made it?" asked Yukinari removing his hands from his eyes.

As soon as he did, the group went flying off the tip of the ramp. "I knew I would die here! I just knew it!" he screamed.

The trio were dead on when approaching Miharu's house. Tojiro fired a stream of flames from his right foot, which slowed them down. The fire kept constant until they steadily approached the ground. Finally landing, Tojiro set Yukinari and Miharu. The three looked at how far they've come…literally.

"What's going to happen with that huge ramp of yours?" asked Yukinari.

Tojiro tilted his head, he raised his arms up, then quickly lowered them while the fingers pointed to each other. The entire ice ramp changed to water and fell down on guess who? Over a couple thousand female screams echoed across the sky from the little downpour.

"You didn't." said a shocked Yukinari.

"Music to my ears. Come on." said Tojiro, turning towards the house, heading through the front door with Miharu and Yukinari in toll behind him.

Tojiro, Yukinari and Miharu arrived in the large bathing room.

"Oh great! Something's wrong with it." said Yukinari.

"What? I thought we just jump in as simple as that? What's wrong with the accursed tub?" questioned an annoyed Tojiro.

"If we were to use it to get back home, wouldn't it be glowing?" Yukinari said.

"You're right Yukinari! So it's not time yet. We have to stay here until it comes on I guess." Miharu explained, her hands behind her back.

"Figures. If that mob of women get here soon, I'll have to hold them off." he said, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, sparking a fearsome red aura around it's blade.

"You…you r-r-really don't need to be violent against them, Tojiro. They're just girls." Yukinari implied, in a nervous stance with Miharu doing the same by his side.

"Then are you volunteering to be their bait?" asked Tojiro, sounding enlightened.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! I didn't say any of that!" he defended himself.

Tojiro sheathed his blade and grabbed Yukinari by the collar on the back of his shirt, dragging him to the door. "Keep your eye on the tub, Miharu." he said, looking over his shoulder.

"Please be careful with him!" Miharu requested, waving goodbye.

"Tojiro, you're crazy, seriously! Let me go already!" Yukinari exclaimed.

"Don't let you go? Very well." he said half heartedly, opening the door and exiting the room.

"Stop making crap up!" exclaimed the unlucky boy as he was dragged out of the room.

With Tojiro on the roof of the house, and Yukinari standing with the front door open, they kept their eyes out for when the coming 'horde' would arrive.

"Well this is surprisingly dull. Looks like my lesson must have taught them something relevant." he said.

"Nothing new on the tub yet, Tojiro! The portal should open any time now!" Yukinari called up.

"Roger that! Nothing up here either!" he answered back over the falling rain.

Yukinari decided on going inside, leaving the front door open. Tojiro looked in the distance, finally spotting something.

"But of course…there are always my doubts." he said.

The mob of women angrily stormed through the rain, looking extremely hateful. "How eccentric of this planet. Oh well." he mumbled, shrugging his arms, preparing to step off the roof.

Until, he saw a glint of flame coming down from the sky, something coming from Earth. "What in the hell is that suppose to be?" the Cloakmaster questioned, staying on the roof.

He looked down at the swarm of women, the comet shaped object was heading for them! Tojiro tiredly groaned, "They're all clearly obsessed, foolish, and desperate. But they deserve their peaceful way of life in the end." he said, aiming his hands at the incoming comet.

The comet continued on down. Tojiro shook his arms, nothing fired. "My Chaos powers…they've been taken away as well?" he exclaimed, looking at his hands.

He tried Waterbending, nothing. No fire came out of his fists, he couldn't control the earth, and he couldn't bend the air. "That damn cure of Dominic's did this! Figures." he said, flipping his hood over his head, reverting to his Darkrai form, and shot out towards the incoming meteor.

Tojiro prepared a ball of uncontrollable red electricity in-between his hands, holding it by his side. As he approached closer and closer, the power in the lightning sphere increased. Tojiro's turquoise eye glowed increasingly. Tojiro then smashed the lightning powered sphere of destruction once he collided with the comet, releasing a flurry of flying sparks and trailing meteors that slowly drifted down through the sky. Tojiro was on his stomach, lying flat on the ground. He gripped the ground tightly and hovered off the surface, shaking his head a bit. A sudden boom was heard from behind him. He turned around, coming face to face with his Werehog form, letting out it's most vicious roar.

The Werehog which was reflected off with Lilith's Mirror at Yokai Academy, Tojiro faced the ten foot tall menace of pure brute force and intense hunger for destruction and blood. Tojiro formed bolts of blue lightning in both his hands, "Let us…BEGIN!" he declared, charging directly at the Werehog, grabbing hold of it's jaws with his electrified fists.

* * *

><p>Tojiro shocked the violent beast with a burst of his lightning powers, causing the Werehog to shoot far back across the ground. Tojiro flew up and darted down to impact the beast with a shattering boom across the sky. Tojiro held the Werehog by the fur on it's chest and repeatedly beat his right fist into it's face. Tojiro looked up for a moment, seeing the whole horde of women standing in a gaze. "Leave." he grumbled angrily.<p>

The whole crowd of women went screaming and running as the ten foot tall snarling Werehog took on the legendary dark Pokemon which Tojiro took form in. The Werehog held Tojiro up and smashed him repeatedly into the ground with ease. The Werehog then stomped its left foot down on his back, letting the spikes under the metal leg dig into his flesh. Tojiro's head shook and cringed with anger. With angry fury, Tojiro quickly flew forward across the ground, freeing himself from the pressures the Werehog set upon him. Tojiro hovered off the ground, turning around to face his evil side. The Werehog pounded the ground angrily then set forward by charging on all fours. Tojiro did the same, having no other choice. The Werehog sprung off the ground, its claws sharpened and ready to tear. Tojiro quickly grabbed the Werehog by it's right wrist, swinging it around in circles. Tojiro quickly turned around, holding the Werehog in front of him like a shield. With the Werehog facing forward, Tojiro shot towards the house, smashing against it with harsh force. Tojiro then grabbed the Werehog by the back of it's head and continuously smashed it into the concrete stone. Tojiro then tossed the Werehog's wretched corpse down to the ground, which it safely landed on it's feet from, grinning up at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro immediately took initiative and took a dive down towards his foe. The Werehog shot a twin spinning combination of red Chaos energy, in the shape of dragon heads. Tojiro widened his eye, retracting his head like a Darkrai would do, and let the two combined forces begin circling around him. The two dragon heads completely surrounded Tojiro in a egg shaped form of Chaos energy. Finally, the energy expanded then shrunk, exploding into a magnificent red light, shooting fire up into the sky from the center of the explosion. The Werehog roar up into the sky.

"DARK VOID!" roared the angry and sinister voice of Tojiro.

A ring of dark energy shot down through the cloud of black smoke that hovered in the air, exploding against the Werehog on imminent impact. Tojiro lowered down to the ground, back in his human form, breathing heavily.

"I had a feeling it would grow the brains and nerve to use its Chaos powers." Tojiro mumbled to himself, preparing the Chains of Fear in his hands.

"The Chains of Fear are mainly powered by lightning type Chaos energy. So, let's determine if the lightning from my Darkrai form can play a good substitute." he said in his thoughts.

Drawing the needed power from his Darkrai form from within himself, the kusarigama blades lit up with a light green. "Perfect!" he called. The Werehog lashed out of the fog, with it's open mouth.

Standing in a sideways position, Tojiro swung the Chains of Fear, using the blades to cut across the Werehog's chest, and right up into his lower jaw, releasing a dangerous wave of green sparks flying out of the Chains of Fear once they came into contact with the nightmarish Werehog. Tojiro was quickly dispatched, however, once the Werehog punched him directly in the gut. The Cloakmaster of Darkness slid across the mud and dirt, and the Werehog wrapped his large hand around Tojiro as he continued to slide, jump up and then pile drive Tojiro into the earth. The Werehog opened up its mouth, believing this will be its best meal yet, but in the past, it didn't work out too well. The Werehog's fiendish appetite was about to gnaw down on his ribcage, until Tojiro impaled one of the kusarigama blades into the upper jaw of the Werehog; sticking it up through his snout so the Werehog could even see it. Tojiro jumped to his feet, grabbing the chain which kept the Chains of Fear. Holding the other kusarigama weapon of the Chains of Fear in his left hand, the Demigod of Death struck it down on the chain, causing a spark of green lightning to spread across the chain and deathly and horrifically electrocute the Werehog. Tojiro pulled back with intense strength, causing the whole Werehog to fly at him. He leaped forward, spinning around, and sending his right foot straight up into the Werehog's chin, which launched the two fighters into the rainy skies above. Tojiro, with the Werehog ten feet higher in the air than himself, Tojiro pulled down on the chain causing the Werehog to fall down towards him. Tojiro, at the precise moment stuck the other kusarigama blade into the Werehog's snout, and let it fall down towards the ground. Tojiro went falling down with the Werehog as well. Tojiro was in a complete nose dive. Tojiro then turned him right side up, and pulled up with all his strength, causing the Werehog to spring up towards his feet. With intense friction and momentum, Tojiro kicked his feet into the Werehog's skull, which caused the kusarigama blades of the Chains of Fear to tear themselves out of their entry points, and send the Werehog shooting down toward the ground at breakneck speed. In an earth shattering boom, the Werehog slammed into the ground, creating a massive cloud of brown smoke that risened into the sky.

Tojiro landed, dropping onto one knee once he landed, spitting up some unwanted blood from his mouth. "Damn. It is horrid, isn't it?" he said disgustingly, spitting up a few more. Tojiro wiped his mouth, and placed the Chains of Fear back in their narrow holders on both sides of his chest. He turned towards the house and ran for it, praying that luck be on their side, and hopefully give them a chance to return to Earth.

The Demon God of Darkness found himself entering through a series of hallways. "This is just happening to piss me off. I can smell it the karma." he complained knowingly.

At the end of the hall stood Miharu and Yukinari. "The portal is ready Tojiro! Hurry up!" called the short boy's voice.

Tojiro took on a charge, but he was shortly interrupted once the large hand of the Werehog burst through the left wall, pinning his back against the opposite wall. "Tojiro!" shouted Yukinari's voice.

The Werehog's red filled eyes glared angrily at Tojiro. The monster opened it's mouth, revealing a thick gash in it's upper jaw, spilling blood immensely.

"Get to safety! NOW! I'll handle this accursed piece of trash!" shouted Tojiro, pointing Black Death into the Werehog's arm and started firing.

The thick rounds of hardened lead broke through the flesh, scathing the bone within the meat. The Werehog retracted it's arm back, only to break through the whole wall and punch Tojiro through the wall he was up against. Tojiro slid into what was surprisingly the bathing room. The Werehog gripped the edges of the open hole and stepped through, snarling like a beast, with blood dripping from it's mouth. Tojiro quickly turned his head to the right, seeing Yukinari and Miharu enter the room.

"Ahhh, dammit!" he exclaimed. The Werehog roared, marching towards the Cloakmaster. The Werehog swung its claws in a vicious pattern, all which the Cloakmaster easily dodged.

The beast was enraged by failure. Fierce yellow Chaos Spears shot out of its eye, hitting Tojiro in the chest, launching him across to the other side of the pool. The Werehog then leaped over to his position with one jump. Tojiro angrily yelled at the top of his lungs, swinging the electrifying Chains of Fear which impaled the Werehog in its hips. Tojiro, turning around, swung the Werehog through the back wall, and by stretching out the chains, he swung the Werehog throughout the entire setup of the walls. Yukinari and Miharu ducked down quickly to avoid the flailing beast. Tojiro turned all the way around to the right, seeing the terribly injured Werehog come towards him. He punched the beast straight into it's chest with such force, the beast shot towards the other end of the room, crashing through it. Tojiro's Chains of Fear retracted so the kusarigama blades were back in his hands. He once again set them back in his holder.

"Tojiro!" called Miharu.

He looked forward, watching her and Yukinari approach him. "You're alright now!" she squealed happily, wrapping his arms around his neck, embracing him.

"Not for long." he said, nudging Miharu away. Tojiro quickly grabbed Yukinari and forced him to duck. The Werehog was only inches from attacking Yukinari in a deadly lunge, but instead tackled Tojiro across the thin layer of ground which was besides the pool. With the Werehog beating its large fists against Tojiro, the Cloakmaster of Darkness still had the power to speak.

"Get back to Earth! I'll stop this wretched beast!" Tojiro assured.

The two stood cluelessly, appearing unwilling. "Get your idiotic selves into the pool…NOW! GET GOING!" he ordered, flipping the Werehog off him, so that he was on top, holding the beast down with his hands holding the monster's jaws closed.

Yukinari took hold of Miharu's hand, surprising her.

"Let's believe in him." he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Okay." she answered, sounding worried.

"Beat him up for us, Tojiro!" she called out one final time, vanishing through the portal in the pool with Yukinari.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever." he mumbled with detest.

The Werehog angrily shoved its knees into Tojiro's gut, shooting him into the roof, and lodging him into it. The Werehog rose up, letting out a blood curdling snarl. It looked at the pool, grinning at it. "Oh hell." muttered Tojiro bitterly.

The beast was set to jump into it. "Time to take a page out of Miharu's playbook." he clamored.

Tojiro jammed his hands into the ceiling and tore out two large chunks of debris. The Demon God of Evil then lunged towards the feral monstrosity, his feet pointing down. The Werehog suddenly looked up.

"ORDER UP!" shouted the Cloakmaster, smashing both rocks against both sides of the Werehog's skull, then performing an excellent back flip afterwards, landing on the other side of the pool, dropping both of the bloodied rocks.

Tojiro watched the Werehog dizzily step side to side. It dropped onto all fours, giving out hoarse groans and growls. The Werehog suddenly jumped up, then down towards the pool. "There's no way I'm letting YOU on Earth so easily!" Tojiro exclaimed viciously, performing a lunge kick.

His foot came into contact with the Werehog's belly, sending it back to square one. Tojiro dashed over to the spot, picking the Werehog up by it's head and smashing it against the wall. He unsheathed the Blade of Darkness and repeatedly shoved the blade in and out of the Werehog's abdominal area, hitting all sorts of soft stuff inside it's belly. Tojiro finally drove it, aiming for the throat.

"DIE AND ROT IN THE PITS OF THE INFERNO!" Tojiro hissed, driving the sword forward.

Instead, luck made the Werehog vanish with Chaos Control. The blade was driven into the concrete wall. Tojiro angrily removed the blade from the wall and sheathed the legendary Nightmare weapon, breahting with an angst ridden hate in his system. He turned towards the pool hastily and jumped into it, and back onto Earth, where his journey shall continue on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Household of Yukinari Sasaki, 9:30 am<strong>_

Walking into the bathroom was Kirie Kojima, the unfortunate girl who gives Yukinari the smack down whenever he's caught in an embarrassing moment or situation with Miharu, utterly paying the price when he hasn't done anything, but who can fight that? With a towel wrapped around her naked body, she approached the tub, when all so suddenly, Yukinari and Miharu flew out, landing on the floor, making it terribly wet.

"Yukin-Yukinari? What the hell took you so long to get back!" exclaimed an upset Kirie.

Yukinari, unfortunately was at her feet, and once he looked up, his allergy immediately kicked in. Kirie suddenly grew a very displeased face once she realized what Yukinari was accidentally peeping at.

"Ki-Kir-Kirie! Now wait, it was just an accident! I just got back from-"

"Go tell your excuse to someone…IN HELL!" she yelled, driving her fist right up his chin, spouting blood from his nose. Yukinari's head smacked against the bathtub, and he was sitting there, in a daze of unforgettable pain, with his eyes shaped like donuts.

Tojiro's sprang out of the tub, and he rose up, his back turned to Kirie. "Accursed tub, took it long enough. No more water! The only water I wish is the one I drink!" Tojiro said, observing his wet and torn and cloak. Tojiro felt a presence. Tojiro lowered his headband over his eyes, and then turned around.

"Who else is here? I can sense another woman. Who is it? And, why in the heavens are you naked?" he said, his voice becoming awkward and confused as the sentence continued.

"You pervert! You're just like Yukinari!" screamed an angry Kirie.

"Kirie? That _must_ be you." he said, raising his headband back up, and ducking from Kirie's fist. Tojiro rose back up, and stepped out of the tub. Kirie held her towel wrapped around her nude body. Tojiro gave an unfortunate look down at Yukinari.

"Kirie! Good morning, how are you?" greeted Miharu, sitting on her knees.

"Where have you guys been this whole time? I thought you'd only visit Seiren for just an hour or so." asked Kirie.

"Yukinari was attacked by all these women, and then Tojiro arrived and helped us! He saved us from this giant wolf monster that looked like him! Right, Yukinari?" said the cheerful Miharu, looking at him.

Yukinari grumbled in agonizing pain, but it sounded like a good reply, probably a yes.

Tojiro stepped out of the tub, removing his cloak. "All too foolish. This world, seriously. Foolish little situations. Foolish people. Idiotic situations. There's enough to outnumber this planet's population, honestly." Tojiro repeated as he left the bathroom and went down the hall.

"Tojiro? How? Why?" stuttered Kirie.

"He arrived and saved us Kirie! It was amazing, you should've seen it!" Miharu said.

"I-I hear you. Yukinari! Get out already! I need to take a bath!" demanded the overwhelming Kirie.

"Come on Yukinari! Let's go play with Tojiro!" said Miharu, pulling the still gurgling Yukinari out of the bathroom by his ankle.

Miharu rested Yukinari against the side of the couch in the living room. Miharu stood up, tilting her head. Tojiro's cloak was draped over the recliner chair. Miharu then spotted Tojiro sitting outside, observing his right arm. Miharu put on a smile and went out to greet him.

"Tojiro, what are you up to?" she asked, looking at what he was fiddling with.

Tojiro grabbed one of the small wires in his metal arm and reconnected it into a small port. Tojiro then aimed his left hand at it, a small bolt coming out of his hand and into his arm. His arm let out a puff of steam, and he was granted use back over it. He wiggled his fingers and twisted his wrist, finally lowering it. "All fixed." he said, showing it to Miharu.

"How interesting! What does it help you do?" asked Miharu.

"It's an arm isn't it? I needed one when my _old one_ was cut off." answered Tojiro honestly.

"Oh dear." she remarked.

"It doesn't matter. This arm is much more better anyway." he said, suddenly creating a sphere of air in the palm of his right hand.

"My Airbending! It's back!" he said, juggling it.

"You can manipulate air? That's very spectacular! I'm glad you're happy!" she said sweetly, walking back into the house, letting Tojiro get a good control of his Airbending.

Miharu found Yukinari sitting on the couch, awake and alright. "You're awake Yukinari! You took a very long nap." she said, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah, I'm much better now." he replied with a smile.

"That's good. And Tojiro appears to have been able to control air!" said Miharu, pointing at him.

"I see. That's good for him. I'm glad he came to help us out when we were in trouble." Yukinari said.

Kirie came in, dressed in her school uniform. "School's going to start soon Yukinari. We should get going now." she informed.

"Alright. I'm coming. You better get dressed Miharu…" he said, stopping immediately to realize Miharu was already getting undressed.

"Of course. Why am I so unlucky?" he said cluelessly.

"Yukinari…GET OUT OF THE HOUSE RIGHT NOW!" yelled Kirie, forcing her arm around his neck, spinning him around, and tossing him out the door and onto the curb.

Tojiro stepped in, juggling five small air spheres in his hands. "What's up this time?" he asked.

"TOJIRO!" shouted Kirie. Tojiro suddenly stepped back from a kick sent by Kirie.

"Don't fear, I didn't even look at Miharu for a second." Tojiro said lightly.

"Then turn around already!" she added. Tojiro huffed, turning around, allowing Miharu get dressed in her school uniform.

Yukinari was out on the sidewalk, just getting up, rubbing his forehead. "Why does this happen so easily so much?" he questioned himself out loud, getting up at the same time.

"Yukinari? Is that you Yukinari?" called a female voice.

"Huh? Who's?" he said, suddenly seeing Lisa Fukuyama jump onto him, forcing him to fall down on his back.

"I thought I'd never see you again my dear love! You really shouldn't run away from your true love like that!" said Lisa, rubbing her head against his.

His phobia was in full throttle, and his hives kicked in, feeling he could die here on the spot.

"Excuse me, but that kid is on the verge of death with every passing second. Do you mind freeing him from you hands?" asked Tojiro, suddenly appearing behind Lisa. She turned,

"You! You're that crazy man who tried to take Yukinari away from me!" Lisa said, remembering the time he 'besieged' the Fukuyama mansion.

"That's nice and all, but let him go, really. I think he's unconscious." Tojiro requested, pointing his finger at him a few times.

Lisa looked back at Yukinari, is forehead was blue and his face was grave like a tombstone.

"Told you so." shrugged the Cloakmaster.

Kirie and Miharu came out of the house, suddenly running over to the scene once seeing Yukinari on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing Lisa? You should know by now how he reacts!" Kirie exclaimed.

"It's not my fault he's so easy to entertain." Lisa said slyly.

"What is THAT suppose to mean? He looks half dead the way I look at him!" Kirie included in her continued outburst.

Tojiro wore a pointless face as the two girls continued shooting words at each other, there were even a few threats, guess who those came from! The Cloakmaster reached over and grabbed Yukinari, holding him by the back of his shirt collar.

"Kirie, take Miharu to school already. I'll help this fool here." Tojiro annoyingly spoke.

"Who are you calling a fool!" Lisa took offense, facing Tojiro.

"I was referring to Yukinari, but you could be a fool if you wish so." concerned Tojiro.

"He sure hasn't changed, hasn't he?" said a happy Miharu.

"You can say that again." added Kirie.

Tojiro flung Yukinari over his shoulder, "We'll catch up with you. Watch yourself at school." said Tojiro, walking the opposite direction of where Kirie and Miharu were about to travel.

"See you later, Tojiro!" called out Miharu, waving goodbye.

"It definitely seems normal…for now that is." Kirie thought to herself, wearing a kind smile on her face.

Some time later, Yukinari slowly awakened. He found himself tied to a wall of ice. "Oh great, don't tell me Lisa did this!" Yukinari said out loud. A sudden icicle shot towards him, hitting just under his left armpit. Yukinari looked ahead, seeing Tojiro.

"Finally awake?" he asked, holding five small icicles in his hands.

"What in the world have you been doing?" Yukinari exclaimed, noticing a bunch of other icicles that were impaled into the ice wall, all thrown by Tojiro, but leaving Yukinari preserved.

"Boredom possibly. Besides we're on top of the school roof. Where's the danger?" questioned Tojiro, throwing another icicle with a flick of his wrist.

This time, it hit right besides Yukinari's face. "Just get me out of this thing already!" demanded the shouting boy.

Tojiro crushed the icicles in his hands down, turning the ice wall into water, and dropping Yukinari onto the ground. "Ahhh, what the hell? My clothes are all wet!" said Yukinari.

A blast of air shot by Tojiro immediately dried him and freed him of his worries. "There you go. Now get your foolish self to class." Tojiro ordered.

"But class hasn't even started yet!" he whined. "Then go talk to Kirie and Miharu until IT does!" Tojiro snapped at him.

"How am I suppose to get inside anyway?" he asked. Tojiro slapped his forehead, "This honestly can't be happening to me." he mumbled between gritted teeth.

Swinging from outside and shattering through a window was Tojiro holding Yukinari under his arm. Tojiro then dropped Yukinari on the floor, observing everyone in the class, staring at him. "I take it they don't remember me?" asked Tojiro.

"You broke through a window with only using your foot, who knows what they're thinking!" answered Kirie, getting up from her desk.

"I really don't like the presence I'm sensing. It's awful in here." Tojiro said, sniffing the air.

"Good morning Kirie!" said a sinister voice from behind her. A pair of hands suddenly went up her shirt and started fondling her breasts. "Ahh, of course. Kazuharu Fukuyama." said Tojiro.

Kirie angrily turned around, her fingers crammed around Fukuyama's face and driving the back of his head through another window, shattering. "Number thirty? That sure was quick." said one of the running baseball players.

"Where does this school have the money to rebuild all of that?" said another, as they were doing laps around the track outside.

"It's been a long weekend without seeing you, Kirie." said a mangled Fukuyama, lying on the floor.

Tojiro stepped back, standing by Yukinari and Miharu. "I rather see what transpires." he stated by tilting his head over.

"That's honesty for you." thought Yukinari, nervously chuckling.

"You're a freakish pervert that's going to end up in Hell, Fukuyama! Why are you such an idiot doing that thing to every girl you meet!" exclaimed a furious Kirie.

He laughed insanely, "You know me Kirie, I just can't be resisted by any women in this entire school!" he said, laughing hysterically. Kirie stomped her foot down on his head, silencing his maniacal laughter.

"Dumbass!" she cursed at him.

"Ooohhh! What do we have here?" he said, reaching up and pulling down Kirie's skirt.

Miharu used her left hand to cover both of Yukinari's eyes and Yukinari used his right hand to cover one of Tojiro's eyes, while Miharu did the same by covering his other.

From outside, another window shattered, and Fukuyama's body was sent flying out of it, smacking into the dirt ground.

"Number thirty one with a knockout. That's new of Kirie." said one of the baseball players as they passed the track.

"She'll reach forty by the end of the week I bet." said another in the group of running players.

With her skirt pulled back up and her face flustered, Kirie stood strong, still breathing. With their hands removed from each other, Tojiro, Yukinari and Miharu stood with nervous expressions.

"Kirie sure has an interesting persona." said Tojiro.

"It's what makes her stand out!" Miharu added.

"What did you guys say?" she snapped, turning to them.

"Nothing at all, Kirie! Nothing, honest!" said Yukinari, waving his hands back in forth in an innocent manner.

"Class hasn't even started yet either. This school is surely cursed with something." Tojiro announced with a glare to the clock.

"Fukuyama probably! This school would be at more peace if he wasn't such a perverted low life! Probably the whole world would be happier if he was gone!" said Kirie.

"Really?" said Tojiro, taking Black Death out of its holster.

"Put that freakishly huge gun away, Tojiro!" squabbled Yukinari, waving his hands back and forth, making sure no one would see the gun.

"Are you sure? I agree with Kirie on that Kazuharu fellow. He's a freak of nature." said Tojiro, putting Black Death back in its holster.

"It's not okay! You can't just go all supernatural and start blowing holes in the walls!" said Yukinari.

"Yes! That would be very unfortunate…for Fukuyama of course." said Miharu, sparking a sudden laughter from Yukinari.

"Very humorous once it's imagined, isn't it?" Tojiro added.

"It sure does, but don't worry. If anything bad happens, we can take care of it. Even you can help us out, Tojiro!" Yukinari proposed.

"I'm no servant, boy. I do what I must with my choices." Tojiro responded in an irritable tone, crossing his arms.

As Kirie watched on, she could never have seen so much care and responsibility in her friends and how intent they were on making sure their school days would go down as a moment of sure remembrance. Kirie finally put on a smile, "_It sure is good to have friends_." she spoke within her thoughts.

In the lunch room, Yukinari, Kirie and Miharu sat together enjoying their lunch. Miharu of course, was enjoying it to the fullest, thanks to her always fast acting, hungry metabolism which demands food so easily and so quickly. The door into the lunch room opened up and in came Tojiro. When people saw him pass by, they couldn't keep their eyes of his metallic arm. He wasn't wearing his cloak, which was all too surprising.

"I'm afraid we have to skip today." he perceived.

"Skip? As in skip school? Why?" questioned Kirie.

The large side wall of the lunch room exploded with a massive hole in it, throwing everyone to the ground, but Tojiro, who kept his right hand clawed into the table. Hovering through was yet another of the Nine Hell Gods.

"State your name." Tojiro ordered.

"Is that really the way you wish to talk to your own kin?" he replied with frozen fear in his voice.

The voice struck Tojiro, he's heard it before. The being lowered his hood, revealing a pale skinned man around the age of twenty-five. He had short spiky silver hair, some of it went a few inches over his forehead. "What kind of introduction is _this_? How could you do something like this to your own **brother**?" he said, grinning with his orange eyes set on Tojiro.

"B-B-Brother?" stuttered a wide eyed Tojiro.

Akuma, the malevolent leader of the Nine Hell Gods and an even worse scourge than Tojiro ever could be, dropped onto the floor to face the Cloakmaster of Darkness. "You know…I never understood why our people did this to themselves. Children, men, and women. Innocents! Innocents were chosen to become a Nightshade, yet they died so pitifully! HAHAHA! What pathetic decisions our people have made, eh?" Akuma stated with a refined grin.

"Don't even compare us you fool. We are not the same." Tojiro said in a dark tone.

"We are blood brothers, Tojiro! We came from the same mother!" Akuma said with a widened grin.

Sick of his words and his voice, Tojiro lashed out a huge wall of fire at Akuma, who merely stood still. All the fire began swirling, and created a sphere around Akuma, but Tojiro wasn't controlling this anomally. Tojiro reeled his head back. The fire shot out in random directions throughout the room, setting it ablaze.

"Tojiro!" called out Kirie.

A large pile of flames dropped in front of her, stopping her. "Kirie, come on! He can handle this! We should get everyone out of the school!" Yukinari called, grabbing her wrist.

Kirie looked at Yukinari out of surprise, then took another look at the Cloakmaster. Kirie then turned around to leave for the exit with Yukinari and Miharu.

"Why are you getting so frustrated? You're the one who murdered her anyway." said the malevolent devil.

Tojiro drew out the Blade of Darkness. "I sense your powers aren't with you. What are you going to do with a blade that can't cause chaos?" Akuma questioned.

"Then…I'll just cause havoc and murder if I must." he stated with vice, charging forwards to the Ruler of Hell with all but chaos on his conscience.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Kirie: Regardles of all that he's done, does Tojiro really want to take this risk? That guy's his brother, right? Wait, why are they even figthing?

Yukinari: We just have to trust him for now, Kirie! We gotta' run and get everyone in the else in the school out of here!

Kirie: It's not like we're going towards him you idiot!

Miharu: My that Tojiro is very strong. You're right Kirie! He is sweet!

Kirie: Wh-What? I didn't even say that Miharu!

Akuma: Upon what soul shall you ravage this day, Cloakmaster of Darkness? Anything here can't be worth the feast!

Tojiro: You're the fool who has shown your head to ME! What are your motives! Why are you attacking those that stand close to my side!

Akuma: In most deserved time, Tojiro. You will know my conscience...in due time.

Tojiro: Your chances are slim! This is the power of darkness that I have mastered for all my life!

Akuma: Ohhh? And what of your greatest light?

Yoko: Tojiro! Whether you're an enormous idiot or not, I'm going to believe in you! I'm here to help!

Akuma: So _this_ is the one you have a knack for trusting? She will do me some good after her blood soaked corpse lies before you!

Tojiro: YOKO! Stay away from him! He's on my level of power! STAY BACK! YOKO!

Akuma: Now blood brother, you suffer for your greatest strength...

NEXT TIME! AN EPIC **TWO-PART** EVENT!

**_CHAPTER XII: BRAWL UNTIL YOU FALL! OVERWHELMING DARKNESS!_**

**_CHAPTER XIII: DOWNFALL! BREAKING THROUGH FEAR!_**


	12. Chapter XII

**_CHAPTER XII: BRAWL UNTIL YOU FALL! OVERWHELMING DARKNESS!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu. They are my original characters and are owned by me the author. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

Akuma stood ready. Tojiro swung his blade in furious and insane swinging motions. Akuma ducked from a horizontal swipe, then stepped to the left, and then to the right to dodge two vertical swings. Akuma then swiftly grabbed hold of Tojiro by his throat and brought him face to face.

"You were _never_ meant to have this power!" he said between gritted teeth, throwing him across the flaming room. Tojiro crashed across two lunch tables, ending up on top of another.

The Cloakmaster rose to his feet, feeling his head. He looked up, seeing his brother come down at him with his fists doused in orange Chaos energy. Tojiro shot the table he stood on with a blast of Airbending, shooting himself into the air. Akuma smashed down on the table in a fiery boom. Tojiro watched Akuma quickly shoot out of the flames and kick him directly in the face, shooting Tojiro through the roof and into the sky. Akuma used Chaos Control to appear in Tojiro's flight path.

His fists glowed a monstrous yellow. "Spear of Destruction!" roared Akuma, shooting a large pointed Chaos Spear directly into Tojiro, which shot him back towards the hole he was sent out of and went slamming into the ground with intense momentum and power.

Tojiro put the Blade of Darkness back in it's sheath and readied the Chains of Fear in hand. He watched Akuma bust through the roof, wearing an evil grin. Tojiro powered his Darkrai powers into the Chains of Fear, causing the blade to illuminate with a light green. He swung both in a sideways motion, to which Akuma grabbed, but instead he got a violent shock from their dangerous electrical powers. Tojiro then began swinging Akuma around, causing him to hit all sides and corners of the lunch room. Tojiro finally tossed Akuma up, leapt in a diagonal angle up at him and began swinging the Chains of Fear, cutting across Akuma's chest, leaving a stinging sensation of agony. Tojiro was then violently punched in the gut, then in the dome of his head by two Chaos Punches sent by Akuma. Like a rocket, Tojiro crashed into the opposite side of the higher end of the lunch room. Akuma came at intense speed at the Cloakmaster that was lodged into the wall. Tojiro freed his arms, and drove both Chains of Fear into the sides of Akuma's body, shocking him with intensifying lightning. Tojiro then smacked heads with his brother, which caused Akuma to sputter off. Tojiro lunged through the air, spinning and delivering a round house kick across Akuma's face. The Devil of Fear shot towards a portion of the room where the fire ran wild, utterly breaking through the floor.

Tojiro landed on the ground, his fists on the floor. The fires around Akuma suddenly dispersed into other ends of the room, and there stood Tojiro's demented brother.

"It was always this way with you. You refused every destiny or fate that someone tried to give you. Whether it was for your own being or simply to see you dead and gone…people really have turned you into something else." Akuma began with a flaunt.

"Yeah, you're right. Because no one determines my choices! No one tells me who I kill or shouldn't kill! I only answer to my own calls. I won't let you and the rest of the Nine Hell Gods take peace away from this world! You will not desecrate NO ONE, Akuma! You shall have to kill me first before you even decide on anything!" Tojiro declared heavily, no fear or regret in his orange eyes.

Akuma stood still, carelessly listening to Tojiro's words. "Whether or not I make my decisions for right and wrong doesn't matter. I make choices on what I believe in! That is my way! THAT IS WHAT GIVES ME POWER!" he roared, spurting a monstrous burst of red Chaos energy around him.

"His powers came back to him so quickly…curse that Cloakmaster." Akuma thought to himself with cracking eyebrows.

Tojiro stood in a stance, holding his arms back, focusing his Chaos energy, which caused his fists to become enveloped with purple Chaos energy. "You may do as you wish. But know this demigod, **your fate is what will kill you**." Akuma solidified.

"Then I'll except it in FULL!" he yelled with threat.

The two forces of supernatural power and intensifying hate to murder each other sprang forward. Akuma grew sudden auras of black Chaos energy around his hands, clenching them in the process. "CHAOS INSERTION!" roared Tojiro, smashing down on the ground.

Spouts of hot burning purple Chaos energy exploded from the floor, all in Akuma's path. "Call of Defiance!" called Akuma, raising his hands up.

Black streams inked out of his fingers, whirling around all the exploding spouts of Chaos energy and made it all vanish. Tojiro shot a fierce barrage of dark red Chaos Spears at his foe. Akuma leaped up into the air, and came down at Tojiro, dive kicking him into the floor, leaving a wide spread crater in the room. Akuma was suddenly thrown out of the dust cloud and then hit in the back of the head by Tojiro who used Chaos Control to appear in his way as he flew. Akuma bounced on the ground a few times, but succumbed to control himself. Tojiro waved his arms up, forcing ten boulders to rise out of the ground. He waved his right hand, causing each and everyone to become encircled by fire.

"Combining your Firebending and magic, huh? Very interesting." mumbled the snickering Akuma. Tojiro spun around and drove his fist forward, launching the hell barrage at Akuma. The Devil of Fear rolled forward then clapped his hands together, causing two of the flaming rocks to become reduced to dust. Akuma then leaped up, spinning around like a tornado, knock back the two back at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster of Darkness, shot a pair blue lightning surges from his hands, blowing the projectiles away, and watched as a large flaming rock came through the wretched smoke and crush him.

Standing on top of it was Akuma, wiping his hands together. "I thought you'd be serious about this. I guess not." he taunted.

From within the rock, rays of red shined out of it. Akuma's eyes tightened and he used Chaos Control to vanish from the coming anger. The rock exploded just seconds from when Akuma made his disappearance. Stepping out of the smoke was Tojiro, surrounded by an aura of fierce red aura of Chaos energy.

"You were always easy to tempt into action, you realize that right?" Akuma stated, from the opposite end of the room with his arms crossed in a smug fashion.

"Your words mean nothing. Talk is all you are, Akuma." Tojiro said angrily.

"Is that so? You're not such different then." he replied.

"We are NOT the same!" shouted the angry Cloakmaster, taking out Black Death, pointing it directly at Akuma.

"Maximus used this same type of strategy against you, even when he threatened the life of someone precious to you." Akuma went on.

"Yoko is what she is. A great ally. So leave her out of this fight that's between _us_." said Tojiro, as his aura slowly died down.

"You even reduced your Chaos power when you speak her name? How pathetic!" laughed Akuma maniacally.

"I wouldn't say that." Tojiro huffed, once his aura was gone.

He let go of the trigger which he was holding the whole time and out came a momentous sized beam of fierce roaring scarlet Chaos energy. Akuma held his arms up suddenly, and the blast went right through him, creating a massive hole in the wall beyond Akuma's back.

"Anger me too easily, shame on me. Disrespect my allies' names, shame on you." dispelled Tojiro.

Tojiro put Black Death back in its holster and stepped forward, suddenly stopping to jump back from quick jab by Akuma who appeared out of a Chaos Control. Tojiro saw Akuma's fingers swarmed with deadly dark red Chaos energy, which had the power to easily drain or harm the inside of his body is stricken at the right spot. Tojiro grabbed Akuma's wrist and then punched him in the face with his right hand about seven times. Tojiro then grabbed Akuma by the crown of his head, and tossed him to the ceiling. Tojiro fired a single ray of blue lightning out of his left hand, up at his brother. Akuma aimed his left hand down, shooting a ray of red lightning. The two forces collided in a critical face-off, creating a white light at the middle which continued to grow second by second. An explosion of light followed, spreading the room with it's powerful blast radius, dousing all the fires with it's wind. Glitters of blue and red slowly fell down throughout the room. An angry outcry told Tojiro to turn around and hold his arms up to block another deadly jab by Akuma.

"You can't handle fear. Fear IS darkness! You cannot beat that, Tojiro Ankoku!" said an angry Akuma.

Tojiro was dragged off the ground and as Akuma held him by his shoulders, he flew down towards a table. Akuma's hands grew auras of yellow around them. Akuma smashed Tojiro into the table, resulting in an intense explosion of flames and red smoke. Tojiro's body rolled out of the smoke, which caused several small bolts of yellow electricity to twitch from around his body. The Demigod of Death rose to his feet nonetheless of the pain he had just been given.

Tojiro was unwillingly, yet extremely prepared to fight to the death. However, the upper hand was given to Akuma in this fight since he had his cloak, and Tojiro did not. The cloak of a Nightshade, is one of their ultimate weapons in protecting their body from harm, no matter how harsh or violent an attack be. Tojiro's right arm started to spill bright glowing red liquid.

"Discharge, huh? My body is actually submitting to his pathetic attacks. I shall make this fight even." he said, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness with his right hand, and removing Black Death from his holster with his left hand.

"Is this truly all the Cloakmaster of Darkness has to offer? You must be begging for mercy if you need two weapons to fight." Akuma declared smartly. "Care less about the weapons…and focus on the one who's wielding them!" shouted Tojiro without feign.

He fired several dangerous shots from Black Death. Akuma ran along the lunchroom, until jumping towards a wall and springing himself off it, so he would dive towards Tojiro. The Cloakmaster's blade was shrouded with a vile dark purple aura. He swung it up, creating a wave shaped blast from the sword which hit Akuma dead on, sparking purple bolts from the blast until it smacked him against the wall in a mist of black and violet. The aura vanished from around Tojiro's sword, and he stood his ground well, ready for Akuma's quick counterattack. A vile laughter echoed out of the smoke. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, keeping his arms down.

"You would've learned a lot if you behaved and kneeled before your superiors. But for now, I'll just make you regret it." said Akuma, stepping out of the smoke to reveal something startling. There stood Akuma, except transformed into a ten foot tall white furred Werehog, with his eyes coursing and overflowing with glowing red.

"Show me what you are capable of!" yelled Akuma, charging on all fours towards the Cloakmaster.

Tojiro quickly transitioned into his hedgehog form and rolled up into a ball, shooting forward like a dart. Akuma punched the rolled up demigod, only to watch him bounce off a series of walls until he was sent flying towards Akuma's spinal area, shooting him forward across the ground. Tojiro slid on the ground until he came to a halt, turning all the way around to face his knocked down brother.

"That was only slightly impressive little brother. You're going to have to try way harder than that!" taunted Akuma, turning around to release a fiery blast of red Chaos energy from his mouth.

Tojiro clapped his hands together and stuck them forward, which cut the Chaos energy down the middle, while it split off and blew into the right and left walls of the lunch room. Akuma charged forward, swinging and stretching his clenched fists. Tojiro rolled backwards, then spun to the left, then began bouncing off the ground in ball form to dodge all of Akuma's attacks. Irritated with his persistence, "CHAOS BLAST!" he roared, causing the ground to shutter and split.

Releasing a wide spread dome of red Chaos energy throughout the room, Tojiro was sent flying towards the backroom where all the food would be prepared. "That wasn't a complete Chaos Blast…he only did that because his anger got hold of him. Interesting. Maybe we are brothers." said Tojiro in his thoughts, rising to his feet.

Akuma smashed his way over to Tojiro, picking him up off the ground. Akuma began violently smashing Tojiro from the ground, ceiling, tables, and whatever that could cause Tojiro agonizing discomfort. Akuma brought his brother face to face. "I told you already, you fool! You're irritable hate is what shall kill you! Your power is weak!" Akuma stated through gritted teeth.

Tojiro used his left hand to block Akuma from biting down on his whole head. Tojiro then focused his Chaos energy onto his hand.

"Chaos Shock!" he exclaimed.

A cyan array of bolts and electricity shocked around Akuma's body, yet he stood and remained as he stood. "I'll kill you before I let you go, Cloakmaster!" Akuma declared, fitting his mouth around Tojiro's head. Tojiro cringed and sweated extensively, now holding both of Akuma's jaws back from crushing his head. Tojiro began shaking his head with anger. His blank white eyes filled with red and he let out his own Chaos Blast. The carnage destroyed a half of the entire lunch room, leaving one side open to outside!

The large Werehog turned Akuma was lodged into a wall. A sudden series of debris and rocks came flying at him as Tojiro was the launcher. Akuma angrily freed himself, letting the rocks shatter against his body.

"You wish to play even? Fine then!" shouted Tojiro, letting a cloud of black smoke flow around him, transforming him into his Werehog form.

The two hulking beasts charged towards each other, clashing with their intense strength holding each other back. "About time you took a step on the feral side, eh Tojiro?" exclaimed a smirking Akuma.

Tojiro pushed Akuma forward, then began smashing his fists against his face, then ultimately grabbing him by the throat and running forward. Tojiro smashed him into the wall, and began to violently force the breath out of Akuma's lungs. Much to no avail, Akuma angrily bit down on Tojiro's right shoulder, tearing off some flesh. Tojiro grabbed hold of Akuma's mouth, turning around in the process. He threw Akuma across the room, who landed on his feet, spitting the flesh out of his mouth.

Akuma launched a dangerous array of ring beams from both his hands. The red surges of power smacked right into Tojiro, grinding him against the wall, and the beams literally tore into his ribs. Tojiro finally dropped to his knees once the pain had stopped, holding his right hand to his chest, yet the blood still spilled.

"A Werehog. The symbol of pure ferocity and killer instincts. I'm doing my job…why aren't you doing or yours?" Akuma taunted.

Tojiro rose to his feet nonetheless, knowing the wound would later regenerate itself. Tojiro let out a breath of fire from his mouth. Akuma grabbed the floor, raising a good portion to create a barrier. Yet the fire exploded through the wall and sent Akuma flying. Tojiro appeared through Chaos Control and as Akuma was bumping across the floor, Tojiro bashed his fist onto his skull, then into his stomach, and then into the face. Tojiro watched as Akuma's body slid to a sudden halt, yet he still moved.

"No avail no matter what I do. I'll just have to try harder then." stubbornly stated Tojiro.

A sudden Chaos Punch from Akuma sent Tojiro packing as he crashed up through the ceiling, landing on the roof. Akuma used Chaos Control to appear on the other side of the hole of where Tojiro crashed through.

"No Cloakmaster before was ever able to be given the Werehog as their Nightshade rank. They would instantly died if they had! But you and I…**we're survivors**! No one else was able to hold it but US! Yet you treat it as a tool of protection. You are nothing but a fool with an idiotic philosophy, and nothing else!" Akuma taunted even more.

"I shall think of that, brother. But hear this, **my choices are all that I have left…and my beliefs…are what make me strong!**" he yelled, getting back to his feet.

* * *

><p>Tojiro leaped over the hole and clobbered Akuma across the right cheek with a painful fist punch that shot a glob of blood from Akuma's mouth. Akuma stumbled across the floor, and was once again gave a painful punch to the gut, followed by the Cloakmaster of Darkness smashing both his fists down on Akuma's skull, forcing him to smack into the ground. Tojiro grabbed him by his quills and swung him around, letting him go after a few seconds, watching his brother tumble across the ground. Tojiro shot a numerous barrage of black Chaos Spears at his brother. Akuma quickly did a backwards flip. Once right side up again, he let loose a cyclone blast of green Chaos energy. Tojiro clasped the ground, creating a red sphere barrier around his body. The blast collided in a blast of light, followed by a boom of smoke and flames. Tojiro put his hands on the barrier, and drew all the energy from it onto his hands.<p>

Once it had fully dissipated, Tojiro charged forward on all fours, delivering a vicious hook, to which Akuma ducked from. Akuma grabbed Tojiro's wrist once he was open, and bashed his fist down on it, causing Tojiro to snarl in hate. Tojiro drove his right hand into Akuma's gut, digging his metal finger claws into the flesh. Akuma then leaped up into the sky, while Tojiro still remained grasped onto Akuma's chest. Akuma raised both his fists up, causing an aura of fierce shining yellow to surround both of them. Tojiro removed his right hand, and kicked Akuma in the stomach to push himself away from his brother. Carelessly, Akuma fired the yellow beam forward at Tojiro, who clawed his hands through the beam, completely dissipating it. Tojiro stretched his left fist forward, punching Akuma in the forehead, then grabbing him by the face, swinging him up, and finally tossing Akuma down towards the school roof. Akuma crashed through it with much velocity and smashed down into the large lunch room with an echoing bang.

As soon as Tojiro landed on the roof, Akuma's enlarged hands came up and grabbed the Demigod of Death. Akuma pulled him through the roof and smashed him face first into the floor of the lunch room. Akuma retracted his arms back, and he stood still. Tojiro punched his right fist into the ground and still he rose to his feet. Akuma lunged forward at him. Tojiro grabbed Akuma by the throat with his right hand, and used his left hand to grab the wrist of Akuma's left hand. Tojiro swung Akuma over his shoulder and cranium first into the floor. As Akuma sat on his head, Tojiro delivered a Chaos Punch with his orange glowing fist, straight to Akuma's stomach, shooting the Devil of Fear across the ground like a skipping rock once tossed across water. Akuma smashed into a chunk of stone debris, opening his eyes after impact and giving his brother a deathly stare. Akuma dislodged himself from the cracked wall, then reaching over his shoulders, grabbing the slab of rock and tossing it at Tojiro. Tojiro lunged his fist forward, shattering it into pieces, then witnessing a wall of dark red Chaos energy smashing through him.

Akuma lunged through large cloud smoke, and landed in front of his stunned brother, giving him a vicious uppercut, then giving his brother a straight Chaos Punch to the stomach, shooting the Cloakmaster of Darkness up into the ceiling, glued into the cemented ceiling. Akuma shot a series of red spikes from his hands. Tojiro let loose his arms, forming a protective barrier which reduced the spikes of pain to turn to mere sparks. Tojiro shot a massive breath of fire from his mouth, then freed himself from the ceiling. As he fell, he kept the beam of fire locked onto Akuma. At first, the Cloakmaster of Fear ran on all fours to the left, leaving the beam of flames trailing behind him.

He looked over his shoulder, noticing the flames were actually melting through the floor, and into the ground! His eyes widened at this raw power. Akuma watched Tojiro land in the middle of the room, continuing to keep the beam of fire coming out of his mouth. Akuma finally stopped, and leaped in a diagonal direction, which would be over Tojiro's head. Tojiro closed his mouth, looking at Akuma spear diving towards him. An angry orange flurry of Chaos energy surrounded the Devil of Hate and he instantly smashed dead on into his brother, resulting in a momentous blast of heat and intensity. Akuma held the Cloakmaster of Darkness up by his throat.

"Everything you once knew…will be destroyed by me! And you my brother…shall cease to exist!" said Akuma, punching Tojiro directly in the face, and shooting the black furred Werehog straight across the ground, slamming into a mass of fallen debris. Tojiro shot a ray of red Chaos energy from both his eyes. Akuma held his arms crossed against each other, which deflected the blasts straight into the ceiling. Akuma lowered his arms and shot a black stream of Chaos energy, with a red inner glow throughout the whole beam. The beam clashed itself into Tojiro, smashing him through the pile of debris behind him, and slamming him into the wall of the lunchroom. Akuma marched towards his fatally wounded brother, gurgling in a monstrous laughter.

"There's no need for someone like you to hold back! FIGHT BACK!" Akuma demanded, hating that his brother wasn't getting up faster.

A sudden swirling beam of dark blue Chaos energy hit Akuma right in the face, which he merely stumbled back from. Tojiro was on his feet, in his human form, exerting smoke from his body.

"Hate? You're filled with it! HAHAHA! You have no idea what TRUE hate is, Cloakmaster of Darkness!" shouted a determined Akuma, charging forwards. Tojiro crouched down, holding Black Death behind his back.

"You always were a fool And you shall forever remain one!" shouted Akuma, lunging straight towards his brother, with an open mouth.

Tojiro's eyes snapped angrily, and he drove Black Death straight towards Akuma's belly. "STRIKE…OF DARKNESS!" commanded the Cloakmaster.

A widespread flash of red light exploded, and quickly vanished upon impact, sending the white furred Werehog smacking across the floor of the lunchroom, ending up on the other side of the room. Tojiro placed Black Death back into it's holster, and charged forward, undefined determination in his eyes.

Akuma was back on his feet, and unready as the Demigod of Death leaped up at the ten foot beast and punched him straight across the snout, then grabbing hold of it to pull his oversized brother straight to the floor. Tojiro grabbed Akuma by his ears, spun his brother in a full circle before letting him go. Akuma smacked into a pile of lunch tables, knocking several of them over. Akuma grabbed hold of two, one in each in hand. He tossed them both at the Cloakmaster, grabbing two more afterwards. Tojiro drove himself forward, sliding under the flinging first table which was rolling sideways, while he jumped directly over the right side up by just mere inches. With the other two tables in his hands, Akuma swung them like tambourines, but the Cloakmaster quickly slid to a halt and performed a backwards hand stand to avoid the flattening. Akuma angrily tossed the tables away and shot a barrage of dark red Chaos Spears at Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster took several of the blinding spears of pain to his body, but he was only sent sliding across the ground on his feet. He clamped the ground with the five claws on his metal hand, immediately putting himself to a stop. Tojiro raised a portion of the ground and tossed it up. He leaped up, and kicked it straight at Akuma. The Devil of Hate began spinning like a violent tornado, obliterating the chunk of earth and cement. Tojiro shot a series of ten fire balls at his brother. Swinging his large hands, Akuma collected the flames on his palms. Tojiro prepared himself for whatever may come. The flames suddenly turned to a fiery red. Akuma shot the blast of vicious incineration at his brother. Tojiro did a small jump up, and used Earthbending to sink straight into the ground, leaving the beams of red fire to melt through the wall that was behind where Tojiro.

A series of glowing cracks shot across the ground and converged on Tojiro. "CHAOS CRUSH!" roared Akuma, smashing his white glowing fists into the ground.

Like a popping balloon, the ground exploded, and out came Tojiro, with the silver Chaos energy sent by Akuma's Chaos Crush, burning his skin. Tojiro smacked back first onto the ground, motionless. Akuma wiped the blood from his mouth, then cracked his knuckles before heading his way over to his brother. Tojiro clasped the floor and lifted his head. His eyes widened and he rolled backwards to dodge Akuma from crushing him with his large fists. Tojiro was back on his feet but was sent flying towards the wall once Akuma stretched his fist forward and lodged Tojiro against the back wall of the lunchroom. Akuma slowly walked forward, as his right arm began to put itself back into shape as he approached his immobilized brother. Akuma stopped in front of his brother, his right fist still pinned to his chest. "A Nightshade like you doesn't deserve a lot of sense. I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself over all these years." sneered Akuma's voice.

"…That…that really…doesn't matter, you fool." replied the brittle Tojiro.

"You dare everything don't you?" Akuma yelled in a sudden outburst, pulling his right fist away then smashing it back against Tojiro's chest, making him groan and cough in horrendous agony.

"You feign everything! Whether it be your past or future, ANY TOPIC! You were always special…something made you powerful Tojiro, and I'm going to steal it once I get the chance. I'm the most powerful Nightshade, you petulant fool!" ranted Tojiro's demon brother.

Akuma turned around and angrily tossed Tojiro across the floor. Akuma used Chaos Control and appeared standing over his brother, who was laying on his side. Akuma laughed, and ran at his brother, kicking him right in the gut, throwing his brother across the floor even further. Tojiro still rose to his feet, and shot an array of black Chaos Spears. Akuma swung his arms, breaking through the Chaos Spears, yet he wasn't all prepared once Tojiro gave a powerful kick right up the chin. Akuma fell down on his back, and Tojiro grabbed him by his ankles.

Tojiro was suddenly punched by Akuma's huge fist, yet Tojiro swung himself through the air and landed back on his feet, standing in a straight posture, his angry orange eyes set on his one and only blood brother. Akuma transformed back into his human form, already wearing a smirk on his face.

"Nothing more in the world would make me proud to watch you fall to your anger, Tojiro. It will happen! Oh…shall it happen." taunted his brother.

Angered by his words, Tojiro shot a series of light green Chaos Spears at Akuma. The light fast Chaos Spears zipped and changed positions as they flew while converging towards the Lord of Fear. Akuma leaped up and launched a large sphere of spiraling orange Chaos energy. Tojrio kicked himself off the ground with a blast of Airbending, and punched his right fist into the sphere to launch it back up towards Akuma. Akuma swung his hands out, which caused the sphere to immediately dissipate into drifting particles of light. Akuma and Tojiro dropped back onto the ground and once again gave charge to one another. Tojiro swung his arms up from the ground, releasing a tidal wave of yellow Chaos energy from his hands. Akuma leaped towards it spinning like a drill, and cutting through it. Tojiro reached up and grabbed Akuma by his fist, and tossed him to the ground from where he charged from. Akuma shot a blinding flash of white, which Tojiro pulled his headband over his eyes to protect his vision. Akuma appears through Chaos Control right in front of Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness stepped back, then bended his spine backwards, performing a small jump, dodging deadly quick jabs sent by Akuma. Tojiro finally gave him a vicious uppercut, but Akuma recovers by grabbing Tojiro by the throat and smashing him straight into the ground. Treating his brother like a human lawnmower, Akuma dragged Tojiro through the hard tiled floor, ripping and tearing it apart until the hard underground was scatching itself across Tojiro's back. Finally, with Akuma still running, he raised Tojiro out of the dirt and smashed him against a chunk of debris from the ceiling, which was one of many that littered the lunchroom floor.

"To be honest, I can let you use Chaos Control and give you a head start. Does ten seconds sound good, eh brother?" taunted Akuma's angered voice.

Tojiro reeled his right hand back and drove it straight through Akuma's diaphragm and out his back!

"How does this work for an answer, eh brother?" said Tojiro, in an even more fierce tone of voice. Tojiro struck Akuma dead center in his stomach, which freed him from Akuma's lethal grip. Tojiro then quickly removed his blood stained arm from Akuma's body and swiftly gave him a straight kick towards the chest, throwing the Devil of Fear across the floor.

Akuma gripped tight onto the floor, and looked forward at his blood brother. Akuma rose to his feet, holding his left hand over the deadly wound Tojiro left him.

"So…it is true. **You really are heartless**. I don't say that just because you're a Nightshade. I say it because you truly don't care about anyone… anymore. You slaughtered everyone in the village you grew up in, you killed your mother, you were foolishly tricked by that bounty hunter into killing the only woman that showed you love. **That's what makes you heartless! You decisive mongrel!** But tell me this if you could; if this world entered a time of great war and suffering, and the ones you've showed protection and care for, those you watched over and fought for: For their suffering, would you ever try to stop that all from happening?" asked a lengthy Akuma, while the deathly wound in his diaphragm had already regenerated itself.

Tojiro's fists were covered in red Chaos energy, which dripped from his fists. Tojiro put the headband back over his forehead and raised his head at Akuma, surprising him. The sclera of Tojiro's eyes were glowing a fierce red of Chaos energy. With his orange eyes gone, they had been replaced by the black symbol of the Great Shade Empire. Tojiro hoisted the Blade of Darkness out of it's sheath and held it in his right hand.

"You damn fool…**I wouldn't even consider it**." he devoutly cursed. Akuma put on a smirk, preparing himself, laughing to himself.

"That's the Cloakmaster I know and despise. Let's continue, brother." smirked the sweating expression of Akuma.

"You go first coward." Tojiro replied darkly. The two most powerful Cloakmasters of the entire Nightshade legacy gave charge towards each other, with their hate running deeper than any ocean, a force hate that would make a journey to the center of the earth look like a mere stroll around the corner of your neighborhood.

Releasing a malevolent wave curve from his blade, was Tojiro. The wave blast smacked right against Akuma, throwing him across the floor. However, he immediately used Chaos Control to appear in front of Tojiro, delivering a painful jab to his neck, and shooting the Cloakmaster across the room. Akuma slid to a halt on his feet, and launched a tornado shaped beam of black Chaos energy. Tojiro rose to his feet, then pierced the ground with the Blade of Darkness, forming a quick barrier of darkness around his body. The blast culminated against Tojiro's strong barrier in a ferocious explosion, blowing up a good portion of the wall behind Tojiro. Akuma lowered his arms, staying in a figurative fighting stance. Tojiro reappeared, safe and sound inside his dome barrier once the black smoke had cleared. Tojiro removed his blade from the mound of rubble he stood on, and the barrier vanished in suit. Tojiro began swinging his left hand around, causing the black smoke to gather up and form into an ominous cloud that covered the entire ceiling. Akuma looked from the ceiling and at Tojiro.

"Chaos Thunder Strike." mumbled the Cloakmaster.

A maelstrom of red thunder bolts shot out from the cloud. Akuma easily dodged five, then leaped up to smack away two incoming ones, but a straight bolt shocking him shot the Devil of Fear back to the ground. Tojiro jerked his blade forward. All the red thunderbolts began violently striking upon Akuma, creating a constantly growing cloud of smoke. From within, a small red dome formed. The red dome exploded by the unstable barrage of red thunderbolts, putting a lot of lethality into Tojiro's Chaos Thunder Strike. Tojiro lowered his blade by his side. Blood and sweat dripped from his face. His entire right arm remained coated in his brothers' blood. Akuma was seen still standing as the smoke steadily cleared. The upper half of Akuma's cloak was burned through, and did the same to his chest, revealing the bare red muscles and flesh. The left portion of his face was burned off until nothing but bone remained. In the left eye, in the emptiness of the skull's eye socket was a white glowing pupil.

"You surely have mastered the Chaos Force, brother. Yet you still use it for pitiful reasons." Akuma began.

"My choices are something you shouldn't judge. A lot of people learned that from _me_." Tojiro grumbled.

"I could care less where you go with your choices. Except-"

"Hell? That's where you want me, huh? Hell never held me…I'm something no one can control. Lucifer surely knew that once I ended up in his Circle." Tojiro replied.

"Ahhh, your famous imprisonment in the Nine Circles." Akuma responded in a cocky tone.

"A futile attempt of the Crescent Moon Kingdom of trying to rid me from history." said Tojiro, appearing behind Akuma.

Akuma turned his head to the right to dodge a straight punch that aimed for the back of his head. In that process, he turned around to use his arms to smack away Tojiro's swings with the Blade of Darkness.

"You may be right on half the things you say, Tojiro. But not everything, you should know that by now, right?" said a smirking Akuma, holding the blade with his right hand.

Tojiro pulled his sword out of his grip and jabbed it forward, but Akuma jumped into a backflip, which Tojiro jumped after him for. Akuma smacked the heel of his foot right into Tojiro's cranium, throwing him straight to the floor. Akuma dove down with his feet aimed down, but Tojiro bounced off the ground, shooting a burst of yellow Chaos energy from his right hand, knocking Akuma up through the roof. Akuma hovered his way over to a spot in the air. Tojiro came flying up at him, holding the Blade of Darkness with both his hands on it's grip. Akuma launched a hectic barrage of red Chaos energy beams from around his body. Tojiro spun past the first three, then took a straight uplift to dodge seven more, then he finally swung the Blade of Darkness, that released a cut shape blast of Chaos energy from his sword. Akuma merely held his hand up, blocking the energy blast, and stopping the Blade of Darkness by gripping it in his palm.

"If this world will mean nothing to you in your future, why do you fight me? Me! The one who shall create a new kingdom of Hell on this very planet! Didn't you say you wouldn't even consider it?" Akuma exclaimed, annoyed with Tojiro's logic.

Tojiro gripped Akuma by the neck of his cloak, turning around and tossing him. Tojiro shot a sparkling red sphere of concentrated Chaos energy which exploded on impacting Akuma. The Devil of Fear rolled to a halt once he smacked onto the roof, and exiting the cloud of smoke that was in the air. In the clearing smoke, hovered Tojiro. Akuma immediately rose to his feet, his fists clenched by his side.

"You're right. I wouldn't ever consider helping this world if it was threatened to a brink that I couldn't handle…**but who ever said I'd let that happen in the first place**?" Tojiro replied, slowly levitating back to the ground. Akuma gritted his teeth, angered by Tojiro's comeback of logic and words.

"Very well. It seems that you're guts prove more powerful than your glory. How foolish of me." said a calm Akuma, his hand to his face.

"Yeah, well, you can't be too sure." wagered Tojiro, shooting an extreme amount of dark purple Chaos energy from both his eyes.

The beams were encircled with shocking lightning. Akuma clapped his hands, releasing a white dome of Chaos energy to explode forwards, and smack into the Cloakmaster of Darkness, smacking him across the floor. He jabbed the Blade of Darkness into the ground, stopping himself. Akuma was seen lunging down at Tojiro from above. Tojiro was forced to roll backwards, leaving his sword impaled into the ground. Akuma landed beside it, pulling it out of the ground, and marching towards his brother. Using it to block the swings from his sword, Tojiro raised his right arm multiple times to defend himself from Akuma's attacks.

"With this sword, I SHALL SILENCE YOU!" roared Akuma, punching Tojiro directly in the jaw, stunning him.

Tojiro's eyes widened intensely. Tojiro looked down at his stomach. The bare tip of the Blade of Darkness was in his gut, and Tojiro's hands were holding the blade back from continuing on forward. Akuma grabbed Tojiro by the throat, and raised him off the ground.

"THIS WILL END IT!" exclaimed Akuma with drastic hate.

He swung Tojiro over sideways, and smashed him through the roof flooring and back down into the lunchroom. With the Blade of Darkness still embedded in his chest, Tojiro smashed into the ground, and the blade broke through and impaled him so that the blade pierced into the ground he was laying on.

"You couldn't even _begin_ to conceive enough thought what you would have been capable of if you had simply stopped! I guess you have a thicker skull than I THOUGHT!" yelled the angry devil, pushing the blade further.

Tojiro growled angrily, the symbol of the Great Shade Empire still present in both his eyes. Akuma huffed, smirking in the process. Akuma pulled the blade straight out of Tojiro's gut, and the Cloakmaster roared in agonizing hurt. Akuma tilted his head, the left portion of his face finally regenerated with itself, as well as the upper half of his chest. Akuma meaninglessly tossed the Blade of Darkness off to the side.

"You had so much power in the past. The days you were tied to destiny and nature itself. If you were ever harmed or in danger, the world around you would pay for your emotions. That tie is severed…and now…YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN!" thundered Akuma, raising his right fist up, which suddenly became covered in the instantly lethal power of the Chaos force known as: Chaos Fear.

Akuma was suddenly shot in the side of the head by a flash of blue, then he took a series of ten more shots, which threw Akuma across the floor, the Chaos Fear around his right fist vanishing, posing no more threat. Tojiro sat up slowly, turning his head to the right, and for the second time in the row was he surprised. With a large sniper rifle in her hands and her red crimson hair was indeed; Yoko Littner.

"You may have nowhere to run Tojiro…if so, I got your back." she said confidently, holding out a helping hand to him.


	13. Chapter XIII

**_CHAPTER XIII: DOWNFALL! BREAKING THROUGH FEAR!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu. They are my original characters and thus are owned by me the author. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

Tojiro steadily placed his right hand in hers, and she helped him to his feet. "I do believe that's another you owe me." she said jokingly.

Tojiro fell against her, "Don't tell me this loser beat you up?" she exclaimed.

"It's alright, stop overdoing the situation." he said, moving himself away from her.

"Like I cared." she took offense.

"Then I sincerely apologize about this." he said, wrapping his left hand around her waist, and pulling her to the ground along with himself to avoid an oversized beam of out of control orange Chaos energy that flew over their heads. Yoko looked over at Tojiro, who's eyes still had the symbol of the Great Shade Empire in them. However, she noticed that they were flickering, and his eyes began to cringe and tighten up. As soon as the beam stopped, Tojiro rolled himself over, holding his hand out. The Blade of Darkness swung back into his hand.

"HOW DARE YOU!" screamed the angry Akuma.

"Chaos Penance!" Tojiro called out, launching the Blade of Darkness forward at Akuma.

The blade became covered in a black and red aura of Chaos energy, and exploded into a ball of flames upon impact once it hit his brother, the Devil of Fear and all things hateful.

Tojiro stood up, then looked over his shoulder at Yoko who got up as well. "I've been looking for you. What's the deal being a fool and running off?" he said.

Yoko's cheeks puffed a bit, annoyed by such wording.

"Where in this world were you the whole time?" he asked, turning around to face her.

Yoko angrily and very powerfully slapped Tojiro across the face: His head completely turned to the right from the slap. He sent a glare at the girl.

"That's for being your usual jerk self every time we see each other." she snapped.

Yoko held up her rifle, which was wrapped up in Tojiro's cloak. She pulled the cloak off from her rifle and handed it to him, looking the opposite way.

"And this…this is for forgiveness." she mumbled smiling.

Tojiro took the cloak and put it on, letting it drape over his chest and body. His orange eyes came back, and the red Chaos energy in his eyes ceased glowing, a normal stare from the not so normal Cloakmaster. Yoko looked back at the Cloakmaster with a blank face.

"Listen Tojiro, I didn't mean to just get up and leave like that. I figured that you'd be strong enough on your own. You're a really strong guy. I wouldn't want to halt you from making your choices." she said.

Suddenly, Tojiro's right arm wrapped around her back and she was pulled forward, embraced by the Cloakmaster. Tojiro kept a distinct glare on his face. Yoko's golden eyes glimmered and shook with surprise by this. Tojiro had never done such a thing so passionate on his own, it was always someone else. "This is for your understanding. I thank you…Yoko." he stammered, pulling away, turning his back to her.

"…Tojiro." swam her gentle voice.

"So this is the girl that you are so fond of, is that it?" bragged Akuma.

"Actually, it's the other way around." barked Tojiro.

"You idiot!" exclaimed Yoko.

"So foolish. It doesn't matter. It may be possible that once I kill you, both of you can die in each others' arms!" exclaimed Akuma.

The Devil of Fear released a spiral blast of yellow Chaos energy to shoot out from the palms of his hands. Tojiro waved his cloak up, creating a dome over himself. The two beams were split off to the left and right while Tojiro and Yoko remained unscathed. Tojiro lowered his cloak back down and charged forward. Akuma breathed out a momentous beam of orange Chaos energy from his mouth. Using Airbending, Tojiro began spinning himself in a tornado. The tornado he was surrounded by suddenly turned to a bright red. Several beams shot out of the front. Akuma ducked down, then sprinted along the right side of the room to dodge the non-stop barrage. Akuma used Chaos Control, appearing over the tornado. He shot a large black Chaos Spear with a red inner glow. The blast ignited a magnificent explosion. Yoko shielded her eyes from the destructive blast. Tojiro came skidding to a halt on his feet, stopping by Yoko's side.

"I suppose that wasn't going to work." he said.

"You think so, huh?" Yoko responded.

"I don't need this crap from you, realize that!" he daringly assorted, glaring at her and pointing his finger at her.

"Both of you shut up already." muttered Akuma.

"YOU SHUT UP!" yelled Tojiro and Yoko, who for Tojiro shot a barrage of red Chaos Spears while Yoko fired her rifle multiple times.

Akuma vanished from sight. Tojiro quickly pushed Yoko away as Akuma suddenly appeared in front of him, delivering a Chaos Spear right into Tojiro's chest, shooting him across the floor. Yoko shot Akuma with her rifle, causing the Devil of Fear to drop to his knees.

"You idiotic mortal! You'll regret doing that!" yelled the angry demon, shooting a red Chaos Spear barrage at her.

Tojiro used Earthbending to bend a wall of earth to protect Yoko from sudden harm. Tojiro then teleported over to her.

"Your brother? I thought you were the only one of your people?" she asked, her back against the earth wall.

"Well he's not the only one. There are eight others, all part of my family…except one." he said, looking around the corner.

"Except one? So everyone is part of your family except for-"

"My second love." he said, looking straight at her.

Yoko felt jumped. Tojiro flipped his hood over his head, the darkness shrouding his face so it couldn't be seen, only two red eyes appeared within the hood. Tojiro winded back his right fist and smashed it against the earth wall. It flipped and flung towards Akuma. He smashed through it by merely punching the slab of earth. He saw Yoko coming through the smoke, bashing her rifle against Akuma's skull. He looked towards her, chuckling.

"Now you die." he whispered with vengeance.

Tojiro came in from the right, bringing his foot right into the side of Akuma's head. The Devil of Fear painfully rolled and tumbled across the ground until he came to a sudden stop.

"If you hadn't noticed already, I've got the same idea." said Tojiro.

Akuma rose up, smacking the debris off his body. "Determination doesn't win a war, Tojiro. Save your determination for the _battles_." said Akuma in a disregarding tone.

"So I shall…but once they actually get serious shall I actually try." taunted the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Akuma charged forward and Tojiro charged forward. The two Nightshades prepared themselves.

Tojiro surrounded his fists in a dark red surge of Chaos energy. Akuma did the same with his, but the energy was a pitch black with an inner glowing red to it. The two both readied one of their fists. Tojiro drove his right fist forward, Akuma did the same. The two fists collided, creating an unsettling discharge of harsh Chaos energy between the collision. The two then drove their left fist towards each other, creating an extreme explosion, blowing open the entire roof, with a cloud of red smoke rising up through it.

Yoko was on the ground, knocked out for a moment by the horrendous attack by the two brothers. Yoko reached over for her rifle and dragged it over to herself. Yoko used it to rise to her feet, noticing the entire roof had been temporarily removed. Yoko turned around, hearing rubble being moved away.

She ran over to it, "Tojiro, are you okay over there?"

Rising out of the rubble was Akuma. He grabbed her by the throat, forcing her to drop her rifle. "Looks like you got the wrong Cloakmaster." he laughed.

A metal hand wrapped around the back of Akuma's skull. "Let her go you scum." threatened Tojiro's dark voice, tossing Akuma aside like waste paper, and grabbing Yoko by her wrist.

Tojiro set Yoko down on the ground, then turned towards Akuma who had already lunged forward and deeply tackled Tojiro. The two severely punched and delivered several deadly strikes as they were rolling across the floor. Tojiro let out a small burst of Chaos Shock from his body, electrocuting Akuma, causing him to shoot up towards the ceiling. Tojiro shot several fire balls up at him afterwards. Akuma spun himself into a black tornado, dousing all the fire balls which simply touched the whirling storm of wind. Akuma stretched his arms out, removing the black tornado from around his body. He immediately took dive towards his brother Tojiro, forming into a drill shaped projectile, surrounded by sparkling and shock intensifying yellow Chaos energy.

Tojiro grabbed the floor then waved his hands up. Several chunks of the ground shot up at the incoming Akuma, shattering easily by the bare touch of Akuma's power drill dive. Tojiro quickly performed a backwards flip, just missing Akuma's attack. Once the Demigod of Death was right side up, he saw Akuma erupt from the smoke cloud and deliver a punch straight to his face. Tojiro shot backward like a speeding rocket, lodging into the cement wall. Yoko fired several shots up at Akuma's back, stopping him from converging any further. Akuma lashed out with a serious of cut shaped scars of red Chaos energy. Yoko swung her rifle around onto her back, and leaped backwards, landing on a lunch table to avoid the hurt. Akuma landed on the ground, his eyes set on the red head. Akuma grinned, raising his fist back to severely hit Tojiro right in the face, who freed himself from the wall, but was simply invited back into the cement.

"Surprised I saw him coming? Trust me, Tojiro isn't all that people say him to be. He's worthless to this world's history, that's why no one cares for him. Is that why you left him so suddenly?" questioned Akuma.

Yoko was left unanswered, feeling deeply questioned by the Demon Demigod. Tojiro lunged forward at his brother. Akuma merely stepped off to the side, and as soon as Tojiro passed, he reached forward and grabbed Tojiro by his foot. Akuma swung him around and then face planted Tojiro into the ground.

"You felt like you didn't matter to him, didn't you? He can be like that, _a lot_." laughed Akuma.

Yoko glared at the Demon Demigod, aiming her rifle at him. "I can easily search your mind and seen the past you've had with him. Whoa. What's this? You…you even kissed him? How funny is that, eh Tojiro?" said Akuma, pulling Tojiro's disgruntled head so he would look at him.

Akuma shoved Tojiro's head back into the floor, and stood up. "You must have came a long way to come and save this pitiful creature. Do you really care about him that much, or do you care at all?" asked Akuma.

Tojiro grabbed hold of Akuma's ankle and violently sent a voltage of blue lightning all over Akuma's body. Tojiro then rose up and grabbed Akuma by the back of the head. Akuma drove his elbow right into Tojiro's face, stunning him shortly. Akuma turned around, thrusting his right hand forward and grabbing Tojiro by the throat.

"You better let him go right now! Or your head is coming off your shoulders." Yoko threatened, her gun aimed at Akuma.

He turned around, and tossed Tojiro to the ground. "Show me…if you truly love this man. Prove it now. Do you hate him…or care for him, or love? That which I highly doubt." he affirmed evilly and snug in tone.

Yoko fired a shot. Akuma reached forward, and used Tojiro as a shield. The shot hit Tojiro square in the forehead, blowing his hood down, and revealing his wide open eyes. Yoko was left stunned and frozen with horror. Akuma huffed carelessly, "I guess that's good enough to prove it. You do hate him!" laughed the evil Akuma, merely tossing Tojiro off to the side like a bag of garbage.

Once Akuma took a step forward, Yoko broke free of her trance and aimed her gun at Akuma again. "Who's to say I won't use Tojiro's corpse again as soon as you fire? I can use Chaos Control just like him, you'll bring more harm than good." he prompted as he walked.

Yoko kept on a determined face, looking unphased. "You definitely are a strong one. Too bad I'll have to wipe that annoying look on your face along with the rest of you." said Akuma, preparing spheres of dark crimson Chaos energy in his palms.

Yoko began firing. All the bullets were blocked by an invisible barrier Akuma set up in front of himself. He laughed continuously at her futile attempts. "Time to be silenced!" yelled an insane Akuma, combining the spheres together, releasing a furious blast of dark crimon Chaos energy. The beam was huge as it approached the hopeless Yoko. Yoko shielded her eyes, ill prepared for the worst. Darkness followed.

Yoko began to stir, her eyes opened up. Her golden eyes widened. She was laying back in Tojiro's left arm, while the Cloakmaster stood with his right hand, stopping the intense beam. His hair was silver. He looked over at her, his eyes had changed from orange to blue and shined brightly with light fiercer than a flaming meteor.

"You…how did you…" she mumbled.

Tojiro looked forward, shoving his hand forward an inch, releasing a gigantic blue beam from his right hand, blowing through Akuma's beam and hitting the Devil of Fear head on. Tojiro lowered his right arm, and nudged Yoko up to her feet, removing his left arm from her.

"Th-Thanks." she stuttered, watching him ignore her words as he stepped forward. Akuma rose from a pile of rubble and stepped out of it, facing Tojiro who stood in the middle of the lunchroom.

"I don't care if she loves me or not. Love is blind. You offer care and compassion into another person's life and only as time passes shall it shatter. I don't care how this world views me. I don't care what my allies think of me. My choices are my own. If Yoko hates me or loves me, I honestly could care less. Her feelings or anyone else's…shall never upset the choices I make. **Never**." he stated. An expressionless Yoko stood behind the Cloakmaster, unable to sum any words from her mouth.

* * *

><p>"You truly are the most curious creature I've ever seen in my life. Do you realize that, brother?" Akuma responded curiously.<p>

"Who cares how screwed up I am. It's not like I can go back on anything I've done." replied a calm Tojiro, releasing a barrage of super quick blue Chaos Spears.

They pelted and smacked against Akuma. Akuma was in the air and the Chaos Spears still came, and they all still hit him. Tojiro finally leaped off the floor, and grabbed his brother by the back of the head. The Cloakmaster of Darkness then violently dived towards the ground, smashing Akuma head first into the destroyed floor. Akuma vanished with Chaos Control and appeared right next to the Demigod of Death. Tojiro reared his head to the left and then to the right, but was vigorously punched in the gut, then Akuma delivered a vicious Chaos Punch to Tojiro's chin, throwing him into the air. Akuma lunged up at his brother, however, the angry demigod lashed out with a huge beam of blue Chaos energy released from his hands. The beam hit Akuma directly on and threw him into the ground. The unstoppable beam tore straight through the ground like a drill. Tojiro landed back on the ground, his hands emanating a strong drifting blue aura. The smoke and fog cleared after a few minutes, revealing a deep incline in the ground, and in the bottom of this crater was Akuma. Tojiro walked over to the edge of it, noticing Yoko running along the outside rim.

"He's not moving." she said, stopping next to Tojiro, looking into the hole.

Tojiro clenched his fists, and the blue auras vanished. His white hair turned back to black and his eyes went back to orange. Tojiro dropped to his knees suddenly, feeling a tremendous pain of force.

It fell upon his shoulders for unleashing so much power in such short notice, it took a toll on the demigod.

"Are you okay, Tojiro? Tojiro! Answer me!" Yoko demanded, kneeling by his side.

Tojiro gripped the floor, and rose to his feet. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." he answered simply, looking back into the depths of the hole.

Akuma was gone. Tojiro's eyes showed clear discomfort for letting his brother slip away so easily. He shook his anger off, refusing to let it take him over for more than five seconds.

"That's not surprising." said Yoko, standing up.

"Nothing much is." replied Tojiro, holding his right hand up, looking at the palm. "Tojiro, I think it'd be best to get out of here. What do you say?" she brought up.

Tojiro clenched his fist, "Sure." he mumbled. The two vanished with the use of Tojiro's Chaos Control.

The pair reappeared on a skyscraper somewhere in Tokyo. Tojiro slowly limped his way over to the edge of the building and sat down, his legs hanging over the edge.

"Tojiro? I thought we were going to go after him?" she questioned with her eyebrows raised.

"That doesn't matter right now. He just caught a lucky break. Leave it be." Tojiro answered stiffly.

Yoko showed a reply of understanding on her face. She walked over to the edge of the building and sat down next to the Cloakmaster. She removed her rifle from her back and set it down next to her. Yoko then rested her hands on her lap, her eyes wandering off into different directions while Tojiro sat next to her in a slouched fashion.

"So…your brother, huh?" she spoke up.

"Unfortunately." stirred Tojiro in a low voice.

"Why was he after you?" she asked.

Tojiro turned his head to her. "Sorry. Stupid question, I guess." she said innocently.

Tojiro looked forward, "It was indeed foolish. I have no idea why someone like him would come to attack me first. Of all the Nine Hell Gods to attack, it had to be him." Tojiro said.

"Did you and him not get along when you were kids?" asked the red head.

"I didn't even know I had a brother. Back then, it was only my mother and father. But my father died the very night I was born. So much for parental guidance." he hissed.

Yoko looked forward out to the city, surprised at first by Tojiro's words.

"What made you so foolish to leave so suddenly like that? And don't give a half ass excuse. I want the truth." he said in a more serious tone.

"You act as if the blame's all on me." replied Yoko stubbornly.

"It slightly is." replied Tojiro sarcastically.

"I already told you! I didn't want to interrupt you and your choices that you had to make. Are you deaf or blind?" she retaliated.

"Blind for the reasoning of why you left." he said.

Yoko looked at him suddenly. Tojiro was still looking forward, and his face held a hindrance of determination on it. "Did he…no way. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Was Tojiro…lost without me?" she said in her thoughts.

"You think I'm deaf, why don't you answer my question already?" he said.

Yoko shook free of her trance. "Well, I actually thought it would be better. Honestly that was it." answered the shooter.

"Yet you had no chance of getting back home. Genius." said Tojiro.

"You like ridiculing, don't you?" she exclaimed, standing up and glaring down at Tojiro.

"If people fail to realize their faults, it's best for someone like me to reveal that to them. I'd rather be honest than hurtful." he responded smoothly.

"What is that suppose to mean?" asked Yoko in confusion, becoming calm.

"When someone lies, they're actually being hurtful by not letting the truth be told. Say if a friend is dying, and a very concerned person asks you if everything's going to be alright, I wouldn't lie. Why tell someone everything will be perfect and no complications will arise when in the end…that dying person…does leave this world. Then…you're the one held responsible for giving that person false hope. I'd rather give that person a chance to say their final goodbyes than give them no chances at all."

Yoko was stunned by his logic. It could be conceived that Tojiro doesn't care about others peoples' lives, misfortunes, or even their truths. Yoko sat back down, her head hung low.

"No one really matters to me anymore, Yoko. I've learned that from a lot of people, especially you." he said.

Yoko's eyes turned wide, and she slowly turned her head to the Cloakmaster, who still refused to look at her.

"Of all things that should be considered drastic and foolish, you score big." he answered.

Yoko turned her head, wearing a glare. "But that may be possible why you're a worthy friend to stand by. No matter how careless you could be for others." he said.

Yoko kept her head turned away, her lip quivering a bit. "Just what are you trying to get at? What are you trying to prove? You were right back there! You know that? I DON'T love you!" she screamed at him.

"Like that matters. You heard what I said before. No ones feelings interfere my choices." he acknowledged.

Yoko grabbed Tojiro by his cloak and forced him to look at her. "Go ahead and say that again! Say it!" she demanded.

Her face was flustered and she gritted her teeth. Tojiro's eyes appeared different. They showed restraint. Yoko pulled her hands away and stared off forward. Tojiro looked in the same way. Yoko then grabbed her rifle and stood up. She walked away, strapping the rifle to her back. A barrier of yellow Chaos energy stood in her way. She stopped, sighing heavily.

"You have to start being honest with yourself. In fact, I take that back. Your honesty instead brings pain to others." he said.

"Your presence does more pain than my honesty, Tojiro." she barked, turning around.

"Good point. But this isn't about how screwed I am. It's how screwed up **you are**." Tojiro answered.

Yoko became even angrier. Even if she shot the Cloakmaster, they wouldn't be enough, she found that out the first time they met.

"You can't prove that Tojiro. I'm perfectly fine. I've made all the decisions I believed were right. What do you have against that?" she exclaimed continuously.

Tojiro was finally silent. The barrier that stopped Yoko vanished. "Come back over here, and I bet I can tell you just what was wrong with what you just said." he said discretely.

Yoko huffed, eager to hear what the Demigod had to say. She sat back down, and rested her rifle next to herself.

"Well? Just what do you think is the problem?" she snapped, turning her head to him. As soon as she did, Tojiro rested his right hand on her head, and his eyes glaring at hers.

"Do you remember the time when I first arrived in your world? I'm sure you do. I first thought of you as someone who would recognize danger whenever you sense it. Someone who knew what they were doing. For those first few days…I truly realized that. However, that doesn't last long. The night you and your cohorts were preparing for the attack against the Dai-Gunzan, you were all prepared to do your worse. You were all prepared to fight this threat. You first visited Simon that night, to which he was surprised from seeing you. You wanted to say something to him, but you couldn't. Simon was busy looking at your unspeakable beauty to even say anything. All you gave him were a few kind words and a cup of something to drink, then you left. Where did you go next? I wonder?" he began, reading through Yoko's mind.

"Of course. You went to Kamina. A brilliant young man who's determination and thinking could not be broken. After telling you how he wished for you to watch his back, you caught his attention…and kissed him. Subtle. How subtle. You're affections were clearly lost in his gaze and then he kissed you. You couldn't have been any happier. After the kiss, he'd promise to repay you: Ten…times…over." said Tojiro, becoming angry.

Yoko remained quiet and silent. "You enjoyed such a delicate moment.. You felt on top of the world, nothing could've have ruined this moment. **Yet you failed to realize Simon had a front row seat to the whole scene**." he continued. Her eyes turned into a gaze of full blown shock.

"You know what I fail to realize about this whole situation? Kamina put more of his trust into Simon. He believed Simon would win this battle for you all. So tell me, was it love that made you more confident in Kamina? You put more trust into a man who fought so hard, yet unbeknownst to you all, it was Simon who could win the day." continued the last Nightshade.

"During that famous last battle…you're so-called love shattered. Kamina was killed, then I stepped in and ended it. It was raining the hardest that night. All of you were unable to believe such a truth that someone that could never be replaced was officially gone. The reason Simon was so tired and demoralized was because of what he saw. He witnessed the one person he saw that truly believed in him kiss his best friend. Simon couldn't fight because his hope was already shattered before he even stepped into Lagann. This is why feelings don't matter to me. This is why I believe love is blind. That's why you all suffered that night. Even if stepped in earlier, I probably could have saved Kamina, but that wouldn't solve anything from the impossible." Tojiro finished, removing his hand from Yoko's head, leaving her breathless.

"Go ahead, _scream_. Scream, walk away, cry, whimper. None of it matters to me. Because in an old lesson I taught you…" he said, grabbing her hand and putting it over his chest.

"**I don't have room for love. I don't need feelings. I don't need your compassion. Because I don't have a heart.**" he said, then pushing her hand away and turning his gaze back to the city.

All of his words left Yoko frozen. A few tears appeared in her eyes. She turned away, letting her legs hang over the edge of the building. "Don't even blame yourself. It wasn't your fault Kamina let himself get killed. It was solely for your falsifying feelings that led to that whole event. Even afterwards, Simon was blamed. That Kittan fellow even said Simon was the reason Kamina died. Calling him a coward, pathetic. This is why you should listen before you speak. This is why you must think before you act. You never know who can be watching." he said.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" screamed Yoko.

Tojiro looked up at her with a distinct glare. Yoko's fists were shaking, as were her arms. "If whatever…you…if whatever you say is t-t-true. Then…it doesn't matter now…doesn't it?" she snapped in an emotional wreck.

Tojiro remained acutely tune to what Yoko had to say. "If you say that what I did was all for nothing…then let's fix it! Take us back to that time, and we can stop Kamina from dying! It'll create a peaceful future! Then…Kamina City will prosper even more! You can do it, can't you?" she insisted, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What you say and believe in, are two halves of one foolish plan. I told you if I were stop Kamina from his death, that wouldn't stop the impossible!" Tojiro exclaimed in offense.

"You were all high and mighty just now, but for what? Are you truly unable to do this one simple task? Or are my feelings interfering your choices too much? Is that it you damn coward?" Yoko continued her outburst. Tojiro's eyes glared angrily at her words. He rose to his feet.

"Coward? All the people that I've cared about are dead because of me. I never looked back on it and showed sympathy. It happened because it happened! This is the same situation, Yoko. If what you change during that battle changes into something else, you're the blame for it because you let your feelings take control of you." he warned in a threatening voice.

"I believe in myself. I believe in the choices I make." she replied.

Tojiro huffed, "Your idiocy is only going to bring you more pain, Yoko." he sufficed, waving his right hand.

A red portal appeared by the edge of the building. "I'm not doing this because you told me to. I'm doing this because you refuse to listen to reason. So…let us go back your world." he said, looking at the portal.

Yoko turned towards the portal. She took in a deep breath and ran forward, into the vortex. Tojiro sighed through his nostrils and shook his head. "Let us go, and see what we can **change**." he thought to himself. Tojiro then ran into the portal as well, shortly afterwards did the swirling red vortex vanish into thin air.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: You think war is always in your favor? Do you think of it as a chess piece? What do you think war does to people, Simon?

Simon: You've always told me it was all about fear, right?

Tojiro: So what beats it then? More fear?

Simon: No, no! That would be pointless! Right now, we have to seize the Dai-Gunzan! And freeing ourselves of fear is the only thing we got!

Tojiro: Tis' still unfortunate. Yoko...still doesn't realize Kamina's fate...**is a sealed one**.

Kittan: Hey, yo! Simon! Tojiro! Yoko's waiting for you guys back at camp! Don't you wanna' eat?

Tojiro: It's not like there's any sense left in the world anyway.

Simon: You sure you're not hungry, Tojiro?

Tojiro: Positive. But after you're done, do one thing if you must.

Simon: Huh? Sure, what is it Tojiro?

Tojiro: This war belongs to the fools tonight. Watch where you venture before we move out. Don't let your spirit break. Do NOT let your soul crumble.

NEXT TIME!

**CHAPTER XIV: A FOOL'S WAR**


	14. Chapter XIV

_**CHAPTER XIV: A FOOL'S WAR**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku ****Vulcan Kikai. All other characters belong their respective creators/owners.**_**  
><strong>_

_**Near Staging Area of Dai-Gunzan, 5:30 pm **_

The fourteen year old Simon was out walking along a forest area. He saw several of the gunmen that belonged to their team; Dai-Gurren standing out, and all the pilots and members of the team out and talking along with one another.

"Where is she? Where could Yoko be?" the young digger asked himself.

Simon turned his head several ways, no sign of the sharp shooter anywhere. He turned around, running into Kamina. "What's up Simon? Looking for someone?" he asked.

"Oh, hey there bro. Did you see Yoko anywhere, along with that new guy we met?" asked Simon.

"That Tojiro guy? Nope. I haven't seen either of them anywhere. They both better get their asses back here. We're almost ready to take this plan into action!" expelled the confident Kamina.

"Yeah, we sure do." replied Simon nervously.

"Come on blood brother! There's no need for you to act that kind of way here. Believe your drill will bust through the heavens! Trust me, believe in the Kamina that believes in you." he commemorated.

Simon was not at all one to be left confused, but he was still bravely invigorated my Kamina's words, no matter what they were.

In another part of the forest area, a red portal opened up. Yoko and Tojiro stepped out with the portal vanishing shortly afterwards. "This look like the place?" said Yoko.

Tojiro held up his right hand, a holographic image appeared. "Seven years ago. It says this time zone is seven years before Kamina City was built. This has to be it." answered Tojiro, letting the hologram image vanish as he lowered his hand.

"So then let's find Kamina and Simon!" Yoko added.

"Hey there guys!" called a waving Kamina, suddenly appearing in front of the two. Yoko jumped by his sudden appearance.

"Where have you two been exactly?" asked Simon, arriving as well.

"Yoko wished to target practice…on me." Tojiro lied.

Yoko hid her laugh, turning her head away. "Well you do have a pretty thick skull." Simon included.

"Thanks for the amnesty. I sure could use a lot more of it." lied Tojiro again.

"Well then come on! Let's head back to camp!" chanted Kamina, leading the way with Simon trailing behind him.

Yoko began to follow in suit. "Be aware to avoid certain things. We can't let them know we simply traveled here through time. Wait, would they even believe that?" said Tojiro, appearing in Yoko's path.

"I hear you already! Just move!" Yoko demanded.

Tojiro hovered up, "Bye bye." he said in a gloomy tone, hovering his way to the camp. Yoko tightly held her rifle to her back and walked on forward to the camp as well.

Simon was in the small room, being told the plan by Leeron which he must commit to during this dangerous battle. Yoko arrived, remembering this moment.

"Using Lagann, Simon should be able to use it to take over the ship's network systems. By doing that, the whole ship will be under his control." Leeron began explaining. Yoko peered over Simon, and he just noticed her, appearing surprised.

"You'll be fine Simon. I believe in you, okay?" she said, before departing quickly, leaving Simon to continue staring as she left.

"It really matters, however, on Simon's mental energy during the fight. Simon? Simon, I know what you were staring at." said Leeron, attempting to get his mind back on track.

Tojiro was sitting on a tree branch, his back rested against the trunk of the tree. He was busy surveying the activity below. He wore a smug and careless expression, turning his head away. Tojiro's arms were crossed, and so he lowered his head. He used his right hand to lower his bandana over his eyes, then crossing it over with his left again. Down on the ground walked Kamina. He curiously looked around for someone. Looking up, he found that person. "Hey, cloak guy! Down here!" he called.

"Go away. I'm trying to rest for once in my life. Seriously." Tojiro grumbled.

"Sleep? What the hell? Just who do you think you are? Get down here already! We're all working hard to make sure we win this battle!" Kamina continued calling up at him.

"That's what _you_ think." Tojiro mumbled to himself.

A sudden rock hit the side of Tojiro's head, making him slightly angry. "What kind of man refuses to engage in a decent talk with his fellow comrades? If you're going to help, you better start right now, pal!" exclaimed Kamina, waving his fist at him.

"A pretty foolish man wastes time with talk. Why don't you put your words into reality once the battle starts, then we'll try to talk." said Tojiro angrily, referring to what may happen to Kamina if this mission doesn't go well.

"Is that what you think, huh? Have you ever piloted a gunmen? You may be freakishly powerful on the ground: But in a gunmen, the whole game changes!" Kamina implied.

"I don't need to be twenty feet tall to defeat my enemies. All I need to know is that I can do it. Nothing else matters." Tojiro responded.

Kamina grumbled to himself, taking only half of what Tojiro said into consideration. "Then tell me this Tojiro! What gives you the power to fight on!" Kamina continued calling up at him.

Tojiro lifted the bandana from his eyes and keeping it over his forehead. "Well? There has to be some reason you have that power of yours, ain't there?" asked Kamina.

Tojiro slipped off the edge of the branch and landed behind the man of bravado. Kamina quickly turned around to the Nightshade. "My power comes from my training. Not from the curse I carry in my blood, nor the curse I wear on my forehead." answered the Cloakmaster, before walking away. Kamina crossed his arms and put on a curious face.

"Makes me wonder if it was the surface that made him this way." braced a steadfast Kamina.

Tojiro turned his head left and right as he pushed his way through some thick bushes and low tree branches. He finally peered his head through a single bush, spotting Lagann, sitting by itself. Out in the distance were three volcanoes. Tojiro walked up to Lagann and poked it with his metal hand. The canopy opened up and a stunned Simon was inside.

* * *

><p>"I figured you were in there. You'd never leave this mech's side." Tojiro said, crossing his arms.<p>

"Yeah. Wouldn't be the first time I thought about that." replied Simon with a smile. The two looked out to the volcanoes, with much on their minds, but no time to think.

"Say Tojiro, what was the reasons behind those training lessons? They almost got me killed!" Simon asked.

Tojiro's eyebrows rose suddenly. Back when Tojiro first arrived in this dimension, he put Simon's emotions to the test. Tojiro cleared his throat, collecting his memories of that day.

"To be honest Simon it was better yourself. Whether you can believe that or not, that's what it was for. For some reason, I have the thought to believe that you weren't so well treated in the past. Or am I just being skeptical?" replied the Nightshade.

"No, you would be right. Back in my old village, a lot of people didn't like me. Mostly because I was smelly or just so strange." said the digger.

"No point on looking back at it now, huh?" Tojiro reassured.

"Sure! I've made a lot of new friends over time. Now we're here on the surface fighting for a common good. Fighting along side bro, Yoko, and everyone else really has made me glad we came up here." Simon explained with a decent feeling of hope in his voice.

"No point of being upset when you realize the truth of its opposite." Tojiro stated.

"It's great that you're here to help too." Simon added.

"Don't look at me to win this battle. It is all about you. Lagann has the ability to take over that massive ship of theirs. We're counting on you." Tojiro put, making sure his words would make sense to this current time.

"That's what worries me." Simon said, looking down.

Tojiro blinked twice, expecting this would come. "Simon, during war it costs a lot of things. Especially courage. During war, people do things they would never imagine themselves doing. War takes price. That's the point of it all. War feeds on fear. That's something you must not give it. Show your enemies what you would do to ensure peace for this world, and for many years to come." Tojiro explained righteously.

Simon looked at Tojiro with a confident smile. "Thanks Tojiro. You're definitely Team Gurren material." replied Simon, giving him a thumbs up.

"Dai-Gurren, isn't that right? Make sure you don't do anything stupid. No playing the hero and sacrificing yourself." noted the Cloakmaster.

"Yeah. You got it." replied the now confident digger. Tojiro walked away, placing his hands in his cloak pockets.

"Hey, Tojiro? Let me ask you something." said Simon.

Tojiro stopped, fearing Simon's question was going to be rash. "Will you…do anything to sacrifice…_yourself_?" asked Simon.

Tojiro flipped his hood over his head. "No one lives forever, Simon." answered Tojiro rashly.

A barrage of hurdling stones shot down towards a group of Beastmen that stood upon the deck of Dai-Gunzan. "Keep em' pinned team! Don't let up!" exclaimed Kamina from the seat of Gurren.

"You can't be serious? Right?" exclaimed back Kittan.

The Beastmen exploded into clouds of flame. Kamina jumped back, avoiding a series of missiles, along with the other gunmen of Team Dai-Gurren.

"I'm surprised these damn apes are attacking the great Dai-Gunzan so quickly. They must all be asking for a death wish." said Thylimph, one of the Four Generals.

A sudden red stream of light hit the side of Dai-Gunzan. "General Thylimph sir! The ship is falling over!" exclaimed the frightful beastmen at the controls.

"WHAT! Who would dare to face my ship?" yelled the angry Thylimph. Appearing in his hedgehog form was a rolled up Tojiro, surrounded by a blazing red aura.

"I DARE!" shouted Tojiro, shooting towards the bridge. Tojiro hit the beast hit intense power, causing Dai-Gunzan to fall back on its feet.

Tojiro reappeared between Gurren and Lagann. "Good job there, Tojiro!" shouted a braced Kamina.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Focus on the battle." Tojiro shoved off, leaping back off the cliff and into the fray once more.

"He never listens doesn't he?" assessed Yoko.

"Hey, you can't blame the guy if he wants to fight! So let's go!" said Kamina, jumping down into the fray as well.

"I'm heading down as well guys…I'll see you on the battlefield." said Simon glumly, using Lagann to jump down onto the deck of Dai-Gunzan.

Tojiro landed on the deck, immediately spin dashing himself through five Beastmen, blowing them all into hellish infernos. Tojiro saw Lagann drill through the top of a Beastmen. Tojiro rose to his feet, watching Lagann step out of the flames. "Yoko did it again. She had to kiss Kamina this time, damn it." said an angry Tojiro to himself.

Tojiro was suddenly sent packing when the massive hand of Dai-Gunzan smacked him. Tojiro curved through the air and smashed into the rocky ground below Dai-Gunzan with intense momentum.

"Tojiro! Damn you Thylimph!" yelled the angry digger.

Lagann's arms changed into drills and leaped towards the bridge. A horde of gun fire from the cannons aimed at Lagann.

"Simon, you dumbass! You're right in the middle of their fire!" yelled Kittan.

Tojiro clapped his hands, causing Chaos Control on Simon. Lagann reappeared next to Tojiro on the ground. Tojiro forced the canopy of Lagann open. "Next time, I'm not saving your foolish ass. Got it?" Tojiro said in a angry tone, getting in Simon's face.

Tojiro then forcibly shut the canopy and looked up. The massive foot of Dai-Gunzan rose over the two. Tojiro quickly prepared the holy lock, and he transformed into his Werehog form. He held his hands up, stopping the massive foot from squashing them.

"Drill straight up the leg, Simon! Do it!" Tojiro forced the words out, keeping the foot up at all costs.

Turning the bottom half of Lagann into a drill, Simon shot upwards with an immense surge of spiral energy. The leg let out bursts of green light, and finally Simon broke through the deck of the Dai-Gunzan. Tojiro's fists glowed with red ferocity.

"The things I do for these damn mortals. Curse it!" roared the Cloakmaster, shooting red beams of Chaos energy up through the leg, causing the entire Dai-Gunzan to fall sideways, echoing an epic boom that quaked the entire area.

"He just knocked that whole ship over." said a speechless Kittan.

Tojiro leaped up towards the sideways laying ship, but ultimately dug his claws into the ship, as it already began to rise back up. Still in Lagann, Simon flew off the top of the deck, and was harshly tackled two Beastmen.

"Get in there you damn fools! HURRY!" ordered Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster did a backwards jump, spotting six enemy gunmen charging up at him. Unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, the Demigod of Death held it forward and began spinning it. The blade turned magnificently fast, spinning like the propellar of a prop plane. The blade then shined an intense red. Tojiro speared through all six gunmen in a blazing combination. He landed on the ground, swinging his sword and then to the right. All the six gunmen then exploded simultaneously in an insane inferno, which Tojiro sheathed his sword afterwards. "Only a fool challenges me." swayed the Cloakmaster.

With the two Beastmen holding him by force, Simon bashed his drill arms against the two Beastmen, freeing himself and giving him some room to fight. Simon first drove both drills into one Beastmen that charged from his left. Simon quickly thrusted backwards with a boost from the jet engine, and bashed into another Beastmen behind him.

"You little punk! You're gonna' regret that!" said the angry Beastmen, grabbing hold of Lagann.

A sudden shot from Yoko hit the Beastmen in the back of the head. Simon took this chance. He drove the two drills into the Beastmen, then tore the mech in half, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Simon. You…you better be careful out there, got it?" she said over the com link.

Simon nodded his head, "I will. I will…for everybody." Simon said in his thoughts.

Tojiro appeared hovering by Simon's side. "Good luck so far, I assume?" Tojiro mentioned, creating a barrier of Chaos energy to his left, that blocked a series of bullets. He removed the barrier from sight with a wave of his hand.

"So far it's nothing too bad. We'll hold out long enough." replied Simon desperately.

"I believe in what you say. You best not be lying." warned Tojiro, hovering past the front of Lagann.

A large golden beam of Chaos energy suddenly came down from a diagonal direction, hitting both Tojiro and Lagann. "Simon!" shouted Yoko.

The digger and the Demigod smacked across the ground. Simon ended up smashing into a raised hill of rock, while Tojiro slammed against a stone head first. "Damn it. Who in the world just fired that?" cringed the bruised Simon, rising up in Lagann.

Tojiro stood up as well, his eyes widened when he spotted something horrific coming from the sky. Tojiro gritted his teeth. He quickly turned to Simon and stuck his arms out. Using Earthbending, the earth shifted Simon across the ground and put him about fifteen feet away from the Cloakmaster. Once he stopped, Simon lowered the canopy on Lagann, seeing a massive gold beam impact Tojiro dead on. The explosion was intense, sending fireballs flying out of its smoking plume that climbed the heavens.

"Simon! You alright, buddy?" asked Kamina over the com.

"I…I'll be fine. But Tojiro…" stammered the digger.

The smoke ultimately cleared, revealing something in the middle. Simon appeared surprised. It was a circular silver ball of metal. Surprisingly, it transformed into Tojiro, who had reverted into his Mecha Werehog form just before the beam hit him. With his eyes full of a fierce glowing orange. In his mecha form, he turned the dial once, so he stood at about eight feet tall or so. Tojiro set his eyes off to the corner.

"No doubt that came from your weapon, did it not?" said Tojiro, quickly reverting back to his hedgehog form.

The cloaked being stood a few feet behind the Cloakmaster of Darkness, making a large and futuristic looking mini-gun vanish from his hands. Tojiro turned around, raising his clenched fists.

"A fight between gunmen. It doesn't surprise me that you wished to get involve here, Vulcan." said an angered Tojiro.

"You have no need to fear my friend. This shall end it quickly." replied Vulcan, lowering his hood.

"You forget…**death fears nothing**!" yelled the Demigod of Death, referring to his _force given title_ with vengeance filling his cursed veins.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: VULCAN! You step into a war knowing NOTHING of its consequences!

Vulcan: That is why I stand here now, Cloakmaster Ankoku. Akuma...has became restless and restless. I've come to relieve that annoyance.

Simon: Tojiro, don't engage him!

Tojiro: Apologies Simon: He's my foe. My twisted target! HE SHALL DIE!

Kamina: Simon, what power are they using?

Kittan: There's no way that can be Spiral energy, right? It doesn't look like that!

Yoko: Kamina, get Simon outta' there!

Simon: Tojiro! Don't sacrifice yourself you idiot!

Vulcan: Darkness enshrouds everyone Cloakmaster; all but their minds..._interesting_.

Tojiro: I don't care what I have to go through to finish you! YOU shall fall like all the rest! Prepare...**_FOR MY CHAOS_**!

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER XV: MENACING! THE MECHANIZATIONS OF DARKNESS AND STEEL!_**


	15. Chapter XV

**_CHAPTER XV: MENACING! THE MECHANIZATION'S' OF DARKNESS AND STEEL!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Vulcan Kikai. They are my original characters and thus belong to me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

Vulcan released a stunning array of yellow beams that shot off from around his body. Vulcan placed his mini-gun; The Annihiliator, on his back. He clapped his hands, releasing a metal wall to erect from the ground. The beams hit with devastating affect, but not enough to break through the wall. Tojiro crouched down and shot off like a bullet. Vulcan put his hands on the wall, transforming it into a large cybernetic minotaur creature. Exerting flames from it's nostrils, it charged as well. Tojiro quickly took out the Chains of Fear, already their stinging blades shining with intense shock damage. He leaped forward digging the two weapons into the side of the beasts head. Jumping onto it's head, Tojiro then leaped into the air, tearing the head off the minotaur. Tojiro swung the Chains of Fear over his head, which sent the minotaur head crashing directly onto Vulcan in a devastating quake of earth shaking intensity. Tojiro landed back on the ground, the chained blades retracting back on their handles. A large golden beam shot up from where Vulcan was. It screamed with intense power. Tojiro crossed the Chains of Fear in front of his face, enduring the fierce winds the towering beam sent. Finally, Vulcan was revealed, looking straight up into the air with his arms held high up.

The stunning beam that erupted Vulcan was in the air. Tojiro growled. He then charged towards straight at Vulcan, delivering a stunning kick to Vulcan's face. The half metal man rolled across the dirt. Tojiro then turned around, seeing the monstrous beam of golden Chaos energy come at him.

Crossing the Chains of Fear like an X, a wide spread dome of light green Chaos energy surrounded the Demigod. The blast warped through him with extreme velocity. Vulcan was up in the air, hovering and awaited the sight of an injured Tojiro. Finally the two blades shot out of the smoke, attaching onto Vulcan's shoulders. Flying out of the smoke was Tojiro with his legs aimed straight out. Tojiro impacted Vulcan directly on the gut, then quickly dislodged the blades from Vulcan's shoulders and finished by using his left fist to punch Vulcan directly in the crown of his head, shooting the Nightshade straight to the ground with pain staking power. Tojiro was about to set charge again, but was interrupted my a mass of spinning blade discs that appeared similar to shuriken, but these were studded with six inch spikes. The deadly discs hit Tojiro on mainly vital parts of his body. Suddenly, Vulcan appeared behind Tojiro in mid-air and delivered a static punch of Chaos energy directly to Tojiro's spinal area. The Nightshade of Darkness spiraled on down to the ground, smashing into it with clear intensity.

"You gonna' be okay?" called Simon desperately.

"You focus on your fight, kid. This battle...is mine." said Tojiro rising to his feet.

Uncaring of the multiple spike discs in his arms, chests, and legs, Tojiro was already on his feet. Vulcan armed the Annihilator in his hands, snickering deeply.

"Damn child. You have no control over me. Don't think a few lucky hits will win you this fight!" shouted the demented Vulcan, letting loose on his mini-gun.

The barrage of Chaos energy enriched bullets rained down upon Tojiro like a hail storm. Placing the Chains of Fear back in their holders, Tojiro quickly gripped the ground with his hands, creating a surface of earth armor around his whole body, also shattering the shuriken like weapons that embedded into his flesh. Standing completely still, the bullets impacted the ground, creating an ever growing cloud of dirt. Vulcan ceased his insanity of overwhelming the Cloakmaster and studied the cloud closely. A few shots from Yoko knocked Vulcan out of his trance. He angrily turned around, and saw the huge fist of Gurren punch him head on. The former Nightshade went spinning towards the ground. Tojiro shot out of the smoke in perfect timing, the earth carved around his eyes, and revealed to be full of glowing red hate. Tojiro punched Vulcan directly in the gut, then grabbed him by the neck with swiftness.

"Save your judgments once this war is over." Tojiro told.

"Thinking ahead so easily? Only a fool believes in confidence!" said Vulcan, letting out an explosive ray of yellow Chaos energy that sent Tojiro flying with a trail of smoke trailing him.

The Cloakmaster somehow was able to landed on his feet. Vulcan aimed the Annihilator at Tojiro once more. The gun port opened up, revealing a glowing golden light to grow from within. Tojiro swung his hands down, causing the earth armor to fall of his body. Shortly afterwards, he readied Black Death, his Chaos powered revolver as well. Holding down on the trigger, he powered it for the technique known as the Strike of Darkness.

"Let's see that confidence NOW!" called a vicious tongued Vulcan.

A humongous golden beam of Chaos shot out of the gun port. Tojiro spun into ball form, letting a lightning red aura of Chaos energy envelop him. Tojiro zipped straight up at the blast.

"SUCH A FOOL! Are you that eager to die?" yelled the Cloakmaster of Machines.

Tojiro penetrated straight through the middle of Vulcan's powerful beam and traveling up on through it with intense speed. Vulcan's eyes widened with surprise. Tojiro finally made it to Vulcan, exiting ball form, and sending Black Death towards his face, he said, "Are you?" sank his voice.

A large explosion of red fiery power expanded in mid-air once Tojiro delivered a point blank Strike of Darkness to Vulcan's chest. Tojiro landed on the ground, placing Black Death back in it's holster. The Cloakmaster of Darkness turned around.

"So much for _that_ waste of time." he stated.

Unaware of surge of flying rockets shot from Dai-Gunzan, the Cloakmaster was shot into the air by the furious combination of firepower. Tojiro formed into a ball, and once he hit the ground, he was sent into a rebound. He shot towards the deck of Dai-Gunzan, busting through two Beastmen, immediately causing them to combust into flaming destruction once the Demigod skidded to a halt on the deck. Tojiro then noticed Gurren climbing up Dai-Gunzan. "This is when it happens." thought the Cloakmaster, changing into his human form.

Gurren slipped near the top of Dai-Gunzan, and the canopy opened up, causing Kamina to come spinning out the seat and into the air. The knocked down Lagann awaited him. The determined leader landed on top of it, taking Simon by surprise.

"Open the hatch!" he said, readying his fist.

Once the canopy opened up for his bro, Simon took a wicked punch across the face by Kamina, causing him to flip upside down. "Feel better? You wake up yet?" he asked smiling.

Simon was still shocked, more or less was the young digger confused as well. "If you ever doubt yourself again, I'll come and give you a wake up call. Don't worry, I'm right by your side!" said the valiant Kamina.

Simon was still blind sided by the hit, yet he understood what his bro' was promising him. Kamina stepped back into the pilot seat of Gurren and sat confident as ever. A sudden wicked blast hit the lower section of Gurren, giving Kamina a severe wound in his belly.

There was Thylimph. "Pathetic humans. You never realize the true fate of a battle until it finally hits you, is that what you think?" taunted the Beastmen general.

"Let us finish this ape!" said Viral, arriving on the scene as well.

From afar, Yoko was watching the dreadful scene unfold before her. "Don't happen. Please! Don't let it happen, Tojiro!" she exclaimed inside her head.

Gurren was knocked into the air by a fiery explosion. Viral flew up by Gurren's side, grabbing it by its arm and forcing it to fall. Thylimph charged down with the glaive that would unknowingly change the history of this world.

"THIS SHALL END IT!" yelled Thylimph. Tojiro…stood still in his wake.

"Yoko…you're going to learn someday…that when choosing between life and death…you'll always end up with sadness." he murmured to himself, his hands and body suddenly being swallowed by Chaos Control.

The glaive drove right through Gurren and snapped through the armor like a knife slicing through butter. Gurren impacted the ground, and a loud scream of pain came afterwards. Everyone waited in shock, unbelievably stunned that their leader has been killed right before them.

"There's…no way. We…we failed." a saddened Yoko displayed.

Thylimph picked the wreckage of Gurren up and laughed. "You can have him back!" he laughed, tossing the mech over to staging area of Team Dai-Gurren. The mech slammed onto the cliff, a few feet away from Yoko. She immediately let go of her rifle and ran over to it.

"Yoko! Hold on there!" called Dayakka.

She ignored it.

"Don't do it, Yoko!" called Leeron, trying to catch up to her.

Yoko ran onto the top of the mech, and dropped to her knees. The pilot seat canopy was forced inwards, unable to open. "Kamina…NO!. Kamina!" she cried.

"Hey! What in the hell just happened!" called a familiar voice. Her eyes snapped in surprise. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kamina standing before the wreckage.

"You're…you're…" she stammered. A metal arm broke out of the canopy. Another arm grabbed a slight opening and the canopy was forced open. Rising out of Gurren was: Tojiro himself!

He fell over the edge, covered with his blood, and his cloak torn to several shreds. Tojiro coughed uncontrollably, and glared at Yoko. "Why would you do that? Are you stupid?" she exclaimed, jumping down by his side.

Tojiro grabbed Yoko by the throat and sat up. "This is what you get for wanting too much. It would've been someone else if I hadn't put myself in that damn mech. So shut your mouth." he said, retracting his hand from around her throat.

Yoko looked at the deathly damage on Tojiro. The worst of it all, however, is what Yoko suddenly realized. Tojiro's right leg, had been completely severed. "Tojiro, your leg!" she exclaimed in shock.

The blood poured and ran across the ground with no sign of stopping it. Tojiro shook suddenly, "Cold? I feel…cold. Figures." he mumbled to himself.

Tojiro put his left hand on his left leg, which was completely made out of a combination of the strongest metals ever conceived. He then put his right hand on the spot where his right _once_ was. His eyes flashed a bright white. In a few seconds of blindness, Yoko was forced to look away. After the light dimmed, Tojiro was already standing. Yoko was taken by surprise what Tojiro had just done. His right leg was now completely made out of several durable metals, just like his left leg. Tojiro took an angry glare down at Yoko.

"You can regret this, later. You can trust me on that." he said, flipping his hood over his head. Tojiro shot off the cliff, and towards the battlefield once more. Within the darkness of his hood, two red filled glowing eyes appeared.

* * *

><p>Surrounded by both Thylimph and Viral, Simon turned left and right with the controls of Lagann.<p>

"Shall we squash this insect, Thylimph?" proposed Viral.

"So we shall!" replied Thylimph harshly.

A lightning fast array of red lightning suddenly shot at the two Beastmen, immediately sending them flying across the ground. The Demigod of Death landed next to Simon, in a crouched position.

"Is…is he?" mumbled the distraught Simon.

Tojiro rose up, revealing the horrible gash in his chest and the blood that still spilled from his wounds.

"Ask that question again and I'll make sure you never see the light of day again. Your foolish friend is fine…at the expense of my own carelessness." Tojiro explained half heartedly.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked the digger.

"Let's find out." commanded a sudden voice.

Lagann was sent flying forward by a golden Chaos Spear from behind. The Cloakmaster of Machines arrived, smacking the Annihilator across Tojiro's face. Thrown to the ground, the Demigod fell in cringing pain. Vulcan placed his weapon on his back.

"You're too contempt to your own choices and beliefs. How amusing." Vulcan began jokingly.

"Only a fool…allows themselves to be overcome by their choices." glistened Tojiro's fiery eyes, while he stood in harsh pain.

"Did you learn that from yourself?" questioned the mechanized Nightshade.

Tojiro grabbed the dial at the side shoulder of his right arm. "Don't be so foolish. Of course I did." said the Demigod with a fist raised before his evil eyes.

He turned the dial twice. A blistering light of orange surrounded him like a cocoon.

Vulcan grinned, "About time."

The Cloakmaster of Machines jumped back about twenty feet, avoiding two large metal fists from smashing down on him. The fifteen foot tall mechanized Werehog that was Tojiro stepped out, his eyes were completely filled with a fierce glowing orange. Vulcan only stood where he was, appearing unimpressed by Tojiro's change in strategy.

"That form takes a lot of Chaos energy to control. It was foolish of you to use it against me." stated the Cloakmaster of Machines.

"_That's what he thinks_." thought the Demigod. He released a massive red beam of Chaos energy from his mouth.

Vulcan's eyes widened by the sudden release of Chaos energy. Vulcan was overcome by the intense blast.

Tojiro stood direly, his shoulders heaving up and down. "_Now that I have this new leg, more Chaos energy will feed into it and now I'll be able to hold more energy in my body. That old codger judged too early_." thought the Nightshade.

Vulcan was heavily injured in the midst of the destruction Tojiro let out. His mechanical parts shocked with uncontrollability. Tojiro was suddenly standing over Vulcan. "So, will you kill your Godfather so easily?" questioned Vulcan.

"Yeah." said Tojiro, raising his right fist back.

Vulcan lunged up, grabbing the Cloakmaster by his chest, digging his metal hand into Tojiro's chest. Tojiro growled angrily. He raised his left arm up and thrust it down. Vulcan shot across the ground, avoiding Tojiro's attack. The hole in Tojiro's chest was spilling a shining red liquid.

"Discharge? That stuff is more tainted than your blood. But there's no real point in exchanging one disgusting thing for another." announced Vulcan, holding several machine parts that he pulled out of Tojiro's chest. Tojiro growled, anticipating this battle was about to slip out of his control. Vulcan held the machine parts up in his right hand then smacked them down into the ground, creating an explosion of silver light.

The explosive light shined all across the land. "This old fool doesn't realize who he's up against, doesn't he?" said the Cloakmaster to himself. Finally the light vanished, leaving a huge brown smoke cloud.

Tojiro lowered his arms by his side. Simon arrived by Tojiro's side in Lagann. "What happened? What was that light?" questioned the digger.

"Silence." Tojiro demanded.

A sudden quake shook the earth. "Please tell me you felt that too." said a worried Simon.

"You may want to get that canopy back over your head, Simon." said Tojiro.

"Why? Whatever it is, we outnumber it!" Simon replied.

A humongous silver paw came out of the smoke, stomping on the ground right in front of the two. Its claws clicked the ground. A head came out of the still lingering smoke. It was a vicious looking dog head with giant glowing blue eyes. "Just one, see!" said Simon.

Suddenly, two more of the same dog heads came out. "Make that three." Tojiro added, reluctant to keep his face serious.

The entire smoke cloud vanished when the beast stood up on its hind legs. The beast smashed its front legs into the ground, revealing a gigantic mechanized Cerberus.

"That's why. Still think numbers are going to matter?" questioned Tojiro with a refined determination.

The Cerberus let out a monstrous roar out of all its heads. Tojiro grabbed Lagann and began running the other way. The colossal beast gave chase after them.

"This is so screwed up! How are we suppose to take that thing down?" yelled Simon.

"Beat it down until it can't get up. That's my plan." answered the vague and stubborn Tojiro.

"Wh-What? What do you mean you plan?" sputtered Simon.

Tojiro leaped up onto the deck of Dai-Gunzan, and placed Lagann down. "Stay here." Tojiro ordered, turning back around, already seeing the Cerberus halfway near to Dai-Gunzan.

"Bu-B-But-" stammered the digger, watching Tojiro leap away. Simon turned around, and his eyes widened. A group of five Beastmen stood behind him. "This really sucks." he admitted sadly.

Tojiro was flying through the air, on his way to colossal monstrosity. The beast shot a slew of blue Chaos Spears from its center head. Tojiro transformed into a ball, letting the Chaos Spears dissipate against his armor on impact, while he kept flying, letting nothing slow him down. Tojiro smashed into the middle head, causing the monstrous beast to stumble back. Tojiro landed on the creature's back.

"Now to dig in!" Tojiro exclaimed, raising his claws up.

Suddenly, the section he was standing, a cybernetic cannon came out and pointed right in his face. "Damn this mutt." mumbled the Cloakmaster.

A massive beam shot Tojiro dead in the face, launching him into the sky. "There's no way I can land a good attack so easy. That damn thing is practically a walking fortress!" complained Tojiro in his thoughts, aiming himself downward.

Tojiro launched directly back at the Cerberus. Enveloping his hands with sparking white Chaos energy, Tojiro clapped them together then launched it up into the air. The energy formed into a large white sphere with a black warp like aura surrounding it.

"Chaos Barrage!" he called.

The huge sphere suddenly let out a horrendous slew of lightning fast Chaos Spears of all colors and different affects. Tojiro stuck his feet forward, causing jet flames to boost out from under his feet. Stopping in mid-air, Tojiro observed the Chaos Spears pelt and explode on impact against the Cerberus.

"_I'll probably hate doing it, but I have no choice!_" he argued in thought.

Tojiro took a straight dive towards the beast, aiming for the middle head. The angry beast shot a ring of blue Chaos energy rings, with a center silver beam in the middle. Tojiro immediately did a barrel roll to the left and ended up flying into the mouth of the left head. The beast chewed and chewed on the morsel, but Tojiro wouldn't allow himself to be titled as food. Punching it's way out of the left eye was Tojiro's fist, causing blue sparks to fly out. The head roared and cried in pain, causing the Cerberus to step back and forth wildly. Finally, another hand busted through the skull of the head, and out came Tojiro. From behind, a stun gun, a fairly large one, transformed out of the metal surface and shocked Tojiro violently, ultimately sending him flying off the Cerberus once again. The Cloakmaster smashed through two Beastmen on the deck of Dai-Gunzan.

"Tojiro!" exclaimed Simon.

Throwing the corpse of a defeated Beastmen mech off his body, rose the Cloakmaster. "Simon, could you do me a favor?" asked the Cloakmaster, limping over to Lagann's side.

"What is it?" Simon quickly asked.

"Arm those drills of yours. I need to upgrade." he replied.

Simon readied his drills that replaced Lagann's arms. Tojiro looked at the small mech and focused.

"Night Glare!" he called, his eyes flashing white. Tojiro then turned back to the edge of Dai-Gunzan, setting his eyes back on the Cerberus.

"Well, what was that for?" asked the digger.

"Oh, you'll see." said Tojiro, boosting the flames from under his feet and launching off Dai-Gunzan with extreme speed.

With his left fist aimed out, Tojiro flew, increasing the thrust in the jets and going even faster. The Cerberus shot blue Chaos Spears from all its heads, but Tojiro took this opportunity to burst through them all and land right in the mouth of the left head of the Cerberus. The beast's head appeared confident. Suddenly, a whirling noise came from within. Bursting through the crown of the head were two fifteen inch long drills made out of orange Chaos energy. Then, the drills began whirling with more intense speed. The two drills went two separate ways, left and right, cutting the entire front head open, revealing Tojiro to be standing inside, retracting his stretched arms.

"The Night Glare succeeds again." he victoriously announced, observing the orange drills that replaced his hands.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Simon: GAHHHH! Tojiro, we won't hold out any longer if you don't take care of that damn machine!

Tojiro: You don't think I'm doing my best?

Thylimph: All you vile apes will learn the true potential of the Beastmen after WE slaughter you to the last one standing!

Tojiro: The odds just keep intensifying. There's no point in risking anyone's life here tonight!

Yoko: Tojiro better not run. He never does! He never will!

Simon: Kamina was saved thanks to you, Tojiro! Dai-Gunzan will be ours in no time! WHOA! WATCH OUT!

Vulcan: The powers of Hell itself drive my Cerberus to victory! You petulent humans shall suffer at the hands of ME...and HELL...ITSELF!

Tojiro: _His greed is getting the better of him! This fight will deter fate itself if it keeps going on! Someone's going to die this night no matter the cost!_

Yoko: Duck Simon! That freakin' cyborg is leading the offensive!

Tojiro: _Yoko...this one moment...will not end with your overall happiness. This world...must take its original path. I have to use THAT technique or its all over!_

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER XVI: CHAOS RIFT TECHNIQUE: SPACE-TIME CONTROL!_**


	16. Chapter XVI

**_CHAPTER XVI: CHAOS RIFT TECHNIQUE: SPACE-TIME CONTROL!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP over ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Ryu Kaze. They are my original characters and thus are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respectful creators/owners. **

Tojiro quickly aimed the drills upward and surged through the armor until he ended up on the back of the Cerberus. Several turrets transformed out of the armor on the Cerberus's back. Tojiro charged forward. Several rockets, bullets, and Chaos energy blasts shot out of all these turrets. The Cloakmaster of Darkness slashed away at these blasts. Tojiro then stopped for a moment, lunging off the footing, spinning with drills aimed forward, slashing through all the turrets by performing several zigzags. Finally, he stopped on his feet. The drills vanished and his hands came back out of his arms, clenching them immediately.

"Idiotic monster. Realize the threat you face." said the Demigod.

The middle head turned a complete three hundred sixty degrees, shooting a breath of blue fire at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro shot off into the sky with a boost from the jets from under his feet. The center head turned back around, and the Cerberus stared up at the mechanized Cloakmaster. Tojiro created spheres of red fire in his hands.

"Chaos Fiery Rage!" he called, releasing two spinning beams of red flames mixed with Chaos energy.

The two beams circled round and round with each other, spanning a larger width. The two beams stretched out far enough to create a larger radius around the Cerberus. Finally, it impacted.

Creating a whirlwind of extreme power and cloud of fiery flames and falling meteors, Tojiro's Chaos Fiery Rage did the job. Tojiro still hovered in mid air, breathing heavily.

"Need…need to transform back." he mumbled, placing his hands together.

A black smog surrounded him, and he was back in his human form. Once his eyes opened, the massive Cerberus was right up to him. He quickly shot a pair of Chaos energy beams out of both his hands, to backlash himself through the air and avoid the center head from biting down on him. Tojiro flew to a halt, preparing the Blade of Darkness in his right hand.

"You're beginning to infuriate me you cursed beast!" yelled the angry Cloakmaster.

Having to jump in the air get a good chance at eating him, the humongous Cerberus landed back on the ground with a devastating boom that shook the earth. Tojiro clasped his hands together. The entire earth the Cerberus stood on, suddenly began to shift. The earth rose up, with the Cerberus still standing on it. Tojiro then pulled his hands apart, watching how the surface held the Cerberus on it. Finally, he was face to face with the beast, hovering a couple of hundred feet in the air.

"Time for your sufferng." said Tojiro, vanishing with Chaos Control.

The Cerberus growled and snarled, searching around for the Cloakmaster.

Suddenly, Tojiro was running around the front legs, entrenching the earth around them. He then teleported to the back, bending the earth around the hind legs as well. Tojiro then leaped off the edge, then he quickly transformed into his Werehog form in a flash of red. He turned around, stretching both his arms out, grabbing the ledge of the huge chunk of floating earth. He pulled himself up to it so his chest was up to it. The right head of the Cerberus suddenly was able to turn around and grab Tojiro in it's mouth. Holding it's head back up, Tojiro fought to keep the creature's jaws from closing in on him.

"You want a snack? Very well!" he said angrily, letting an aura of distorted red Chaos energy to surround his body.

Releasing from his body was over a hundred black spikes. The Cerberus remained still. The spikes then vanished in puffs of black air and Tojiro jumped out of the mouth, landing on the edge of the earth. The right head exploded into blue fire and shot out several chunks of burning metal. Tojiro hung himself over the edge of the rock platform. He then swung himself forward, then stretched his arms up to the underside of the rocky surface, latching into it immediately. Tojiro then began swinging himself repeatedly back and forth. His legs formed auras of red. Finally, he swung himself into a front flip, letting go of the rocky underside. Nearing the other end of the rock platform while he was upside down, Tojiro kicked both his feet into the near edge of the platform. Amazingly, the whole platform flipped over, and the Cerberus was now upside down. Tojiro then teleported himself over the platform, keeping it in mid air.

"Tremble until your death." he muttered silently.

Tojiro dove down, raising his fists over his head. The Demigod of Death roared at the top of his lungs, smashing them both down on the platform, causing it to shoot down back to earth, leaving the Cerberus held trapped by the earth that kept its legs held tightly in place. In that very instant of time, the seconds passed slowly. On the ground, everyone witnessed the falling platform with the helpless Cerberus trapped under it. The Cerberus was then crushed once it hit the ground, creating a gigantic cloud of dirt and rock to shoot up from the impact site.

The increasingly fast blast radius caused everyone to be thrown to the ground. Simon was on the ground, at the feet of Dai-Gunzan, with Lagann on the ground next to him. Yoko got off the ground, staring at the humongous cloud that swelled up into the sky. Hovering in the air, was a weakned and drained Cloakmaster. He was back in his human form. Small bolts of red electricity twitching all over his body.

"Energy running low. How suitable for such a time." mumbled the Cloakmaster in angry pain.

Far below, the Cerberus beast was still alive. Tojiro glared with impatience. "I don't know how…but…I'll have to do something." he said, looking at the palm of his right hand.

The blue orb button was blinking from red to blue multiple times. He lowered his arm back down, and shut his eyes.

"Even if it risks the energy reserves I have in my body, and even if this gives my Werehog form a chance to unleash it's power, I have no other choice." he said, clapping his hands together.

An uncontrollable surge of white lightning began to spur from around his hands. His eyes opened up, revealing the black symbol of the Great Shade Empire to have replaced his orange eyes. He pulled his hands apart slowly, both hands becoming suddenly drenched with white Chaos energy lined with a warp like black aura.

"I have no time to think and I never shall. I apologize to this world…because it deserved the **original fate** it was handed." he said, glaring down at the Cerberus monster far below.

Tojiro then shot down like a rocket, heading towards the Cerberus. The middle head being the only ope-ratable one, roared up at Tojiro, releasing a whole slew of blue Chaos Spears up at him. Tojiro kept on flying down through the chaos, letting every single projectile hit him and shortly dissipate on impact.

"This conflict…shall spawn a new one." he said. Tojiro dove right into the middle head's mouth.

"Ron! What just happened?" called Yoko.

A sudden quake rolled over the earth. "What did Tojiro just do? Is her crazy!" shouted Kamina. Their questions were soon answered.

"CHAOS RIFT! SPACE-TIME CONTROL!" roared Tojiro's voice from within the monstrous Cerberus.

The body of the Cerberus began to implode, and ultimately exploded into thousands of pieces, and bursting out from within was a humongous white dome with a black circular sphere within it. It continued to spread across the landscape with unspeakable power. As the dome approached the forces of the Beastmen and Team Dai-Gurren, they only stood in awe. Finally, the black sphere within, flashed red, and exploded into an extremelye large flash of light, dimming everything to darkness.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kamina City, 4:30 pm<strong>_

With darkness, comes a dim hope for new light. That is the last thing Yoko Littner remembered before that large light flashed and everything was resorted to this strange vision of hopelessness. Her eyes began to flutter open, finding herself in a hospital room. She immediately sat up.

"Looks like you're finally awake." wandered a voice.

She quickly looked to the left, seeing a black hedgehog with a cloak tied around his neck.

"Yo-you!" she said. It was the Ultimate Life Form; Shadow the Hedgehog. The door busted open, and in walked Kittan and his three sisters.

"Is she awake? She is! What a relief!" said a relieved Kiyoh, coming into the room with her baby in her arms.

In hospital garb, Yoko realized she was back at her correct age during this time.

"Everyone was glad to see you were back. Where did you even go?" asked a curious Shadow.

"I…I…really don't know what happened." she stammered in confusion.

"Give her a break, Shadow! She just got back!" said another person, coming in the door.

Everyone looked and saw Sonic the Hedgehog. Carrying a bouquet of flowers, the Blue Blur set them on the cabinet next to her bed. "Good to see you back, Yoko!" said the Blue Blur, giving a thumbs up.

"Well, it's good to be back. I guess." she said, putting her hand to her head.

"I thought you were over at that school you work at. How'd you end up here in Kamina City?" asked Shadow.

"I really wish I knew. The last thing I remember is Tojiro creating this huge white dome and then everything went black. Tojiro! Where is he? Is he here?" she questioned intensively after her explanation.

Silence fell amongst them. The three sisters of the Black Siblings wore awry faces by her question. Yoko looked from one to the other, they all appeared without an answer.

"Where were you before you woke up here?" asked Shadow indifferently.

"I asked Tojiro to go back to the time where Kamina died. I thought…if with his help, we could stop it from happening!" she answered.

Sonic quickly looked at Shadow, and the ebony hedgehog returned the look. "What is it? Why the strange looks?" Yoko implied.

"Yoko, Tojiro's been gone for seven years. He's dead." answered Kittan.

Yoko's eyes suddenly widened with fear.

"She's definitely not aware of what happened. She's from a different time line." Shadow stated.

"How is he gone? How is he _dead_? What is going on?" she exclaimed.

"Calm down, Yoko! We're in a hospital you know." said Sonic, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I…I can't believe any of this. What happened here? **How did Tojiro die?**" demanded the red headed sharpshooter.

Somewhere else in the city, at a very tall building would be where Simon is. Sitting at his table and writing away at several papers with great focus, yet it was slowly slipping away from him. Simon stopped writing. He let his head fall onto the desk, exhausted from hours of work.

"This gets pointless with every word I write. Seriously. When is something interesting going to happen?" he rambled. Boota, the mole pig compaion of Simon appeared on his head, sniffing through his hair.

"Not now, Boota. I'm suffering just a bit." mumbled Simon's muffled voice.

The door's opened up and Rossiu came in. Simon quickly lifted his head, expecting something good, but that face changed to despair.

"Sorry to bother you Simon, but I have some urgent news for you." he said.

"What can it be this time?" asked Simon, laying back in his chair.

"You have a _few _visitors." replied Rossiu calmly. He was suddenly tossed away, and there stood a heavily tired Yoko.

"Y-Y-Yoko? How come you look like you just got back from the hospital?" said Simon, getting up from his chair.

"Simon! How ya' doing kid?" said Sonic, running into the room, along with Shadow who instantly appeared out of Chaos Control.

The Black Siblings came in, as well as Dayakka, Gimmy and Darry.

"_Some_ visitors, Rossiu?" said Simon, his eyes in shock.

"Supposedly, sir." said Rossiu as he got up, wiping away at his clothes.

"So you remember nothing? Not even that the Anti-Spirals are gone?" said a surprised Simon.

"I know _that_! Why? You say it like I should surprised." replied Yoko.

"Well you slightly should be." added Shadow.

"Why's that?" Yoko asked, looking over at him.

"Because much has changed in _this_ timeline." said a mysterious voice.

Everyone looked above, seeing an apparition begin to form out of a black fog.

"Ryu Kaze. I'd have a feeling you'd dimension hop over here." said Shadow.

Forming into a cloaked floating man with the legendary Golden Dragon Staff. He touched down onto the ground.

"Miss Yoko? Why are you barefoot?" asked Ryu.

Blushing in embarrassment, her eyebrows twitched.

"No need to worry. I thought you had never come back! Those children were worried when you left to go see Tojiro." said Ryu.

"You knew?" replied the surprised sharpshooter.

"Indeed! It made you seven years younger, did it not?" Yoko nodded slowly to his question. "Well. How did you end up here? This land is different from the one you left, Miss Yoko." said Ryu.

"Different how?"

"For one, that battle against the Anti-Spirals wasn't as difficult to handle." said Gimmy.

"Yeah. These guys in white cloaks traveled up into space to help us. What were they called?" swept the curious Darry.

"The Crescent Moon Kingdom, led by Orion." answered a grave Ryu.

"The guy who's been chasing after Tojiro all his life? You have to be kidding me." spoke a dreading Yoko.

"I'm afraid not. And since then, they've helped enforce Kamina City. They even helped us with resources and dealing with whatever crime happens in the city." Rossiu stated undoubtedly.

"One rule is Tojiro. No one is ever to mention him. Not ever. But we're lucky enough to be the exception." winked Sonic.

"Is that because you're over confidence believes you can't be caught if you _do_ screw with the rules?" said Shadow with a raised eyebrow.

"No need to be harsh Shadow." Sonic snickered nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"If all what you say is true, then how did this all begin in the first place?" asked Yoko.

"I wish not to impede on your time, Miss Yoko. You just arrived. I'm sure you would like to get settled in first." requested Ryu.

"Please, just tell me what happened." she said, facing Ryu.

The cloaked man looked down her, seeing no lie or doubt in her eyes. Being the real man to first be called 'Nightshade' Ryu respected Yoko's wishes.

Yoko was off getting dressed, and the others were in Simon's room, contemplating.

"If she arrived from the mainstream timeline, then it would be possible to make sure she stops Tojiro from making any foolish mistakes." Shadow said deeply.

"Any _early_ foolish mistake, my friend. That's how this whole situation began." responded the cloaked god.

"It makes all the difference to ensure Tojiro does what has to be done." the Blue Blur added.

"What he does is always considered incomprehensible. No matter what it is, that has been Tojiro's way." Ryu fixated Sonic's comment.

"It worries me the most. I don't want her to do anything…" Simon trailed off.

"Stupid?" Shadow suggested.

"Not stupid! That's not what she is! It worries me, that's all." Simon said, sitting back in his chair with a grumpy expression.

"Don't say anything that she doesn't need to hear. I'm sure that Orion won't be so enjoyed if he realizes what's going on here." said Rossiu.

"Nothing bad will come of it, do not worry. I will say what I must. That's all." said the honest Ryu.

The doors swung open, and in came Yoko. She was wearing her flame bra and all, also she wore her crimson red jacket with the Team Gurren symbol on the back.

"You really had to get dressed to hear this?" questioned Shadow.

"If whatever I hear is important, then I'm heading off wherever it is! Stop being so nosey." she said, walking past the grouchy faced hedgehog.

"Looks like the Ultimate Life Form just got de-ranked by the sharpshooter's words. How about…the Ultimate Faker?" said Sonic, nudging Shadow with his elbow.

"Sonic…" said an angered Shadow.

"No? All right then, the Ultimate Sore Loser then!" he said in a valiant smirk.

"I'll give you the ultimate knuckle sandwich if you don't shut the hell up." threatened Shadow, raising his fist up.

"Got it. Got it. I hear ya'." said Sonic, hiding his snicker.

Yoko approached Ryu and stopped in front of him.

"So, let's hear it." said Yoko, crossing her arms.

"Very well. Now, whenever you decide your next path in destiny, I assure you will do the right thing after I'm done telling you this story. Don't be startled at all, you mustn't misinterpret anything. Understood?" explained the god.

"Understood."

Ryu nodded in response. "In this timeline, seven years ago, Tojiro visited this land for the first time. You do remember when he first met you and Simon, correct?" Ryu began.

"Yeah. He was there when we faced the Beastmen and when Kamin-" she stopped.

"What is it? Did you realize something?" asked Ryu.

"Is he? Is Kamina alive?" she asked herself.

"Yoko. The technique, from my understanding, was a high level Chaos Control technique. It is called Chaos Rift; Space-Time Control. Being the master of Chaos energy that he was, Tojiro decided the set everything in the dimension to it's original fate. You would lose Kamina, siege control of Dai-Gunzan and then make it your Dai-Gurren, then march your way to Teppelin. Except…" said the cloaked god.

"Except you're here. Which doesn't make sense to me." keyed the Blue Blur.

"Oddly enough, the technique Tojiro used must've only affected beings that were more affected by Chaos energy in the past. So while everyone else was set to their correct position in time, Yoko was launched here, and Tojiro, who the hell knows." explained Shadow.

"Then, after that battle against the Beastmen, and after we lost Kamina, what happened after the time we were at that beach? You know, when Leeron had to attach the water equipment to Dai-Gurren." direly explained Yoko.

"It's all the same as you remember it, my dear. That Egg Carrier attacked, Tojiro lost his left leg, and then he decided to leave." explained Ryu.

"But then-" "That's where it ends, however." interrupted Ryu, taking Yoko by surprise.

"You wanted to go leave with Tojiro, right?" said Rossiu.

"I remember. So, what happened then?" she responded, turning her attention back to Ryu.

"Tojiro contemplated on how you deserved staying here, so he left without you. Part of it being my fault." said Ryu, looking off into space.

"Your fault? How?" asked Yoko.

"It was the last time you saw him. The reason why he left, was the reason he took from my words. It was Akuma. His existence was on my mind for quite some time. And like you say, you were from the present timeline where I told Tojiro much more later about Akuma's presence. Seven years ago in this time, I told him of Akuma before that battle you and your comrades had with the Beastmen. He told me he would leave when he must." Ryu continued.

"That can't be! Akuma had all those other people just like him to face Tojiro! Why would he go after him!" exclaimed the serious Yoko.

"Akuma didn't have the power to resurrect the other eight Hell Gods, it was only him." Ryu answered, turning his head to Yoko.

"Then in this time, when Tojiro left…he…"

"Tojiro began his descent through the Nine Circles, to kill his brother…with the Nightmare Scythe. After that, he never returned. I would have easily sensed Tojiro's presence or his Chaos energy, but with the seven years that had passed, I could tell that he died along with murdering his brother. Tojiro's soul or spirit may be in the very pit of Hell as we speak, but for sure…he is gone." the god finally finished.

Turning her head away from such a revelation, Yoko was unable to believe something such as this. Tojiro was hard headed on the up go, someone who would refuse to let others get in the way of danger he should handle. It made sense that Tojiro did this on his own, but this being an altered time, it could still happen back in the present time.

"Then take me somewhere first. Take me to the places you think Tojiro would be." she said, not showing her eyes.

"Yoko. Tojiro is dead. There's nothing-"

"That doesn't matter!" she exclaimed at Dayakka, who looked all more surprised.

"I have a gut feeling that Tojiro wouldn't give up. It isn't him. If we can find him in this time, then we can make sure he doesn't do anything in the present timeline. Believe in me. Please." Yoko said, looking at Ryu.

Everyone was silent again.

Sonic smirked, "Alright then! Yoko wants to go on an adventure! Then I'm the guy to give it to her!" said Sonic, standing in a confident pose.

"It is very foolish. But I got nothing else better to do." Shadow added.

"Same goes for me!" Simon announced, standing up from his chair. Ryu moved out of the way. Yoko's eyes were shimmering at Simon.

"This is the kind of confidence Kamina would inspire! So let's go already! Let's find the Cloakmaster!" Simon announced, performing Kamina's same heroic pose.

"Simon. Everybody. Thank you." said a joyful Yoko, hiding her tears of happiness.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Yoko: Nothing Tojiro gets himself into makes sense! It truly never does!

Ryu: Surely you're ill prepared to make such announcements. Does this world's truth affect you that greatly?

Sonic: She can handle it, Ryu! As long as she's got that head on her shoulders, she'll come up with something!

Shadow: Not as long as Orion's breathing down our necks. We don't have a single clue to where Tojiro may be.

Yoko: What you told me is awful enough! Orion has something to do with it: I'm sure of it!

Simon: And talking to him will make it all better?

Shadow: It definitely sounds like a bucket of bull to me. Yoko? What? Where are you going?

Yoko: You'll see if you stop me! I won't believe what you told me!

Ryu: This altered world is much different than its original, Miss Littner! What are you daring to seek out!

Yoko: **The truth...behind Tojiro's death!**

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER XVII: LOST WITHOUT TIME_  
><strong>


	17. Chapter XVII

_**CHAPTER XVII: LOST WITHOUT TIME**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, ****Orion and Kasumi Moriko! They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**_**  
><strong>_

_**Hidden Leaf Village, 8:00 pm**_

Walking their way towards the Leaf Village entrance was Ino Yamanaka, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga.

"What kind of mission was that? It's already night! You think we'd be given a break or something." said Ino.

"Just be glad we're back already." Neji stated. Halfway through the village, Ino stopped, looking into an alley, seeing a sputtering white light flash multiple times.

"Hey! Tenten! Come here!" she called.

"What is it Ino? We should be hurrying to tell the success of our mission." said Tenten tiredly.

"Look!" Ino pointed out. The white light then vanished.

"That's strange." noted Tenten.

"Let's go check it out!" Ino proposed.

"I don't know Ino. Whatever that was, it seems pretty mysterious." replied Tenten.

"What's to be so worried about?" Ino said, walking into the alley, with Tenten following shortly afterwards. Ino turned the corner, spotting the rugged Cloakmaster; Tojiro. His cloak was covered in red glowing scars. He lifted up his head, his eyes blinking slowly.

"Who is this guy, Ino?" said Tenten, crouching down in front of him.

"I don't know. Doesn't look like he's from the village." Ino added, crouching down next to Tojiro.

"You both better realize I have my hearing." Tojior grunted, standing up slowly.

His legs quaked, and he dropped down to his knees in agony. "Are you okay mister?" said Tenten, turning to him.

"No point of showing concern." he said weakly.

"_Wow, what a jerk_." Tenten thought. Hearing her thoughts, Tojiro grew aggravated. His eyes twitched. He quickly rose up and raised his hands up. A surge of air formed around him, blocking a spray of silver Chaos Spears. Tojiro lowered his hands, revealing Vulcan to be hovering high above the ground.

"If you two don't want to see this village in any worse condition than it already is…I propose you get some help." requested Tojiro.

"You better first tell us who you are, buddy! This is our home!" Ino barked.

"I realize that! But if you wish to stay or leave, that is not my choice. So you better decide now or else." Tojiro replied, flying up into the air.

"He just flew. What in the world is he?" said a surprised Tenten.

"We need to hurry and follow Tenten! Come on!" said Ino, running out of the alley.

"That was a very promising technique you used back there. Even though it costed you half of your Chaos energy." said Vulcan.

Tojiro shot a series of fire balls from his fist. Vulcan waved his hands, creating a barrier of Chaos energy. He then clenched his hands, causing spikes of red Chaos energy to spurt out the front of the barrier. The barrier shot forward at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster launched himself higher into the sky, but Vulcan changed the barrier into a beam of Chaos energy, and launched it up at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster nervously saw it traveling it after him. Tojiro fired a fire ball point blank into the beam, which shot Tojiro across the sky. Vulcan laughed as Tojiro helplessly flailed in the fall. Tojiro opened his eyes, seeing a tower of people he was coming towards.

"Over here, pal!" called the spiky blonde hair boy.

It was a tower of Shadow Clones. This boy was known as Naruto Uzumaki. Tojiro grabbed Naruto's hand who stood at the top.

"_This boy, I remember seeing him a while back. But…he's younger. That Chaos Rift I performed must have sent me back to when he was younger_." the Cloakmaster thought to himself.

"Say, what are you doing causing all this noise in the dead of night, huh?" complained the Shinobi.

Tojiro let go of Naruto's hand, and hovered in mid-air.

"The real problem is him." said Tojiro, turning around, seeing Vulcan already charging directly at him. Vulcan tackled straight into Tojiro and through Naruto's tower of Shadow Clones, causing them all to yell and scream as they fell apart. The two Nightshades hit the ground with great ferocity. Vulcan already had Tojiro by the neck of his cloak and violently tossed Tojiro straight into a building, blowing through the wall. Vulcan then created two yellow spheres of Chaos energy in both his palms.

"Say your prayers, Cloakmaster!" cried a maddened Vulcan, raising his hands back.

"I don't think so!" said a group of Naruto Shadow Clones, tackling Vulcan to the ground.

Tojiro rose to his feet, rubbing his aching head. Tojiro rose to his feet, lowering his hand.

"Tell me kid, how come you didn't attack me first?" questioned the Cloakmaster.

"Well, I kinda' assumed that you looked more tired and worn out, you couldn't have started the fight. At least, that's what I think." said a confused Naruto.

Tojiro raised his eyebrows, seeing no lie in the young Shinobi. "Watch out!" exclaimed Tojiro.

Naruto was sent flying by a burst of yellow Chaos energy Vulcan released from his body. Tojiro transformed to his hedgehog form and immediately spin dashed at his Godfather. Vulcan turn his attention to the right, holding up his arms to stop Tojiro.

"Forfeit this idiocy and I may let you live, boy." decided Vulcan, as Tojiro continued spinning in his ball form.

Vulcan spread his arms apart, causing Tojiro to be sent flying back. He threw himself into a backflip, then released a barrage of red Chaos Spears once he was right side up. Vulcan took two to the shoulders, and then was knocked forward to the ground from behind.

"Neji! Great timing!" yelled Naruto.

"Just what is this all about, Naruto? Did you start this?" asked the Hyuga.

Vulcan angrily turned around, reaching his yellow electrified hands at Neji. "Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!" Neji exclaimed loudly.

A whirling blue dome scratched against Vulcan's body with fierce pain and then shot Vulcan out into the air. Tojiro formed into a ball againa and spin dashed straight for him, hitting Vulcan dead in the chest. Vulcan shot down like a rocket, breaking through a water container that stood on top of a building, and ended up smacking into a street somewhere else in the village.

Tojiro landed back on the ground, exhausted to the brink. "Hey cloak guy! You okay?" said Naruto, standing by his side.

"Just fine. Leave this fight to me." he demanded, slowly standing up straight.

"You don't look at all to well to fight. And what's with the scar things in this cloak of yours?" asked the Knucklehead Ninja.

"It's nothing. Trust me. A Shinobi like you shouldn't get involved with my enemies. Believe it." Tojiro stated tiredly.

"Well then, if it's help you want, I can give it to you. We all can!" said the assuring.

"Don't waste your time. Leaf Village Shinobi are too proud to have themselves risked in a fight." said Tojiro, walking forward.

"Heh? What are you saying?" said the confused ninja.

"Don't risk your life for mine. It's not the first time it happened kid." said Tojiro, leaping off the ground. Naruto crossed his arms, wearing an estranged look on his face.

"What do you intend Naruto? Shall we assist him?" said Neji.

"The village is in danger because of these two. So what do you think?" replied Naruto.

Tojiro landed on top of Vulcan who was just attempting to get back on his feet. "You're not going anywhere you scumbag of a fool!" said the angry Nightshade, slamming Vulcan's face into the ground several times.

Vulcan let out a golden surge of shocking Chaos energy from his body, shooting Tojiro upwards. The Demigod luckily landed himself on a thin wire, then jumped off it to dive bomb at Vulcan again. Tojiro swung his foot right across Vulcan's face, then grabbed him by the skull and tossed Vulcan straight through a building. Inside, Vulcan rose to his feet, quickly shooting a Chaos Spear right into Tojiro who lunged at him. The Cloakmaster skidded across the street and bumped against the wall of another building. A much larger golden Chaos Spear shot its way at Tojiro. Tojiro shot the ground with Airbending, launching himself into the air.

"Get back here dammit!" exclaimed the angry Vulcan, running out of the building and shooting into the sky after Tojiro.

Tojiro finally stopped ascending, noticing Vulcan closing in feet by feet. Tojiro shot a bolt of lightning from his left hand. Vulcan prepared a sphere shape barrier of yellow Chaos energy around himself. The lightning collided and wrap its bolts around Vulcan's barrier, trying to push him back. An explosion spread wide from the pressure of power. Tojiro flew himself backwards out of the smoke first, waiting for Vulcan to come out as well. A large silver beam of Chaos suddenly came out. The blast hit Tojiro dead on, shooting him back down to the village. The Cloakmaster smashed through three buildings in a diagonal direction. The wounded Demigod ended up in another street.

"This…is getting really…really tiresome." Tojiro mumbled.

Vulcan landed in the ground with a shaking boom behind Tojiro. Tojiro did a spinning move on the ground, releasing bursts of fire from his feet. Vulcan was knocked back across the ground by the blast, but surprisingly, was hit in the back by two of Naruto's shadow clones. Vulcan went flying straight over Tojiro, who watched him smash into the dirt. Vulcan rose up, but fell back down. His mechanical parts were sparking with severe damage. "I knew this was a waste of time." said Vulcan, rising to his feet.

He looked over his shoulder. "Until next time, Cloakmaster of Darkness." granted the apprehensive Vulcan.

The Cloakmaster of Machines used Chaos Control to make his disappearance. Broken and drained of his powers, Tojiro fell to the ground, the last thing he saw was Naruto running over to him, along with Neji, Tenten, as well as a pink haired girl named Sakura Haruno arrive, and his eyes were shut, darkness followed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Following Morning<strong>_

Tojiro's eyes snapped open from his slumber. He was tied by chains to his wrists and ankles in a small square room. "Figures. Apparently, someone doesn't trust me. Oh well." said the Demon Demigod.

He simply broke the chains by flicking his wrists. He grabbed the chains around his ankles and broke them off as well. A sudden burst of kunai from all directions. He simply stood still, taking whatever ones that actually hit him. Growling furiously, he walked on forward. He kicked the wooden door down and turned down the right hall. It was light in this hall, something that surprised him.

"_Hold on a minute_." he thought. Tojiro clenched his hands. Aiming up, he released a blast of red Chaos energy. He jumped up through the open hole, and appeared in a circular room with more light, even some wind. He looked down the right hall, seeing a light at the end of it, leading outside.

"Stop right there!" called a voice from behind him. The Nightshade turned around, seeing a young ninja in a green jump suit. His name was Rock Lee. However, he had a crutch under his left arm.

"If this is all that the Leaf Village can conjure up against me, they must be foolish." soundly stated Tojiro.

"That's not really the case actually." said another voice.

Tojiro turned his head forward seeing Kakashi Hatake down the hall from him. Tojiro didn't seem surprised.

"So, how are you standing right now?" asked the Copy Ninja.

Tojiro then remembered all the kunai embedded in his body. Tojiro shut his eyes, intensifying his body heat, causing the kunai to melt into nothing but gush which spilled onto the floor. Kakashi had no idea how he did it, but was still concerned that this demon would try something discrete, and eventually harmful.

"Now, is there any peculiar reason why I woke up strung up like a prisoner?" asked Tojiro.

"You're not from here. We didn't want to risk anything against the village." answered Kakashi.

"Can't argue you from there. I'd do the same thing, except I wouldn't be so modest to let my prisoners live." notified Tojiro.

Kakashi felt more doubt every second just by looking at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro watched Kakashi's hands, knowing he was going to strike. "Kakashi sensei!" called Naruto.

Kakashi took in a much needed breath of air, and put his hands in his pockets. Naruto stopped by his teacher, "So? Just getting to meet night crawler?"

"What?" grumbled Tojiro.

Naruto turned to Tojiro, "Hey, what was with that crazy light show from last night, huh? What jutsu was that?" asked the ninja.

"Jutsu? That was no Jutsu." said Tojiro.

"Huh? Then what kind of Shinobi are you?" said the confused Naruto.

A blast of wind from Tojiro came at Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto was tossed to the floor, but Kakashi was merely slid across the floor while still on his feet. Tojiro reappeared behind the two, running down the hall. Kakashi turned around, throwing several kunai at him. Tojiro ducked his head, dodging them with ease. Naruto got up, shaking his head from the confusion. "Just who is that guy?" said the ninja.

"We can't let him get away! Let's go!" said Kakashi, running down the hall, with Naruto being a bit late on noticing his sensei leaving without him.

Tojiro skidded to a halt, finding he was on the outside round about of the Hokage building. He looked to his left, finding himself frozen. He looked down, seeing a shadow arm stretching onto his own. Standing on the path to the roof of the building was Shikamaru Nara.

"Shadow Possession complete." he smirked. Tojiro took a look down at the shadow. "Interesting. But tell me this, if you are able to control me, how can you control the machinery in my legs?" assured the Demigod.

Shikamaru's eyebrows were raised. From under Tojiro's feet, they automatically shot a burst of fire from under his feet, launching himself into the sky. "He broke it so easily. Wow. What a drag." said Shikamaru.

Tojiro landed on the roof of the Hokage building. He ran over to the railing, then stepped back a few feet. Tojiro then leaped straight off the building. As he whirled and spun in flight, he spotted Tenten below, using Ninjutsu to create a horde of various steel weapons shoot out of a wide open scroll. "Metal won't work against me." he said, grabbing the dial on his right shoulder, turning it once.

In a flash of orange, the ten foot Werehog that was Tojiro came down. The steel weapons bounced off Tojiro, not a single dent in his armor. Tenten quickly did a backflip, and Tojiro crashed down onto the ground where she was previously standing. Tojiro's cloak was gone and inside his body, feeding him energy, whenever he transforms into his mecha form. The Cloakmaster leaped over Tenten with ease, charging on all fours for the gate that leads to the Hokage building. They suddenly closed. Ino and Sakura jumped over the top of it, landing in front of the gate with kunai in their hands. Tojiro halted his charge, and turned around to see Tenten preparing another Jutsu.

"Looks like I'll have to teach them." he groveled.

Tenten shot another Ninjutsu. This time, it was a whole barrage of shuriken and kunai. Tojiro leaped up, landing on to entrance gate. The whole horde of kunai and shuriken now coming for Ino and Sakura.

"No! Get out of there you two!" shouted Tenten.

Suddenly, two large metal hands lowered in front of Ino and Sakura, all the projectiles bouncing off, no harm done. Tojiro retraced his arms back, then turned around, leaping off into the village. "What…what exactly was that?" said the astounded Sakura.

"I don't know. But what's more confusing is what Kakashi sensei said." replied Ino.

"Huh? What did he say?" asked Sakura. "If he had a feeling this guy was a threat to the village and couldn't be trusted…then…why did that thing just save us?" said Ino, looking at Sakura.

Tojiro landed on a building roof with a rounded top. He reverted to his human form. With his hood down, he turned around. "Why here? Of all places for that damn Chaos Rift to send me, why here?" he complained.

Tojiro took out his journal, flipping through it to a certain page. "_And I thought I'd never see it again. How foolish of me_." he thought to himself, closing the book and putting it back in his cloak pocket.

Tojiro looked at the Hokage Monument, looking at the head of the Third. Tojiro turned back around, seeing Naruto. "So just who are you, huh?" he asked.

"Quit with the questions kid. I'm in no mood to answer anything from anyone right now." Tojiro snapped.

"How'd you end up here then? I mean, from the looks of it, everyone doesn't like you!" said Naruto, looking past Tojiro.

Down on the ground, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten were running through the street below them. "Naruto! You idiot! Stop talking to him and do something already!" yelled Sakura, punching Naruto in the back of the head.

"Sakuraaaa." whined Naruto, face planted into the ground.

"Is it me or you they're angry at." asked Tojiro, looking down at the three running Kunoichi.

"I wish I knew." said the nervous ninja, rubbing the back of his head. Tojiro suddenly gulped.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto.

Tojiro stood up, turning around to reveal a kunai in his forehead. "Ho-Ho-How the? You have a stinkin' kunai in your head and you took it like nothing!" exclaimed Naruto, pointing at it.

"It didn't even go in deep enough. It's okay, seriously." Tojiro said, removing it from his forehead and tossing it aside.

"Man, you really are different. What village are you even from?" he asked.

"I'm not even from this world, kid." said Tojiro, leaping past him.

"Hey! What the heck? Get back here!" cried Naruto, jumping after him.

"So you're actually going to face me? Not a wise decision." Tojiro said.

"I would've by now, don't you think?" Naruto replied.

"_Hmmm. That is true. Guess I overlooked that." _said Tojiro in busy thought.

Tojiro landed himself back on the main road down below and sprinted down it. Naruto quickly gave chase after him, but remained hopping across the rooftops. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, seeing that the Kunoichi have caught up as well. Tojiro looked back forward, widening his eyes. Kakashi was charging right at him with his Lightning Blade. Tojiro spun past Kakashi then kept on running. Kakashi slid to a halt and turned back around, giving chase once again. Looking over his shoulder, Tojiro appeared aggravated. "I see that their determination is as strong as ever." he said, focusing his gaze forward.

Tojiro came across a bridge then made a quick leap onto a wire that hung between two buildings. He swung across it, going from one to next after it. Naruto was then jumping across these wires right next to Tojiro.

"You seriously need to learn about annoyance lessons, Naruto Uzumaki." said Tojiro, swinging from the wires.

"You know who I am?" said a bewildered Naruto.

Nearing the large gate entrance into the village, Tojiro was able to grab Naruto by the collar of his shirt and chuck him towards the left door. Naruto crashed through it, making a good sized hole for Tojiro to jump through. Naruto landed on the ground face first, and watched Tojiro land and continue on running.

"You…you're gonna pay you know that!" exclaimed the angry Naruto. Tojiro was looking over his shoulder the time Naruto shouted this at him.

"Typical." mumbled Tojiro, looking forward, running into someone suddenly.

Commotion and rambling woke the Cloakmaster up after a few short moments. He sat up, rubbing his head. "Are you sure you're okay?" asked Sakura's voice.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." replied another female voice.

"How didn't you see that guy coming?" asked Ino.

"Come on Ino, she wasn't even paying attention! And she dropped all that food she was carrying too!" said Tenten.

"Alright already! Sorry for being _too_ apprehensive." Ino defended.

Tojiro slowly sat up, blinking his tired eyes so his vision would cease to be blurry. He saw Naruto, Tenten, Ino and Sakura sounding a priestess, a very familiar one.

"What? Is that who I think it is?" he shouted blankly.

It was Kasumi Moriko, one of the other last surviving individuals of the Great Shade Empire. "Tojiro? Is that you Cloakmaster?" she said with importance, running over to him and kneeling by his side.

"Hol-Hold on, how did you even get here? You know Chaos Control too?" he asked.

"Forget that! I was worried if the Hell Gods took you!" she said, happily hugging the Demigod.

Tojiro's eyes appeared very surprised by her sudden embrace. "That girl knows him? She looks so young though." said Ino.

"Well she does have that symbol on the back of her clothing just like this guy has on the back of his cloak" Tenten agreed.

"Maybe their lovers." Ino suggested. Through all their words, anger marks were forming on the back of Tojiro's head. Tojiro nudged Kasumi, but she quickly handed him a basket, the one she was carrying before Tojiro ran into her. She opened it, revealing some very delicious looking rice balls.

"I made them! Please try one!" she requested kindly.

Tojiro formed a grouchy face, he had no choice. He took one out and stood up, observing it, smelling it briefly.

"My name is Kasumi Moriko! It's a pleasure to meet ninja of the Leaf Village for the first time, truly it is!" she said graciously.

"She knows her stuff at least." said the confident Naruto, posing a stoic pose, which summoned a glare from a pink haired kunoichi.

Tojiro stuffed the rice ball in his mouth, chewing it tenderly. "How was it?" asked Kasumi with a brimming smile.

She suddenly noticed her basket was gone, and Tojiro was holding it, eating more with his eyes shut and his eyebrows strained into a V. "I'm glad you like them!" notified Kasumi.

After swallowing one, Tojiro opened his eyes. A red dome of Chaos energy grew over the group, protecting them from an amazing blast of silver Chaos energy shot from above.

"How does he always manage to do that?" scowled the white cloaked being in the sky above, holding a sword known as Silver Wind.

The barrier around the group vanished. The ninja looked around confusedly onto what just happened.

"How did that happen?" wondered a stunned Naruto.

"Sorry everyone. We got a bit of a problem." Tojiro announced.

The white cloaked being was actually Tojiro's fierce enduring rival he's had for millennia; Orion the Bounty Hunter.

"Sorry Kasumi, I'll have to finish them later." said Tojiro, handing the basket back to her, and turning around to face Orion.

Tojiro stood feet apart from his desperate and malicious foe, with the Leaf Shinobi and Kasumi behind him. He reverted to his hedgehog form, and quickly sheathed the Blade of Darkness.

"You should all get back to the village where it is safe. Now." demanded the Demigod.

Orion immediately shot several blue spheres with glowing silver cores that appeared out of thin air. Holding the Blade of Darkness to his face, a wide curve shaped barrier protected the group from the assault.

"Shall I repeat myself twice. Get to safety you fools." said Tojiro, lowering his sword.

"We must hurry! The foe Tojiro faces wouldn't regret if one of us fell during this fight! We must hurry!" Kasumi noted importantly.

"This is our village! We're not going to run!" denied the resilient Naruto.

"It's not about cowardice, Naruto. It's about being smart. No one's calling any of you a coward from avoiding a fight that may cost your lives, especially when the fight isn't yours. This guy will do anything to see me suffer, and even more to get me killed. So, unless you want half of his sword through your gut, or be blown to pieces by his Chaos powers, I honestly suggest you all get your asses moving." explained Tojiro, charging forward at Orion.

"You're going to regret your petty words!" shouted Orion, charging forward as well.

Tojiro's sword glowed with a tense red. Orion's glowed with a fierce blue. The two collided, resulting in a mega explosion of flames, nearly throwing the Leaf Village ninja and priestess back a few feet. Tojiro and Orion were revealed to be in the middle of the cloud, grinding their swords against one another.

"Come now, we must hurry behind the gate!" said Kasumi, heading for the giant open doors into the Leaf Village. The Shinobi quickly followed after Kasumi, trusting in her, and in Tojiro.

"I'm surprised. After thousands of years, we would meet up at such a place. If it's not irony, then it surely is surprising." said Orion.

Tojiro pushed forward. Orion performed a backflip, landing on the ground away from Tojiro. "You dare to threaten _them_? You best shut your mouth before I cut it off!" Tojiro threatened fiercely.

"I threaten them because I know how much it got to you. How it _still_ gets to you! That shall be my advantage here!" said Orion, growing a fierce blue aura around himself.

Tojiro stomped the ground with his right foot. The earth beneath Orion shot the bounty hunter into the sky. Gripping the Blade of Darkness as tight as he could, Tojiro leaped up at his foe. Orion, being in a rightside up position, released a large blue beam from the front of his body where only there was air. Tojiro quickly created a black sphere barrier around himself, but the blast collided with him too strongly, it forced Tojiro back to the ground, hitting it with a earth shaking boom and mad explosion of blue flames and rising dirt clouds. Tojiro performed a backwards roll out of the dirt cloud, quickly holding his sword defensively to block from Orion's vengeful swing once he came out of the dirt cloud as well. Tojiro kicked Orion back, then jabbed forward, but Orion stepped down on his blade, then delivered a powerful Chaos Punch to Tojiro's jaw. The Cloakmaster slid across the dirt, but Orion wasn't done. The vengeful Bounty Hunter leaped into the air and dove down with his sword Silver Wind aiming down, seeking to plunge it into Tojiro's skull. The Cloakmaster was still sliding, and he decided to wave his arms up, causing the earth on both his left and right to curl over him. Orion's blade glowed with silver Chaos energy and drove it into the earth dome, causing another vicious explosion.

The chunks of earth that protected Tojiro and which Orion was now standing on, both suddenly shot into the sky, revealing Tojiro with his fists aimed outward. Orion leaped to the right, driving his blade through one of the chunks of earth, than dove down at Tojiro again, on intent to smash Tojiro with the mass of earth. Tojiro shot a heavy barrage of red Chaos Spears from the tip of his blade. Orion was forced to change plans. He quickly used the chunk of earth as a shield by pointing it forward. One lucky Chaos Spear hit it dead on, causing it to splinter into rocks and pebbles. Orion was flying down, able to use the earth shield long enough to get close to his foe. Orion landed on the ground, swinging his sword in multiple skilled vertical swings. Tojiro forced himself to dodge and duck every single one, having to walk backwards in the process. Orion jabbed his blade forward, but Tojiro away at it, turning it away. Tojiro drove his sword forward, but Orion grabbed ground the blade just in time. Tojiro and Orion then shocked each other with their own kind of lightning, which they amplified with their Chaos energy.

Tojiro's blue lightning shocked the Banished Bounty Hunter horrendously, while Orion's did the same to the Demigod of Death. Finally, the powers between the two resulted in a blast that sent the two flying separate ways. Tojiro was thrown into an unwanted backwards flip, but he was able to land on his feet. Orion came towards a tree. Using his feet, he springed off it and came directly at Tojiro. Orion heavily swung his blade, releasing a scar shaped cut of ravaging blue Chaos energy. Tojiro held his blade up, but the blast hit him successfully. Tojiro slammed into the closed doors into the Leaf Village, lodged into the large wooden door. Orion gripped Silver Wind, then pointed it forward. A sphere of white formed on the tip of Orion's blade. Inside the sphere was a blue core that glowed as bright. Tojiro dislodged himself from the door and landed on the ground. Orion smirked. He tossed his blade up. The blade stopped in mid-air, turning itself upside.

"Chaos Spear: Penance Repeater!" Orion summoned.

The glowing sphere on the tip of Silver Wind's blade grew larger, then started shooting out smaller white spheres with glowing blue cores, all aimed at Tojiro.

"Chaos Eruption!" Tojiro called, releasing a wavy surge of orange Chaos energy from his sword.

The Chaos Eruption technique surrounded all the flying spheres and gathered them all up. Finally, the Chaos Eruption energy turned into a mass of red, and shot down at Orion, resulting in a fiery explosion of red flames, blistering light, and sweeping earth. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, watching the burning red flames continue to coarse and grow. He turned around and walked towards the village gate. A sudden mist was found sweeping past his feet, as if the red flames had been instantly doused. Tojiro turned around, a large shadow towering over him, knowing this would have happened.

The running Shinobi were suddenly stopped once Tojiro's corpse was sent smashing right in front of their path, creating several holes in the ground as he flew. "Tojiro!" called Kasumi, running over to him.

There were several small blue fires on Tojiro's cloak. He struggled to get to his feet, fighting against the pain he had just received. "I hope you ninja are ready. I may need your help on this." said Tojiro, holding the Blade of Darkness down.

"About time! Let's go!" said Naruto, running back to the village. Suddenly, smashing through the green doors was a twenty foot tall hound completely made out of bone. Between every bone and ligament, inside burned a blue fire, amplified by Chaos energy as well. The eye sockets were glowing with green and when it roared, blue flames shot out of it's mouth. "Still wish to take it on, huh?" said Sakura to Naruto.

"Right. Teamwork!" Naruto admitted.

"Be on your guard everybody, this is **Orion's true form**. He's even more powerful now." Tojiro warned, stepping in front of the group. The beast truly was Orion, his true form standing angrily before them.

From Orion's right, two whirling blasts of spinning power hit him. The angry transformed bounty hunter roared angrily. It was revealed to be Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru who had performed their special combination technique; Fang over Fang. The two landed on the ground. Orion raised his front left paw up, but a spin dash from Tojiro caused Orion to fall down to his feet. "Hey! Tenten! Release some kind of Ninjutsu on him! I have a plan to draw him back!" called Tojiro.

Tenten waved a scroll, releasing an onslaught of a thousand steel weapons. Tojiro turned around, shooting a concentrated surge of Chaos energy at the weapons. Tenten's projectiles were all encased in Chaos energy now.

"Step back!" Tojiro called, jumping up onto the safety of a building close to Orion.

Akamaru jumped onto Kiba's head and the ninja quickly jumped up to Tojiro's side. In just seconds, the rampage of glowing Chaos weapons collided into Orion in a furious blast of light and wind. Tojiro raised his cloak to his face, ensuring he doesn't go blind. The others also shielded themselves from the dastardly blast of intense light.

"You think it's dead?" suggested a cautious Kiba.

That question was answered once Orion's mouth came out of the thick white smoke, towards Tojiro and Kiba. Suddenly, an array of explosive kunai thrown by Sakura and Ino caused Orion to be thrown off course and his head was forcibly slammed against a building.

"Perfect." said Tojiro, charging towards the head of the beast.

Tojiro jumped over several roofs and latched onto the side of Orion's face as he slowly began to shift and wake. Tojiro unsheathed the Blade of Darkness once more, and this time, driving it into the glowing blue eye, causing a sputter of red and blue lightning to form between the contact. It resulted in an explosion, sending Tojiro flying across the air and slamming back into the ground. Naruto and several of his shadow clones ran past Tojiro and towards the very angry, and ridiculously aggravated transformed beast that was Orion. Orion shout several spike shaped bones from his mouth, each one doused in green Chaos energy. Several of his shadow clones were instantly taken out, but some took a step up. Literally, Nartuo's Shadow Clones used the barrage of bones to make their way up to Orion's face. The group of Shadow Clones started huddling onto Orion's face, giving him no visibility on where he was going.

"Keep him down everybody! Alright Tojiro, if you're going to do something, do it quick!" called the real Naruto.

"Got it." said Tojiro, preparing a sphere of blue lightning in his right hand. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. There stood Kakashi Hatake, appearing happy.

"You need some help with that?" he asked. Tojiro raised his right hand out to the right and Kakashi raised his left hand out to the left. Between their hands, a mad sphere of chakra and Chaos energy began to form into a powerful bond.

"You ready for this?" questioned Tojiro.

"Just try to keep up." replied Kakashi, revealing his Sharingan.

The two began their charge forwards. The herd of Naruto's shadow clones quickly all vanished and the real knucklehead landed on the building roof next to Kiba.

"Take that guy out everybody!" said Naruto victoriously.

Tojiro and Kakashi leapt off the ground, "Chaos…" said Tojiro.

"Lightning Blade!" shouted Kakashi. They smashed the fierce combination of energy directly into Orion's forehead, causing him to roar in pain, and more importantly, defeat. The massive beast fell to the ground, causing a large white aura to engulf Orion, resorting him back to his normal hedgehog form. Tojiro and Kakashi landed on the ground at the same time, tired and exhausted.

"So…that's what you are. Never thought about that, Sharingan user Kakashi." said Tojiro.

"No need to sound so surprised, Tojiro Ankoku." replied Kakashi.

Tojiro's instinct suddenly shook with fear. He saw Orion's Silver Wind coming, inches away from his chest. Suddenly, in came Kasumi, using Chaos Control to use herself as a shield for Tojiro. Silver Wind then flew out and landed back in Orion's hand. "Damn fool." said Orion.

Tojiro caught Kasumi in his arms. "Kasumi! Dammit! You…you, can't let…" stuttered an empty Tojiro.

"I'm alright, Tojiro." she said, slowly standing up.

"H-How?" said a surprised Tojiro. Kasumi was back on her feet.

"So this is who you are. Never thought you would stand by Tojiro's side, but, I'll forget about that, and kill you so he doesn't have a chance." said Orion, charging forwards.

Kasumi's hands were suddenly covered in dark blue Chaos energy. She looked up, delivering a punch directly to Orion's gut, shooting him straight across the ground.

"_Wow. Reminds me of Sakura and Naruto_." thought Kakashi.

Kasumi fell back, landing in Tojiro's arms. Tojiro angrily looked up, seeing Orion had already fled.

"The damn coward." cursed the angry Cloakmaster, holding Kasumi in his arms as he stood up.

"Is she going to be alright?" asked the Copy Ninja.

"I'm unsure. Where's the nearest medical building?" asked Tojiro.

"Follow me, Tojiro! I'll get you there in no time!" proposed Naruto, landing down behind him.

"Lead the way." replied a hasty Tojiro, following after Naruto who had already began running.

"_Hang in there, Kasumi. I won't let you die._" thought the Cloakmaster, keeping up with Naruto as closely as he could.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Nearing the Site of Jeeha Village, 11:30 am<strong>_

With Simon and Yoko in Gurren Lagann, and Shadow on its shoulder, they were nearing their destination.

"So, is he always like that?" asked Yoko.

"Who?" replied Simon.

"Him." answered Shadow, pointing down to the ground. With Gurren Lagann flying, Sonic was down on the ground running at super speed; backwards.

"The hedgehog rather run then rest. Makes no sense, but that's him all right." Shadow explained.

"We're heading to Jeeha Village, right? Is it there where you last saw Tojiro?" asked Yoko.

"It's where we assume he is. Recently, we've received some strange readings in the old village. We don't know what it is, but it could be linked to Tojiro alright." answered Simon, keeping a tight grip on the flight controls.

"Whatever it may be, we got no choice." Yoko responded instantly.

Sonic came skidding to a halt in front of a large hole, down below was Jeeha Village. Shadow landed next to Sonic's side, crossing his arms.

"We never checked this place out again until we first saw it, right?" asked Sonic.

"No. The reason why is because there may be some toxicity down there." said Shadow.

"Toxicity? What are you talking about?" replied the blue hedgehog. "I'm saying that I can sense it right now. It's toxic or discharged energy, specifically Chaos energy. Something tells me we're missing something." said Shadow.

"Something we haven't noticed for all these years. Think the Crescent Moon guys are behind it?"

"Only one way to find out." said Shadow, unsheathing his blade known as the Chaos Sword. A blistering blue aura surrounded the sword. Shadow pointed the blade down into the humongous hole, releasing a mass of blue mist with lightning spraying across it. Simon came down from Lagann, standing at the feet of the massive Gunmen.

"Simon." said Shadow.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Head's up, kid." said Shadow.

Simon raised an eyebrow, looking up to see Yoko falling down. "What the? Yoko!" he exclaimed.

Yoko fell on top of him. Sonic turned around, smirking in the process.

"Nice catch!" said Sonic, giving a thumbs up. Yoko was laying on top of Simon, and just as cruel as Déjà vu can be, her breasts were in his face.

Yoko nervously backed off, sitting on her knees, blushing with embarrassment. Simon sat up, not knowing what to react with. "My bad Simon! I didn't mean to fall on you!" she said, waving her hands back and forth.

"Yeah, of course. Just…be careful next time, okay?" said Simon, looking away at the end of his sentence. With some of her hair covering her right eye, she looked at Simon with a sad and guilty look. Sonic turned his attention back to the hole. Shadow raised his sword up and put it back in his sheath.

"Soooo, what exactly did you just do?" asked Sonic, not knowing.

"I cleared the area of the discharge Chaos energy. It would prove very unhealthy to Simon and Yoko if they caught a smell of it." said Shadow.

"So it's clear to go in?" asked Yoko, stepping up to the hole.

"Yes. Sonic and I will stand guard up here while you two check around inside." said Shadow.

"What's the matter, Shadow? Afraid of empty pits of nothingness? Almost sounds like you." Sonic retorted. Shadow unsheathed the Chaos Sword, bringing it to Sonic's neck, who flinched while the Ultimate Life Form remained still as a statue.

"Got it. My bad." acknowledged Sonic.

"I'll take that as a surrender. The reason why is if something does happen, I don't want all of us to be down there when the ceiling conveniently falls on top of us and all goes to hell. Unless, Sonic; you can replace Simon _and_ Yoko by going down by yourself. Surely you could find yourself out of the rubble in about a month or so." explained the Ultimate Life Form, putting the Chaos Sword back in its sheath.

"Fine, fine. We'll stand guard. Don't take too long you two, got it?" said the Blue Blur.

"Right!" responded the two members of Team Dai-Gurren.

After Shadow used Chaos Control to teleport the two down into the remains of the old Jeeha Village, Simon and Yoko began their search in a vast tunnel network. With both holding a flashlight in hand, they peered the rays of light back and forth, observing the eerie old tunnel which is just one out of many, many more.

"From what we've been able to collect, the strange energy readings we received from here always had a rhythmic pattern. Sometimes the readings would increase, but now…" said Simon, using an energy detector in his right hand, noticing a drop in what is suppose to be Chaos energy.

"But what?" responded the peeking Yoko.

"There's been a guess that the energy readings have been _this_ Chaos energy. You know, the stuff that Tojiro uses to fight, and the same energy that keeps him alive. We don't know what's giving this energy off, but whatever it is, it sure is vast." said Simon, looking up ahead in the cave with his light.

The two came to a series of choices. There were five paths to take in front of them. "Hold on, I'll check the readings first." said Simon, walking over to the far left cave, standing in front of it.

He pointed the energy reader into the darkness of the cave. Yoko was patient, looking around the area with curiosity, but mostly she felt like she needed to say something. Simon was now checking the next cave. "Hey Simon, I was wondering…"

"About what Tojiro said to you before he left to go face his brother?" replied Simon, focusing on the readings of the energy reader.

Yoko raised her head, wearing a surprised look. "Like Ryu said, from the time when he first met you, compared to the goodbye he gave to you in this time seven years ago, it was completely different. I never knew Tojiro would be so…desperate." said Simon, going to check on the middle cave opening.

"Then what did he say? Did he just leave without us knowing?" asked the red haired sharpshooter.

Simon lowered the energy emitter, hoping he would have been able to avoid this question, but inevitability is always cruel, isn't it?

"When Tojiro said he was leaving our world he told us, **he had a promise to uphold.** He told us, and especially you Yoko, he made a vow to stand by what he believed in. We were all so surprised. We were even more happy that the conflict against Lord Genome was over. For some reason though, after he saved me from that huge ship exploding, and cutting off his left leg to do it, it didn't surprise me at all that Tojiro decided to leave to finish what he should've ended a long time ago." explained Simon emotionally.

Yoko looked down, somehow feeling guilt in her body. Suddenly, Simon's embrace wrapped around her.

"S-Simon?" she stuttered.

"You said you wanted to know what Tojiro did as a goodbye right? This is what he did to you." Simon said, embracing her with his arms around her back.

Yoko slowly raised her hands, and returned the warming embrace. The two broke apart, Simon was smiling, Yoko was blushing deeply.

"Now then, let's continue, shall we?" he said, turning back around.

The levels on the Chaos energy emitted suddenly sky rocketed. Simon looked into the middle cave, seeing several rays of speeding silver light coming at them. Simon quickly turned back around, wrapped his arm around Yoko's waist and tossed himself and her to the ground. The silver blasts exploded against the rocky wall just seconds before Simon and Yoko were lucky enough to avoid them. "CRIMINAL! Get back here!" shouted a voice.

A man with a black rag wrapped around his entire head, suddenly landed on the ground where Simon and Yoko were previously standing. His arms were completely wrapped up in bandage, glowing a bright blue. He wore baggy black pants, and wore a torn and shredded black shirt. Coming out of the far left and far right cave entrances were a group of silver armored sentinels, hovering in mid air with blue jets of Chaos energy coming from under their feet. They were armed with deadly looking halberds, jousts, large black guns that release devastating Chaos energy, and even a mini-gun that releases a whole slew of bullets embedded with Chaos energy.

"Running to leave the match early, Kenji? A foolish trick indeed." said a familiar voice.

The man in question turned towards the center cave. It was the future version of Orion. Sporting a much more decrative cloak, and with the symbol of the Crescent Moon Kingdom glowing blue, the hedgehog bounty hunter stepped forth, the sentinels opening a path for him.

"You have a match to finish, or would your rather face punishment? Which shall it be?" questioned Orion.

"You can go kiss the underside of my dirt covered feet for all I care. If you're taking me back…you're actually gonna' have to try." said the man known as Kenji, standing in a defensive stance.

"You always were a fool. So easily predetermined by others. Moon Guard…evict him." commanded Orion.

Two of the flying sentinel guards charged at Tojiro, with their jousts shooting silver Chaos Spears out of them. Kenji stepped to the side, then grabbed the sentinel on the right by his joust. The one on the left lunged for Kenji's throat, but he punched his fist directly into the sentinel's chest, making a deep hole in it. Kenji pulled the joust away from the sentinel, then smacked it down on the sentinel's back to knock him down. Kenji drove the joust straight through the other sentinel, then swung his useless carcass around on the joust until it flew off and came at Orion. The bounty hunter stepped back, angered.

"Subdue the scum!" Orion ordered.

The sentinels, armed with firearms, all let out their blistering fury at the escaped prisoner. Kenji spun the joust around and around like a propeller, blocking every single shot that came at him. Orion slowly began to grit his teeth, seeing that this attack was getting nothing done. "Cease fire! Cease fire already!" Orion ordered angrily.

The sentinels lowered their guns. Kenji finally halted, holding the joust in his right hand, pointing it into the ground. Simon and Yoko were on their feet, off to the side. Orion looked over at them. Already, two sentinels appeared behind the two, grabbing hold of the two in their large sized arms.

"Never thought I'd see you two again." said Orion, looking back at Kenji.

"You obviously believe if you use the opportunity to be in the middle of a tournament match will give you freedom? It's so naïve, but yet so brilliant." Orion devised.

"This wouldn't be the first time you idiot." replied Kenji.

"So it would seem, eh? Release the girl." said Orion.

The sentinel let go of Yoko. "You better let Simon go. Or else!" threatened the sharpshooter.

"Or else what, Miss Yoko?" asked Orion. Yoko aimed her rifle straight at Orion's head, all the sentinels readied their weapons immediately at this threat.

"It seems a change is in plan. Take the girl back into custody…and release the boy." surmised the calm Orion.

The sentinel tossed Simon over by Kenji's side, who didn't even move or flinch. Yoko was then taken in an unbreakable hold by the sentinel behind her. "Dammit Orion! Let her go now! You're against the deal you made with Kamina City!" Simon invoked.

"Yes. We agreed to help you and help your city prosper, but dealing with credible threats _is_ part of _that_ deal. You can come back here tomorrow and get Yoko back. For now, she's just going to have to deal with it." said Orion, taking a small device out of his sleeve.

Kenji's eyes widened. Kenji charged forward, and threw the joust directly at Orion. A slit shaped white barrier was created in front of Orion, by him of course. The joust deflected off and landed back on the ground. Orion then pressed the switch. The bandages that were wrapped around Kenji's arms shined white, sending a violent surge of stinging Chaos energy into Kenji's body, rendering him immovable. His body finally dropped, motionless and incapacitated, smoke simmering from his lifeless corpse.

"Take him back to his cell, and do the same with the girl." Orion ordered, turning back around to the middle cave entrance. One of the sentinels grabbed Kenji's body and tossed him over his shoulder, going down the middle cave with Orion.

"Go back home. And tell those two hedgehogs to go with you. Don't try anything foolish, Simon. That's not who you are." said Orion, looking over his shoulder. Simon remained alone, glaring at the bounty hunter. Orion turned his head back around and continued through the tunnel, leaving Simon without a choice.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Outside Tanzaku Town, 1:30 pm<strong>_

A few days had passed after Tojiro's arrival in the Hidden Leaf Village. After that, Jiraiya proposed to bring Naruto along with him in search to find the next person who would be able to become the Fifth Hokage; Tsunade. Outside Tanzaku town in a nearby forest, Naruto was vigorously training for the A-rank technique Jiraiya had promised him before going on this trip, it was also the reason Naruto decided to come along. Also, Naruto requested that Tojiro should come along as well. Tojiro entrusted the injured Kasumi to the care of the Leaf Village, telling her she could leave whenever possible.

With Naruto practicing on balloons, Tojiro was sitting off to the side, cross legged. He had the sheathed Blade of Darkness resting against behind his arms as he was watching Naruto fail one balloon after another.

"This technique, is it really _promising_?" asked the Demigod.

"Promising! Of course it is! Pervy Sage said it's an A-Rank technique created by the Fourth Hokage!" said the excited ninja.

"An A-Rank technique, huh? Do you even know what it is called?" responded the Cloakmaster.

"Uhhh, no actually. Pervy Sage didn't even tell me its name yet." revised a gloomy Naruto.

"I see. Well, good things come to those who wait." said Tojiro.

"I can't wait! I have to train! I'm gonna' get stronger and stronger!" he exclaimed with bright confidence.

"I meant it in a way that once you do learn the Jutsu, that it will all be worth it. So calm yourself." advised the hapless Tojiro.

"Tojiro, I've noticed you were looking around the Leaf Village like it was all nostalgic or something. Have you been to the village before?" asked Naruto.

"There's a lot of reasons, Naruto. Reasons that I hate to say because that village has done enough to me in the past." he sneered.

"Huh? Why? Why do you hate the Leaf Village?" questioned Naruto, turning to Tojiro.

"It's none of your concern, focus on your-"

"NO! You're threatening the name of the Hidden Leaf Village, and I want to know why! So spill it!" Naruto angrily interrupted.

Tojiro's eyebrows cringed with annoyance. "Well? What's your answer?" Naruto barked impatiently.

Tojiro reached into his pocket and took out his journal. He flipped to a page and took something out. Tojiro tossed the object over to Naruto. He caught it, and was very surprised to see that it was a Forehead Protector with the symbol of the Leaf Village on it. However, an X was scratched across the symbol.

"Many years ago, I arrived in that village. I traveled across many lands having to get here. I robbed people, even killed those who got in my way. People were afraid of me. I heard rumors of people calling me the **Nothing Ninja**." said Tojiro.

Naruto looked at Tojiro with confusion. "They gave me that title because I showed no feelings, but that's a Shinobi rule isn't it? But, I believe I got the title because they thought I used Jutsu without any hand signs. Creating fire…" he said, forming a ball of flames in his left hand.

He then stood up, "creating air…" creating a small tornado in front of him. He then stomped the ground and a mass of earth rose up in front of him. "moving the earth…" Tojiro then swung his hands in several fast movements, collecting water out of thin air, "and creating water…all from **nothing**." he finished, strapping the sheathed Blade of Darkness onto his waist.

"But also, it was the Third Hokage who found me…wounded and bleeding to near death outside the village." Tojiro continued.

"The old man? He…he helped you?" said a baffled Naruto.

"After that, I truly thought I found the place that would accept me. I was…a different person by standing in that village. I even had three students under my tutelage." he said, turning his head away.

"Then…where are they now?" asked Naruto.

"They're dead." Tojiro answered, walking up to Naruto, and took the Forehead Protector from him.

"Dead! How? How did they die?" he asked, watching Tojiro walk back to his spot.

Tojiro answered without hesitation and emotion, "A monster killed them."

"What? A monster?" said a shocked Naruto.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder with a serious look, "It was me. I was the monster who killed them." he said, before walking back over to his spot, and resume his meditation.

"That is why I hate the Leaf Village. I was forced to silence the dreams of those who wanted to follow in my way of teaching. But it wasn't meant to be, it seems." Tojiro said, sitting down, and throwing the hood of his cloak over his head. Naruto's fists were shaking.

"Why? Why would you do that? How could you do that to their dreams then!" yelled Naruto.

"Naruto…please go back to your training." said Tojiro, placing the Forehead Protector back inside the page of his journal, then putting it back into his cloak pocket. A mysterious rolled over the two, and even though such a shocking revelation could prove so much reason, it couldn't mask the thoughts of either Naruto Uzumaki or Tojiro Ankoku.

Some time at night, Tojiro found himself walking alone around Tanzaku Town. Naruto and Jiraiya were also somewhere in the town, still in search for Tsunade. Tojiro turned a corner and saw Naruto's body fly right in front of him. Naruto tumbled across the ground until he stopped. Tojiro stepped out a bit further, seeing at the far left; Tsunade. Jiraiya was standing off to the side, and Shizune was standing just behind Tsunade. Tojiro walked over to Naruto. "Hey kid, if you haven't realized yet-"

"I know. Shut up." Naruto barked, getting to his feet.

Tojiro shrugged and stepped off to the side a bit. Naruto was able to get to his feet once more, his Forehead Protector was flicked off by Tsunade earlier. Naruto rose back to his feet, refusing to be taken out so easily. "I'm not giving up…I won't give up!" he exclaimed, creating an imperfect Rasengan in his hands. Naruto charged forward. Tojiro's eyes flashed white just before Naruto charged, copying the Rasengan with the technique known as Night Glare. Naruto lunged it forward at Tsunade. Tsunade struck her hand down, forcing Nartuo's Rasengan to dissipate, then the intense release of power sent the Leaf Shinobi rolling across the ground, stuck in the crack that Tsunade formed. "_The Rasengan. Very interesting_." thought the Cloakmaster.

Naruto and Tojiro at a hotel somewhere in the vast town. "Listen, if whatever you try to say about that old bat will change my mind about the bet, you can forget it!" said Naruto.

"Like I was even thinking about changing your mind. It's your life isn't it? You can make your own choices." Tojiro replied, staring out the window.

"That Shizune woman, she came over earlier, right?" said Tojiro.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" replied the ninja.

"Lucky guess, I suppose." Tojiro answered.

"You definitely are different from a lot of people I've met, so far that is." said Naruto, smirking.

"I wouldn't doubt that myself." said Tojiro, opening the window.

His eyes had caught something forming in the air. A small blistering light of white sputtered and shot out small bolts of lightning.

"Tojiro? What's up?" reacted Naruto. Tojiro shook free of his trance, looking down. He threw his hood over his head, and then hopped onto the window.

"What the? What are you doing?" exclaimed Naruto, getting up from the bed.

"Naruto…I'll be back in a while. I trust you to believe me. Alright?" he said.

"We just got here and now you're leaving? Man you never take a break!" Naruto snapped at the Cloakmaster.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder, "And since when does a ninja that doesn't give up…should ever take a break?" he replied genuinely.

Naruto was stunned for a moment. "Good luck to you. I'll try and return…but I don't make promises. Sayonara." he said, turning his head forward and flying out of the open window. The spur of white light which Tojiro saw, formed into a white Chaos Portal, with a black hole in the middle of it.

"A portal created by my Chaos Rift? Damn. This better be worth it." he announced through a bitter breath, flying into the portal with intense speed.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Yoko: This place sure is massive. How does Orion expect anyone but that Kenji guy to escape?

Dominic: It is solely based on the fact of Kenji's skill, my dear. He shines the brightest!

Haruhi: What does that have to do with anything?

Silver: Perhaps you're too blind to recognize your own enjoyment, Haruhi.

Itsuki: The fights are always choreographed so brilliantly, if not barbaric.

Yuki: Out of control.

Dominic: Be brave to watch the fights, Yoko. Kenji Haruki is one unstoppable combatant.

Yoko: Are you sure? Even when he's the best of his kind? In this trash heap of a prison?

Kyon: She does have a point. Orion controls every second of movement in this damn place!

Mikuru: That's why we've never had the chance to escape. More or less even prepare a plan!

Dominic: All eyes are on Kenji my friends. If he were to escape, this whole prison would gladly assist him without a second thought.

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER XVIII: CONFINED TO CHAOS_**

**_PART I_**


	18. Chapter XVIII

_**CHAPTER XVIII: CONFINED TO CHAOS PART I:**_

_**FRIENDS, JAIL CELLS AND DUELS  
><strong>_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Kenji Haruki and Dominic! They are my original characters and thus belong to me the owner. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**_**  
><strong>_

_**Underground Crescent Moon Headquarters, Holding Cells**_

Sitting in one of the probable thousand of jail cells in one large part of this massive underground complex, was Yoko. She was laying against the wall of her cell. She was given a slim rugged gray dress that went down to her knees, and a white sash around her waist. "Wake up, star girl." said a voice.

With half of her hair covering her right eye, she awakened. Her hair was down, and she tiredly sat up, her hair flowing behind her back. In the cell on the opposite side to hers. There was an elderly bald man in a tattered cloak.

"W-W-What's going on here?" she asked.

"I never thought I'd see someone such as yourself in here." said the old man, sitting down cross legged.

"You. Who are?" she said, blinking her eyes a few times.

After ridding her sight of the blurriness, Yoko had realized that this man, was the future version of Dominic. "You're that priest, aren't you? The one that-"

"That deemed a lot against that Tojiro fellow. Yes, yes. I realize who I am of course." barked the old priest.

"But how? How did you end up in here?" she asked curiously.

"The rules of course. After that idiotic Cloakmaster left to go through the Nine Circles of Hell, the Crescent Moon Kingdom helped enforce Kamina City. They didn't want any of its citizens to talk about that foolish Cloakmaster." said Dominic.

"And it gave them every reason to trap us too." said another voice.

Yoko looked over to the cell next to Dominic's, seeing an older Haruhi Suzumiya, and in that cell with her was Mikuru Asahina and Yuki Nagato. In the cell left of Dominic's was Kyon and Itsuki Koizumi.

"You guys! How? How'd you end up here?" said the surprised Yoko.

"We're older obviously. Over the seven years, we were able to come here and visit." commented a swell Itsuki.

"But apparently, these damn rules of theirs threw us in here!" exclaimed Kyon.

"Don't be so rash, Kyon." advised Mikuru calmly.

"I can honestly say that it's almost break time at least. Good lord, I can't wait to stretch my legs!" said a positive Haruhi.

"A break? What does she mean?" asked Yoko.

"Around in an hour or so, the cells that do hold prisoners are opened, and we're free to wander around the prison sanctum of this whole facility. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" said Dominic.

"Sorry, but I don't accept your sarcasm." said a dull Yoko.

"So this break thing, where do most of the prisoners go?" asked Yoko.

"That would be Kingdom Stadium. That's where all the matches are held, right?" said a another voice, from the cell above Yoko's.

"Joey! How are you, kid? Is Heroman with you?" Dominic responded.

"You old codger he's locked up, remember?" said the teen.

"Curses! Well, couldn't have hoped for better, I suppose!" said the ashamed Dominic.

"Will, you okay right?" said a female voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course I am, Lina!" he replied with a waving hand.

"Wow. So…you all know each other? That's amazing." said a surprised Yoko.

"It's better than talking to the walls!" said the voice of Silver the Hedgehog.

"Heeey! Silver, you finally up to, huh?" said the amused Joey.

"You're lucky these bars are hiding my powers, Joey." said a disturbed Silver.

"I was kidding, you know? No need to get so angry!" said a snickering Joey.

"We've all arrived at some points in time. Mostly, Kamina City would be recognized as the hub for all the reasoning of us to travel dimensions. Whenever there would be a place for all of us to meet, it would be at Kamina City." explained Dominic.

"Yeah. Because obviously anywhere would get us lost." said Kyon. "You better not be referring to me, Kyon! That wasn't my fault we ended up in that desert!" said the angry Haruhi.

"No, no, no! I'm not blaming anyone. Trust me." he said nervously.

"He's lying." muttered Yuki.

"YOU'RE SO DEAD KYON, I PROMISE!" screamed Haruhi.

"Hey, did anyone else notice that this happens at least every hour on the hour? said Silver's voice.

"High five, brother!" called out Joey.

"You guys are all jerks. Seriously." said a disturbed Lina.

"Sorry, Silver. I have to side with Lina." said a regretful Joey.

"I call bullshit!" Kyon quickly exclaimed.

"No cursing!" hissed Dominic.

"Damn! Sorry." said Kyon.

"KYON!" yelled Dominic.

"Whoops. My bad." he laughed.

"So is this all you guys do all day, talk nothing but nonsense?" asked Yoko, relinquished of thought.

"It's more like passing the time actually. We got nothing else to do." implied Joey.

"You never thought about escaping?" asked Yoko.

"Escaping? _Here_, that word is very contradictory. For real. No crap." said Silver.

"I'll second that." said Haruhi tiredly, sitting down, laying against the wall of the cell.

"Then, how are you ever going to get out?" she asked.

"We actually hope since you would be let free, once you get back to the city-" began Kyon.

With a smile, Itsuki slapped him in the back of the head. "Sorry Kyon. You were talking nonsense." said Itsuki calmly.

"I mine as well not ask anyway." said Yoko, removing her hands from the bars and resting her back against the wall.

"ANYWAY…anyone heard about Kenji? Or is it just one of those-"

"Yes." answered everyone except Yoko.

"Alright. Okay. God. So immature." grumbled Silver.

"Kenji? That guy with the-"

"Yes." answered everyone.

"He definitely knows a lot about the fights. But he doesn't mean well. He's always picked for the matches at Kingdom Stadium. He makes it all look so easy." stated Mikuru.

"Because he has potential. He's being tested." Yuki added.

"Doesn't bother me a damn bit." cursed Haruhi.

"Burn." slid in Joey.

"Joey! Really? Quit it." forced Lina.

"Yes ma'am." replied a deprived Joey.

"So then why is he picked for all the matches so easily? Is he skilled in some way that…uhhh…" Yoko trailed off, knowing everyone was listening very intently.

"What? That he's better than any of us?" suggested Haruhi.

"No, no. I wasn't going to say anything like that." Yoko promptly defended.

"I call bullshit." Itsuki mimicked with a smile.

"WHA? Since when in the world do you?" said a shocked Kyon.

"He said it so calmly too. That's…messed up, I guess." said Silver strangely.

"Okay! Now Dominic, this Kenji guy, just who is he?" asked Yoko curiously, kneeling in front of the bars of her cell.

"Actually, none of us know him. However, there are highly unbelievable rumors spreading around about him." replied Dominic.

"Rumors? What kind of rumors?" asked Yoko.

"The kind of rumors where there's no complicated ending in?" suggested Joey.

"Noooo. It'd be the kind of ending that everyone's happy! Thanks Joey! Great suggestion!" said the sarcastic hedgehog.

"Uhhh, is he?" said a confused Joey.

"Sarcasm. Yes." answered everyone in unison

"Dominic, rumors! What kind of rumors?" asked Yoko.

"Kenji is one of the many prisoners here endowed with the Chaos Force. He's very talented it at it." Dominic stated.

"One of _many_?" Yoko repeated. "A lot of individuals here trained in the knowledge of mastering the Chaos Force. All with their own techniques and skills. Kenji just happens to be the best." explained Silver.

"But he's also the most foolish." Dominic added suddenly.

"You say that because he keeps trying to escape, huh?" guessed a smirking Haruhi.

"Of course. Even during his matches at the stadium, he takes advantage of his powers and tries to escape! It's unconscionable!" said Dominic.

"I agree. Kenji's just obsessed with freedom." said Joey.

"It's his type of freedom. So let him be stupid on his own. It's not our business." replied Haruhi carelessly.

"I have to agree too. Freedom isn't everything in life." said a solemn Yoko, looking off into the corner.

It was all so different for her, and after witnessing Tojiro's motive to end the mission in stopping Kamina's death from ever happening, it even brought more confusion into the whole situation. This world, and it's people, no one is forced to believe in the fact that Tojiro is their hope of freedom. Yoko began to believe that the real reason the Crescent Moon Kingdom aided in the destruction of the Anti-Spirals is so that they could have gained the trust from Team Dai-Gurren, and Earth. Now she realizes that the Crescent Moon Kingdom are trying to relegate in a world where the word "Nightshade" means nothing, like it never even existed. Even the man Ryu Kaze was never dubbed; Nightshade the Cloakmaster.

It was an obvious conspiracy for all to believe in but, in prison; when does hope exist throughout the time? Yoko couldn't help it, and she could _somewhat_ tell in the eyes of her fellow jail mates that they wouldn't believe in a word she would say to them. Surely it may have been better if a rebellion had started, but where there's a rebellion, there has to be a brilliant flame willing to light it. A rebellion always begin with the birth of a new age, an age of reason and belief. With all these changed faces around her, Yoko found it hard to believe in the word 'hope'. If it wasn't going to come to them, how would it be brought about? Sonic and Shadow could easily fight their way into this facility and rescue Yoko in just a few minutes or so, but that wouldn't give any aid to no one, especially the citizens of Kamina City. Yoko's mind raced in infinite circles for reasons to believe, reasons to believe that someone would come and save them. If not that Yoko would sum up her undefeatable courage and figure out a plan herself, whether or not the others want to join her or not; was out of the question.

If there was one thing she could contemplate over right now, it was the strange bond between war and freedom. Would you fight a war to gain freedom? Or would you begin a war to win freedom? Between the beginning and the end, war is something of a subject. A subject that Tojiro was specially skilled in talking about. In this darkness, Yoko could sense war stirring, no matter how quiet it seemed, she could feel it. She was sure the others could feel it as well, but they had already began to lose such faith. Yoko began to imagine what Tojiro would say in such a situation, but an ache in her heart made it difficult to even mention his name, knowing he no longer exists in a world that has purposely decided to delete him from history.

All of this thought was unpleasant for Yoko. She was busy thinking about her feelings about wanting to try and change the affect of history, while not even sharing her feelings with the ones around her, especially Simon. It was hard where to look for answers, all she had were four blank corners of this dark cell. If ever Tojiro had to become relentless and unleash his malevolent power, now would be the best. Yoko could imagine it all happening right before her eyes. With this prison filled of users aware of Chaos energy, Yoko believes this night may the most dreadful one for her ever to remember. May it be the remainder of her life, or until tomorrow morning, the worse has only just begun.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, their time for <em>freedom<em> has come. The cell doors opened, everyone's eyes immediately snapped open. They each stretched their legs and arms, but mostly ran out of their cells to enjoy some air out of their cells.

"Meet us at the end over there, Yoko!" called Dominic, walking down the right catwalk, with Haruhi, Yuki, Mikuru already on the move, and Kyon and Itsuki following closely behind them.

Yoko exited her cell and went left. She stopped in front of the cell next to hers, seeing plenty of junk and stuff lying around, but the prisoner wasn't there.

"If at all you're curious, that cell you're staring into is Kenji's." said Silver, standing behind her with Joey and Lina.

"This…this is Kenji's?" she exclaimed surprisingly.

"Yeah. Kenji. The strange dude we were talking about for no reason." Silver replied.

"Let's hurry already! We should go get some food!" proposed Lina, grabbing Joey's arm.

"Ye-Yeah. Hurry Silver, let's go get some food." said a nervous Joey.

"I understand you. I'm not hearing impaired." said Silver, walking past Yoko, with Joey and Lina following closely behind him.

Dominic stopped, and let Kyon and Itsuki pass him.

"What's up? Aren't you coming Dominic?" asked Kyon.

"In just a moment. Go find some decent seats at the stadium, alright?" Dominic requested.

"Okay. No seats with gum or nacho cheese! Got it!" said Kyon, walking down the catwalk with Itsuki, leaving an angered Dominic behind him.

Dominic used Chaos Control to teleport himself over by Yoko's side.

"Something wrong? We should get going, Yoko." advised the old priest.

"None of you tried escaping? Only Kenji?" she mumbled sadly.

Dominic blinked two or three times, then sighing deeply he answered, "We have. You won't believe how many times we have. We even freed some other people we knew and trust. Many times, we took out so many of the sentinel guards, but always ended up getting thrown back in our cells. But for some reason, that's not what you _truly_ seek isn't it?"

Yoko remained quiet from Dominic's words. "Come now Yoko, you're not the only one who has seen the similarity. Kenji is a brave individual, but he doesn't take lightly to others business. Trust me when I say this." Dominic informed, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I hear you. Dominic. Thank you." she said, rubbing her eyes.

Dominic was able to put on a simple smile, and Yoko turned away from the cell, walked down the vast walkway with the high priest, avoiding the subject of Kenji…for the time being.

Later on, Dominic gave Yoko a pair of some comfortable sandals, since she was barefoot the moment she woke up in her cell.

"So does everyone always desperately go to the stadium this easily?" she asked.

"You could say that. It's not _always _like this though." replied the high priest.

"Then something at the stadium must be really interesting them? Like what? This place looks like hell!" arranged the honest Yoko.

"One good reason must be Kenji's the one in the first match. He mostly is before the rest of the challenges. The other reason why is unknown to me." explained Dominic intuitively.

"Then it's going to be a tough crowd." stated Yoko, putting on a smile.

"That may be! However, the challenges some contenders are faced with are never so easy." said Dominic.

"Then exactly what do the Crescent guys throw at those who do contend?" asked Yoko.

"Many things. Horrifying and unimaginable things to say the least. Sometimes, they throw the contenders against each other, but only the best get _that_ privilege." said Dominic.

"Then are you trying to refer to Kenji?" questioned Yoko with great curiosity.

"You can decide on that. Or, you can see for yourself." he said, waving his hand forward. Dominic and Yoko walked through an arched gateway, blinded by a bright light. Once they were through, Yoko widened her eyes with amazement. With thousands of the prison's inmates and several alien beings, Yoko and Dominic stood at the one of many entrances into Kingdom Stadium.

It was a massive coliseum by the sheer look of it. Food and junk were being tossed around as an early activity before the matches would start. "Down there." said Dominic, pointing far down to the front row.

Yoko and Dominic made their way down the abundant amount of steps until reaching two reserved seats left by their fellow friends. Dominic sat down next Kyon, and Yoko sat down next to Dominic. Joey, Lina, and Silver were sitting behind them, enjoying their food and snacks. The row in front of them was, Haruhi, Mikuru, Yuki, Itsuki, Kyon, Dominic and Yoko.

"Here you go, Kyon." said a shy Mikuru, handing him some popcorn.

"What the? I want some please!" complained Joey, attempting to snatch some popcorn away from Kyon.

"Back off! This isn't yours!" Kyon exclaimed.

"Please, be kind to each other." prompted a smiling Itsuki.

"I wish I could, but I'm having a bit of trouble right now!" shouted Kyon.

"Must I get involved?" said Haruhi, showing a creepy face.

"No need to." Yuki added.

"Heh? What's with that? Are you an ambassador or something now?" said a confused Haruhi.

Yuki remained looking forward. Haruhi's eyes appeared clueless, believing Yuki would answer some time.

"At least give me an energy bar." Dominic said in the middle their fiery commotion.

"Just a little! Come on Kyon!" demanded Joey.

"Joey, at least find the sense to calm down!" Lina advised dearly.

"I can sense nothing like that happening anytime soon." said Silver, drinking a water bottle.

"Energy bar. NOW." Dominic demanded furiously.

"I'll finish this whole argument if none of you shut your mouths!" exclaimed Yoko suddenly.

Everyone surprisingly were silenced by her efforts. However, they all went back to doing what they were previously. Kyon grabbed Joey by his nose and twisted it, causing Joey to back away, holding it dearly. Lina then bonked Kyon on the head, giving him dizzy eyes. "Oh forget it." said Dominic tiredly.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." replied the blatant Yoko.

The very middle of the coliseum was completely rounded and in it was a metal terrain, old blood spatters were painted on it's ground.

"It looks simple, does it not?" said Dominic, with his arms crossed.

"Huh? What does?" spoke the hushed Yoko.

"The fighting arena. Yet with all the brutal battles that had happened, the only thing hasn't changed are the horrific face-offs we witnessed. A bit of an understatement, my words." greeted the elderly Dominic.

"_You can say that again_." thought Yoko, looking back at the fighting arena.

Suddenly, two sentinel guards with wing jets on their backs flew in carrying Kenji by his arms. "Is that him?" said a surprised Yoko.

"Sure is. That's the only guy who gets treated like that." said Silver.

"Like what, exactly?" asked Yoko.

"Like trash. No respect by the system that keeps him down, but everyone here seems to like him." explained Silver.

"Everyone except those foes that he faces of course." Dominic included.

"Oh right, they really don't like Kenji after he demolishes them or twists their heads off. My bad, Dominic." said Silver, taking a batch of popcorn out of the bucket which was passed to him by Joey.

"Is that true?" Yoko asked Dominic.

"A lot of it is true. It is Kenji after all." agreed the priest.

The two sentinels flew to one side of the fighting arena, dropping Kenji. He fell onto his feet, sitting on one knee. The whole stadium went crazy with excitement. "Boy, they sure are easy to fool." said a laid back Haruhi.

"Are you trying to say Kenji's going to come up in the stands, and kill a few people just so he can try and escape again? I'd doubt it." intervened Kyon.

Everyone was looking at him with deep question or deep hate, either works. "Right. I'll just shut up." he whimpered.

Kenji rose up, the bandages around his arms ceased glowing blue, and were now glowing red.

"What's up with those bandages around his arms?" asked Joey.

"You don't remember? For individuals who have the ability to use Chaos energy, their arms are wrapped in what Orion dubbed 'Chaos Restraints'. Simply put, when they glow blue, the person us unable to use their Chaos powers. When it is red, it only gives them a controlled amount of it." explained Dominic.

"Smart of Orion to come up with such an idea." noted Kyon.

"Indeed. Except, the longer they stay red, it allows more Chaos energy to flow from the inside of their body, towards the arms, and it invokes more power once they release that energy." explained the high priest.

"And Kenji's the perfect example of a non-quitter. Orion makes sure that they activate Kenji's Chaos Restraints at the right time. Because somehow, Kenji is one of those masters when it comes to Chaos energy." stated Silver, taking another drink from his water bottle.

"A master? Hardly. The way he uses it is beyond human thought. Kenji is a loose cannon, my friend." replied the priest.

"Even so, I highly doubt he'll hold back with the little energy he is given." Silver added.

Kenji rose from his feet. With his head wrapped in black bandage, his whole head was concealed for none to see.

"You know I really never understood why he wears toilet paper around his head." said Haruhi, resting her hands behind her head.

"Some say because he can see through it. Some say it's because he's blind, but even more say it is because his face is nightmarishly disfigured. No one really knows." explained Dominic, holding a cup of tea in his hands.

"Where did you even get that?" asked Yoko.

"Chaos Control my dear." he answered.

"But you have none of those bands around your arms." she pointed out.

"That's because he's too old to try anything." stated Haruhi.

An angry mark appeared on the back of Dominic's head right after Haruhi's opinion. "Calm it down Dominic, you wouldn't want to give yourself a heart attack now." Kyon said very seriously.

"Now, now, let's leave him alone, okay?" said a peaceful Yoko, while more angered marks appeared on the back of Dominic's head.

"Welcome everybody to another skull bashing, bone crushing showdown! Welcome to Kingdom Stadium!" shouted one of the announcers over the various speakers that were placed around the top rim of the stadium.

"Is that? Was that Haruhi just now?" said a senseless Yoko.

"Indeed it was. She's one of the ring announcers along with Silver." said Dominic.

Yoko looked over her shoulder, seeing that Silver was also gone. "Did you guys even know about this?" asked the sharpshooter girl.

"Actually we did. She just comes down here to the seats before suddenly leaving to the podium. It's her kind of way at taunting us that she's got a job." explained Kyon.

"Welcome all to the next exciting series matches of Kingdom Stadium everybody! Haruhi Suzumiya here, along side me is Silver the Hedgehog to give you an exciting and also hilarious commentary as the matches continue!" she began with overbearing spirit.

"Can you tell me why you're wearing that?" asked Silver.

"Bunny suits are awesome of course!" she replied, not knowing she was over heard on the microphone.

A decisive and poorly excited swarm of male inmates suddenly decided to rush to the podium, but several sentinel guards knocked them back, denying their perverted fantasies.

"Wow. That's just…wow." said a stunned Yoko.

"That happens at least every match." stated Lina worriedly.

"Anyway folks, Silver the Hedgehog here, the first round match will be starring Kenji Haruki…" Silver began.

"**Haruki**?" said Yoko.

"To shine brightly, Yoko. That's what it means. When Kenji was first brought here, Kenji didn't speak. Yet Orion knew his name, but not his last for some reason. He simply decided that Kenji would be able to shine on…here. Providing us with blatant and violent entertainment. Kenji doesn't seem to care though, no matter what fate he is handed." Dominic stated.

Yoko looked from Dominic down to the arena where the warrior stood valiantly. "…Kenji Haruki shows no sign of giving up in any of his fights, but still refuses to let anyone's boundaries slow him down." Haruhi implied fairly.

"He has tried numerous accounts to escape from this stoic prison, but not always more than once, which I've noticed thus far." replied Silver.

"Who shall Kenji be facing in the first round of three, Silver?" asked Haruhi.

"For special occasions, Kenji will be taking part in facing a special group of Werewolves that once served under their master known as Volf, the Invincible Ruler of Storms. They've been training every day and every hour, and have been specially equipped with several armaments to combat Kenji in what is promising to be a spectacular and very promising showdown!" said Silver with great enthusiasm.

"I'm pumped up already! Let the rampage begin!" Haruhi exclaimed, standing up and raising her fist up.

Silver sat ambiguous and clueless to what she was trying to prove. "Hey, pssst, Haruhi! Sit down already." Silver said, lowering the mic of his headset.

"Very well! Let the battle commence!" she exclaimed again.

"She sure does have an easy job." said a baffled Yoko.

"Just wait till' you see what she gets paid for doing it, too!" Kyon included specifically.

"She gets paid such good money for just being herself. I thought I'd never see the day." Kyon added, taking a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

On the other side of the large open arena, a sliding door on the metal covered arena floor opened up. A platform rose up and stopped, revealing the five titanium armored Werewolves. Two held long staffs with scythe blades on both ends, shocking with deadly electricity. Two others had Chaos Cannons for arms, and mounted on their shoulders were small cybernetic launchers that shoot out buzz saws that were slathered in stinging Chaos energy. The one in front was the so-called leader of some sorts. He was armed with a staff, and on one end that staff was a large spiked ball.

"This is madness. You guys realize that, right?" said Yoko, surprised by Kenji's foes.

"And that's not the worst part either. Kenji's not even given any weapons." said Lina.

"That's completely unfair! Does Orion really hate this guy _that_ much?" exclaimed Yoko.

"In some ways yes, in others no. Kenji's just the kind of individual that has been giving Orion a lot of trouble over the years when he first arrived to the prison." Dominic said dryly.

"Don't worry Yoko. In several intervals, weapon ports come out of the ground which Kenji will be able to use. He can handle it." assured Joey.

"Yeah! He's right! When matches continue, these tower like things are activated and inside hold a specific weapon." Lina added.

"And so far, Kenji can wield them the easiest. He makes it all look so simple, that young man." Dominic responded, crossing his arms.

"You think he'll win?" said Yoko.

"Think positively and he just may! But I don't have any doubts, that's for sure!" said Itsuki.

Kenji clenched his fists by his side, waiting for the action to start. "There are two things you have to know about him. One; he never attacks first. Kenji believes the first attack is always feign. Second; he doesn't need protection. Kenji seems to think armor is obsolete." explained Dominic.

"True. He only wears that shirt and his baggy old slacks." answered Kyon.

"It gives him no reason to fear." Yuki assorted.

"She does have a point. What he doesn't fear, brings it others. Such as us!" said a calm Itsuki.

"You make it sound like dying is nothing." said a confused Kyon.

"It's simply my opinion." replied the Esper.

"Your _opinion_ is half tracked." Kyon snapped at him.

"Whether or not Kenji sees honor in using his fists or weapons, he doesn't care how he dispatches his foes. As long as they stop moving, he doesn't care." stated the serious priest.

Everyone looked at the old man with much discrete looks, believing he was making the subject of the matter too overzealous. Since when, however, was a battle fought without overdoing the hatred you have for your foe? Surely it could be a reference to past events that Dominic himself had witnessed, but maybe he's just decided to recite something that the Cloakmaster of Darkness; Tojiro, would say in such a matter of speaking. The leader of the pack stepped forward, crossing his arms vigorously.

"We're so glad to have see you back with us, Kenji. I never thought you'd be able to escape this rotten hell hole, but it seems that you're not capable. Does it not surprise you?" said the leader Werewolf, known as Zang.

"Nothing surprises a man who kills." replied the careless Kenji.

"Ahh! How very true! So then let me have the first strike!" said one of the Werewolves, charging forward with his scythe staff weapon.

Kenji remained still, staring the threat down. The towering wolf finally struck his weapon down, but Kenji glared straight up at him. Using both his hands, he grabbed both sides of the blade to stop it. Kenji then quickly lunged and kicked his foot into the Werewolf's gut, causing him to cough in pain. Kenji then snatched the double ended scythe staff then swung it across the Werewolf's neck, then drove the blade into the ground, holding it still with his left hand. The Werewolf stood completely still, not making a single movement. Zang smirked from the sight.

"Only a fool charges him." Zang muttered, snickering to himself.

The Werewolf that stood before Kenji, its head shot off, blood spouting off into the air. Kenji then smacked the headless corpse out of his way, holding the scythe staff blade in an defensive stance.

"Seems like you're serious. No surprise there." stated Zang.

The two armed Werewolves shot their Chaos Cannons, releasing large yellow blasts of Chaos energy. Kenji quickly leaped up then shot an array of black Chaos Spears out of the scythe staff. The Werewolves scattered from the impending doom. Kenji was smacked towards the ground once Zang appeared behind him with quick speed. Kenji smacked into the ground several times, but he flipped himself back onto his feet, skidding to a halt. The second scythe staff armed Werewolf appeared behind Kenji, but the arrogant warrior quickly performed a backflip. When upside down, Kenji drove the weapon down at his foe, but the Werewolf stepped to the left then turned around and smacked the staff down upon on Kenji's head, forcing him straight into the ground once more.

Kenji looked up, surprised. Kenji pushed himself backwards across the ground, just in time to avoid the Werewolf from driving the scythe staff down into his own head. Kenji jumped back onto his feet then shot the scythe staff forward like a spear. The Werewolf grabbed it.

"You fool! Now, you shall die!" said the determined monster of a foe.

Kenji then snapped his fingers. The scythe staff which the Werewolf had caught began to illuminate with bright red Chaos energy. In just seconds, it exploded into a blast of light. The Werewolves limbs and remainders of flesh were littered all over the spot. Kenji rose to a still pose. His eyebrows lifted under the black bandages. He began performing several jumps to the right, dodging a slew of buzz saws, all enveloped in Chaos energy. Kenji then was put to a stop once one of the saws impaled itself into his right arm, causing him to grip it in pain. Steam simmered from the wound, but Kenji refused to let it get the best of him, especially right now in such a battle. He grabbed hold of the buzz saw in his right arm and yanked it out, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Don't let him stand! Bring him to the dirt where he belongs!" shouted Zang.

The two Werewolves with the buzz saw launchers on their shoulders yet again released another storming barrage at their competitor, Kenji. Kenji kept the buzz saw he removed from his arm, tight in his left hand. Kenji ran to the far edge of the arena, heading towards the circular wall. Kenji jumped for it, then landed on it, then literally ran around the surface, completely defying gravity.

"What an astounding turn of events! Kenji seems to be running around the wall just below the front row round about just like a blue hedgehog I know! It sure is astounding, isn't it Haruhi?" Silver commented.

"Definitely! Like many times, Kenji's intuitiveness proves a better match than his skills alone!" replied Haruhi enthusiastically.

Kenji finally jumped off the wall and into the air. The two armed Werewolves fired their Chaos Cannons up at the fearless warrior. Kenji crossed his like an X, the red glowing bandages on his arms began to heat up and intensify with power. Kenji came straight into contact with the blasts sent by the Werewolves, halting against it, his Chaos energy against theirs.

"With Kenji in such a troubling position, I have a hunch Zang is ready to take action!" exclaimed Silver.

"Oh don't worry. I won't try anything like that. Not yet at least." Zang said to himself.

Kenji felt the Chaos energy in his arms begin to dim and vanish. The combined beams of four finally overwhelmed Kenji, launching him high into the air. The two Werewolves leaped on up after their foe. One appeared behind him, releasing a point blank blast of Chaos energy from it's right cannon. Kenji flew forwards to the other Werewolf who did the exact same thing. The two Werewolves constantly repeated this technique about ten times, all in blistering speed. Finally, Zang appeared with his spiked ball mace, and smashed it down on Kenji's back, shooting him into the center of the arena with extreme hurt.

The crowd went wild with excitement. Kenji's hand rose out of the bent in crater and he pulled himself out of the hole, not appearing to give up. "So, the man of few words but many ways to kill, has finally decided to turn his back on me? How foolish." stated Zang, once he landed on the ground.

Kenji rose to his feet, refusing to let Zang's words reach his consciousness. "Is it true you're the best one here? Or shall I prove it more by beating you into the ground even harder?" said the confident Zang.

Kenji refused to turn around, and it wasn't because he was planning something, nor was he trying to get them to attack first.

"Pathetic." muttered a bitter Zang.

The armored Werewolf on Zang's right fired its left Chaos Cannon, knocking Kenji across the floor.

"_Dammit. Do something_!" Yoko exclaimed in mental abuse.

Kenji got back up, but was impaled in the back by another stinging buzz saw.

"I had thought you would be able to prance around this arena and eliminate us one by one. I presume you finally lost it!" Zang taunted, shooting a sharpened green Chaos Spear at Kenji's back, piercing through him like paper.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: How much chaos does it take? How much WILL it take?

Orion: Until you drop dead at my feet? Is that ruthless enough? ALL THE HATE IN THE WORLD...AND YOU'RE STILL NOT SATISFIED WITH ALL THE LIVES THAT YOU'VE TAKEN!

Tojiro: It'll end when I see fit! We both know that!

Haruka: I'm afraid Tojiro has no need to push himself.

Yuko: I'm still trying to get past the fact of Orion being so angry.

Sumi: Was Tojiro that evil of a person? Haruka? What do you think?

Haruka: Nothing, Sumi. Nothing.

Yuko: What kind of response is that? If Tojiro was really some pscyhopath, what's the point of believing he won't become one again?

Orion: Oh how honesty fills the air with balance! Do you see Cloakmaster? Even these humans, the very species that you exterminated a million times over in the past! They are beginning to see what you TRULY ARE! A cold...blooded...MONSTER!

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER XIX: CONFINED TO CHAOS PART II:_**

**_BATTLE ROYALE! KENJI VS ZANG!_**

**_AND  
><em>**

**_SINISTER SHOWDOWN! TOJIRO VS ORION  
><em>**


	19. Chapter XIX

**_CHAPTER XIX: CONFINED TO CHAOS PART II:_**

**_BATTLE ROYALE! KENJI VS ZANG!_**

**_AND!_**

**_SINISTER SHOWDOWN! TOJIRO VS ORION!  
><em>**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Dominic, Orion and Kenji Haruki! They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective owners/creators.**

The Chaos Spear simmered itself into Kenji's spinal column, causing him to drop to one knee, and gripping the ground with his right hand.

"What are you trying to prove, huh? This crowd has respected you many times, but I guess that was all for nothing. You're nothing more than an idiotic fool with nothing to lose but his own life." said a selfish Zang.

"Do something already, Kenji!" cheered Lina.

"He hasn't been like this before. Something's wrong with him, I don't know what." said a slum Joey.

"I doubt it has to do with spirit. Kenji hasn't shown much prowess in his fights, but he does respect those that deserve respect." explained Dominic.

Kenji was back on his feet, this time, he turned around with his head hung low.

"Hmmm? Finally deciding to stare us in the face, huh?" slithered Zang's despicable tongue.

Kenji suddenly appeared in front of Zang, delivering a shocking and painful punch to the chest, sending him smashing across the metal floor of the arena. The armored Werewolf on the right lunged at Kenji, but he quickly grabbed hold of the Werewolf's left Chaos Cannon. The other Werewolf prepared to gnaw down on Kenji's head, but the angry warrior grabbed hold of the monster by its tongue. Looking from one to the other, Kenji's eyes were revealed. His eyes were replaced by something else. In both of his eyes, were crescent shaped moons pointing towards each other, and in the middle was a black X.

"Judgment time." quoted the evil warrior.

Kenji simply tore the Chaos Cannon off the Werewolf which he held to his right, causing electricity to spurt uncontrollably. Having the Chaos Cannon as its own arm, the Werewolf fell to the ground in deep agony. Turning his gaze to other Werewolf, Kenji grabbed hold of the beast by its top jaw. Kenji swung himself around and onto the creature's back. First, Kenji easily tore the tongue out of the beast's mouth, tossing it away. The Werewolf dropped to the ground in blood ridden pain. Kenji then grabbed hold of the top jaw and tore it off along with most of the head. He tossed it to the ground, and the wild insane cheers of the crowd went to a whole new extreme.

"Unbelievable! We have never seen such a comeback like this, haven't we Silver?" said the excited Haruhi.

"You are definitely correct! Having violently brought down Zang's henchmen, only Kenji and Zang himself remain!" exclaimed Silver horrendously.

Several camera bots flew down onto the scene, zooming in on Kenji's face, only the bandages that covered his eyes were gone. The picture of such a glare appeared on the various humongous television screens that were set up near the stadium lights that were at the top rim.

"I've never seen those kind of eyes before. Just what are they?" asked the red head sharpshooter.

"A lot of people here call that Kenji's signature comeback. Some specially talented Chaos users study the arts of the Chaos Force so they can learn new ways to amplify their powers." said Dominic, pointing to the screen.

"It's said to be a forbidden set of eyes that help the user create new cells of Chaos energy in their body. In just mere seconds, any wound or deathly attack that has been done to the body is automatically healed. It's also said to be amplified by the emotion of what their Chaos energy resonates off of." continued the high priest.

"Seems like Kenji _did_ have a plan after all! He purposely got himself in pain to beat his foes. Classic." responded a smiling Kyon.

With Kenji and Zang, both fierce and violent competitors, they stood each other down. The intent of murder simmered itself throughout the stadium. Silence finally came in the stadium, neither warrior appearing to attack.

"You truly are what they call you. A conniving thief! You destroy anything you touch. That's perfect. It gives me a lot of motivation to take your head!" exploded Zang, preparing his weapon, which sparked a fierce lightning aura mixed with yellow Chaos energy.

"That won't matter after this match is decided, Zang. Trust me on that." said Kenji, pointing forward.

"There will be no point in talk you damn fool. Nothing will save you from this fate that you have been handed!" Zang exclaimed, charging forward.

Kenji charged as well, his bandaged hands becoming enveloped with black Chaos energy. The two leaped off the ground, and towards each other, ready to deal some worth while pain and agony to the other.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Saienji Temple, 8:30 pm<strong>_

In the black sky above, opened the white portal. Tojiro was spat out of the whirling vortex, appearing much larger than before. The Cloakmaster had to transform into his mecha form on the way through the Chaos Rift portal due to its excessive power outbreaks which could've easily disintegrated Tojiro before he could even have a chance of leaving the portal. However, his black cloak had grown and encompassed his whole body while in this state of power. Tojiro noticed he was passing over a familiar temple, one he had visited at the beginning of this journey.

"This is strange, I for sure thought I would-" the Cloakmaster words were silenced once a diving bounty hunter came and dove kick right into Tojiro's back.

The two went soaring down and crashed into the forest setting far behind Saienji Temple. Orion, he was first to grab Tojiro by his shoulders and toss him straight at a tree, but that wasn't enough. Orion shot a brimming beam of blue and silver Chaos energy. Tojiro prepared a protective barrier of red Chaos around himself, but the blast Orion unleashed simply sent the Cloakmaster flying further through the forest, and taking down more trees with his immense weight. Tojiro ultimately rolled to a sudden halt. Orion appeared a few feet in front of him, already having Silver Wind unsheathed, and in his right hand. Tojiro rose up, his right arm sparking several bolts, causing some mechanical devices to rupture from within.

"You should've watched where your feet take you Tojiro. I'm surprised that Chaos Rift portal was a fluke." recognized Orion.

"What are you talking about you incompetent fool?" rained the annoyed Tojiro.

"Any Chaos Rift portal would have sent you to an altered dimension, but somehow you changed that from happening without even knowing." said Orion.

"Then transforming into my mecha form was truly worth it. That output of my Chaos energy must have changed the time stream within the portal." Tojiro thought to himself.

"Whether or not, you know what this brings, don't you?" said the bounty hunter, slowly raising his blade to point it at Tojiro.

"Does this mean I'll kill you without any effort? That'd be perfect." said the Cloakmaster, raising his fists up.

"I wouldn't be so sure Cloakmaster Ankoku, especially when dealing with someone such as yourself." snapped the bounty hunter, waving his sword quickly to release an intense horde of blue Chaos Spears.

Tojiro furiously charged to the left on all fours. Orion continued to swing and slash his sword, releasing more and more of the volatile Chaos Spears. With every tree he passed, Tojiro watched them explode closer and closer behind him, Orion's aim was getting more on target. Tojiro quickly skidded to a halt then wrapped his arms around two trees. Enveloping himself in orange Chaos energy, Tojiro pulled far back by stretching his arms as he continued to step back farther and farther. Orion pointed his sword at Tojiro from where he stood, a growing ball of pulsating blue and white Chaos energy began to form on the tip of the blade. Tojiro finally sprung himself forward, treating himself like a projectile shot from a slingshot. Tojiro transformed into a ball. The sphere of energy on Orion's blade matched Tojiro's size and shot directly at him. The two collided in only seconds, causing a massive blast of wind to knock Orion down to the ground. However, Tojiro was sent skidding across the earth on his back until his head ran directly into the trunk of a tree. "Ow." he mumbled despicably.

From above, Orion lunged down at his hated foe with Silver Wind encased in white hot Chaos energy. Tojiro grabbed the tree behind him with both hands, tore it up from its roots and shot it up at Orion. Orion sliced through it and drove his sword back. Tojiro rose to his feet, stretching his right fist out at Orion. Orion's sword and Tojiro's right fist collided in a devastating effect of rivaled Chaos energy. The two foes were shot opposite ways and both dealt with infuriating pain. Tojiro drilled his feet into the ground to cease himself from sliding. Tojiro clenched his hands together, then slowly brought them apart, creating a spiked ball of black Chaos energy. Holding it up like a bowling ball, Tojiro kept his eyes open, scanning intensively for Orion. Tojiro suddenly looked above and chucked the black sphere up at the diving bounty hunter.

"Chaos Eruption!" called out Orion.

Holding his sword up, the blade released a whirling wave of orange Chaos energy, which wrapped itself around Tojiro's projectile.

"Ahh, dammit!" he grumbled with agony, clenching the ground.

The orange ball exploded, releasing over a hundred black needles down upon the forest. Simple obliteration would be the best two terms to explain what happened. Trees were chewed apart and completely shredded into nothingness. The ground itself appeared like it was eroded by the barrage of black Chaos Needles. Orion slowly hovered to the ground, where all around him was nothing but a wide open clearing. He kept his blade ready and his instincts at their highest peak.

He felt the ground shudder. He quickly looked down. The ground in front of him imploded, and out shot Tojiro, soaring into the air. The Demigod quickly turned around while in mid-air flight and began by releasing an unwavering attack of swift moving green Chaos Spears. Orion flinched by surprised when several of the high flying Chaos Spears soared down and exploded from spots all around him. Orion quickly shot into the sky, creating a white barrier in front of himself. Tojiro then focused his green Chaos Spears directly on point with Orion. However, once the first round of Chaos Spears shot into his protective barrier, it reflected the Chaos Spears and shot them back up at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster quickly wrapped himself in his cloak, letting the severe insurgence of explosive Chaos Spears hit him with no regrets.

Orion ceased by hovering in mid-air, the reflecting barrier he summoned was gone, for now. Down below, Tojiro was laying against a pile of knocked down trees. He held his chest, revealing a good sized chunk of tree bark embedded into his power source.

"Damn him. He used Chaos Reflect. And now my energy is weakening. I need to transform." he said, grabbing hold of the tree bark and quickly removing it from his chest.

He kept his mouth closed as tight as he could, refusing to let something like pain get to him. Glowing red liquid spilled from the wound. Tojiro closed his eyes and transformed to his Darkrai form. "This should even the odds a little." he said to himself, waving his right hand over the wound in his chest to instantly regenerate it. Tojiro flew up and quickly dodged to the left to avoid a flying tree. Orion had already sheathed Silver Wind, and by using his hands, he was able to send surges of white Chaos energy to surrounded the fallen down trees below.

"_Telekinesis and Chaos energy. That's a good pattern_." thought the Cloakmaster.

Orion swiftly aimed his hands up. From below, the pile of trees from which Tojiro hid behind shot up at him. Tojiro spun erratically in mid-air. Surprisingly enough, with each tree that came close to him, was batted and sent flying at Orion. The bounty hunter quickly lowered his hands and released a stinging beam of white hot Chaos energy from both his eyes to demolish the flying projectiles of wood. He turned around, seeing the Darkrai turned Cloakmaster deliver a fateful Chaos Punch to the face. Orion shot across the sky, but at the right moment, sent a flurry of Chaos Spears from his hands. Tojiro flew back and forth, making several desperate turns and twists to avoid the storm of chaos. Finally, Tojiro grabbed Orion by his throat and produced an agonizing amount of Chaos energy amplified lightning. Tojiro then dove straight for the ground below, and slammed his foe into the ground with immediate force and pain.

Tojiro was sent flying out of the dust cloud but stopped hovering inches above the ground. Orion came out as well, preparing to strike. Tojiro dodged a left jab then titled his head to the left to dodge both of Orion's fists, then flew back from a spinning kick with Chaos energy on Orion's foot. Tojiro then raised the earth below Orion, lifting his foe high into the clouds. However, Orion quickly released a stream of zigzagging blue Chaos energy. Tojiro quickly shot the ground beneath him with Airbending, giving him an enhanced boost into the skies above. The blue beam, however, still followed after him. Unwilling to make it easy on the Cloakmaster, Orion released five more of the same beams, then flew up after the Demigod himself.

Tojiro first created a red barrier of Chaos energy to dissipate the beam that had already been chasing him. However, one beam from the right hit him on mark, and kept on flying through the air. Another beam hit Tojiro from the right, and then came Orion, delivering a Chaos enveloped foot into Tojiro's abdomen. However, Tojiro overloaded a surge of red Chaos energy to release a smaller version of what would be like a Chaos Blast. This surge knocked Orion back through the air, stunning him abruptly. Tojiro was halted in mid-air, but immediately entrenched his hands in red lightning.

With another zigzagging blue beam coming from both the left and right. Suddenly, a beam from in front of the Cloakmaster quickly blasted straight through them. Finally, the beams on the left and right shot straight up, then combined with each other, creating one massive beam. Tojiro put his hands together, creating a good enough barrier to protect himself. The overpowering beam collided with the Cloakmaster, but he remained in his position with his back towards the ground far below. Tojiro grunted and concentrated to focus as much Chaos energy as he could at the tips of his fingers. He sweated, his turquoise eye shut closed with exhausted discomfort. Finally, the beam was able to overwhelm him and sent the Cloakmaster plummeting to a quick, yet horrifyingly painful smash into the earth below.

Tojiro was found in the center of the open clearing which had been created due to Orion's needle barrage of chaos. Tojiro forced himself into another form, his Werehog form. His cloak has dirtied and torn at several spots. Most significantly, there was a horizontal gash through his cloak and through his flesh, starting from his shoulder and to his lower abdomen. He lowered his hood, breathing painfully.

"Lucky shot." said the Nightshade, rising to his feet.

"Luck doesn't take account when you murder someone, especially when someone who deserves it!." said the bounty hunter, slowly levitating down to the ground far behind Tojiro.

"That's not the problem you see. You can't stop someone like me, when I have the given right to someday become death itself." said Tojiro, aggravated as he turned around.

"You're too foolish, Tojiro. Centuries ago, people already called you death. You don't need any power. As soon as I'm done draining the life out of your cursed body, I'll make sure you get a proper burial in the darkest corner of Hell itself!" roared Orion, unsheathing Silver Wind and driving it directly into the earth.

Several uncontrollable bolts zapped off from Orion's mystical blade. Orion dislodged it from the earth, wearing a determined smile. Out of the ground in front of Orion, came out two fifteen foot high rock golems. In-between the rocks and earth they were made out of, was glimmering silver Chaos energy. Their heads were simply oval shaped stones that had two circular yellow eyes.

"Powered by Chaos energy…these beasts shall hand you the chaotic death you so rightly deserve, Cloakmaster Ankoku!" yelled the vibrant and over confident bounty hunter hedgehog.

Tojiro readily punched his fists together in a mighty and prepared fashion. With the two monstrous demons of stone spotting their target, the boulders on their hands changed. The left golem used the Chaos energy in it's body to morph it's hands into large mallets. The right golem did the same with the Chaos energy, except it created a large stone sword, brimming with gold Chaos energy around the stone blade.

"How comical. Being outsized and outnumbered at the same time. Two things I could truly give less shit about." darkly spoke the Demigod of Death, enveloping his clenched fists in static red Chaos energy.

Without much care or thought put into his strategy, the ignorant yet brash anti-hero jumped into action, literally. Up in the air, he shot towards the two golems. He stretched his left arm and his right arm both out to the sides. Tojiro came down towards his two foes and close lined them down into the ground. Standing in-between the hulk sized beasts of earth, he retracted his arms back, his fists still brightened with the same shocking red Chaos energy. The golem to his left, smacked him in the back with its mallet hand. The Cloakmaster was suddenly hit by a slash of silver Chaos energy sent by an airborne Orion. Tojiro was sent flying back towards the rock golems, but this time he was on course towards the wielder of the stone sword. Holding it back like a baseball bat, the golem swung it forward. Tojiro, however, had other plans to ensure his longevity would last. He grabbed onto the stone sword and around it like a swing.

The Cloakmaster then followed by delivering a painful strike to the golem's face with both his feet. Following up, Tojiro bashed his Chaos energy enriched fist straight into the face of the golem. The mammoth beast of earth fell down onto its back, and Tojiro landed safely on the ground before it. Tojiro quickly jumped onto the golem to avoid the golem from behind to easily smack him with its large rock mallets. Tojiro looked at the face of the golem creature and its round yellow eyes set its gaze on the Cloakmaster. Tojiro grabbed both sides of the golem's head. The Werehog Demigod then leaped into the air, pulling the golem off the ground. With his arms stretched extremely far, Tojiro pulled up with his muscular strength. The golem was sent over his head, and then Tojiro threw the golem down at the other walking tower of earth. The golem below, however, was able to quick skid over to the right, then it released a large golden beam of Chaos energy from its stone sword. Tojiro released his own blast of golden Chaos energy. The two forces collided in an explosion of light, creating a fierce spreading cloud of black smoke that swooned into the sky.

Tojiro's fists clenched, surrounding them in dark red Chaos energy. He raised them over his head as he was falling down towards the golem with the stone sword. The golem released ring shaped beams from both its eyes. Tojiro was disrupted and halted in mid air by the blast.

He grabbed his ears, "A supersonic wave! These accursed things actually have brains."

The golem below Tojiro jumped up and smashed its mallets together with Tojiro in the middle. When it landed back on the ground, the golem curiously looked at its put together mallets. A sudden burst of red Chaos energy blew the golem's arms off, sending it to the ground. Tojiro landed back on the ground.

"I take that back, these things aren't even smart enough to possess a nucleus." he announced, rising up.

* * *

><p>The golem with the stone sword charged him, and heavily swung the weapon down at Tojiro. Tojiro turned around, using his arms to protect himself. The stone sword delved into his arms, and shoved him into the earth, yet he still stood standing. Letting his strength go, Tojiro began to slowly crouch down from the golem's force of strength. Amplifying the earth beneath his feet, Tojiro launched himself out of the small hole in the ground and into the air. Tojiro then quickly smashed both his red covered fists into the top of the golem's head. The beast dizzily stepped back. Tojiro then shot towards the golem's chest like a spinning drill, wrapping himself in yellow Chaos energy. The beast was sent flying across the ground and smashed into a set of trees. Tojiro landed back on his feet, turning around to stop a large mallet from crushing him into the dust. Tojiro let out something risky from his system, and it was all he could do to get some decent breathing room. His body was surrounded in blistering red Chaos energy.<p>

"You ready for some chaos? Let me show you some!" yelled Tojiro with rage overflowing.

The Cloakmaster summoned the Chaos energy in his body and unleashed a devastating Chaos Blast. The blast of intense Chaos energy immediately erased the golem from existence. The blast continued to spread wider and wider, knocking down trees and tearing through the earth below them. Finally, the dome vanished, revealing Tojiro to be still standing. He turned around, immediately seeing the large stone sword wielded by the other golem. Tojiro swiftly stepped off the left and grabbed the sword and shoved it into the ground, lodging it still. Tojiro then ran along the stone blade and delivered a vicious right punch then swung his left leg around to kick the golem across the side of the head. Tojiro jumped into the air, but was violently sent back down to earth by a vengeful Chaos Punch to the spine from Orion. Tojiro landed back on the ground, his claws tearing through the dirt until he came to a stop. Tojiro immediately released a breath of fire, whirling up at Orion. The exiled bounty hunter quickly used Chaos Reflect. The large stream of flames went into the white barrier and shot back out, heading towards Tojiro.

"Chaos Eruption!" shouted the demon.

Wild streams of orange Chaos energy erupted from his hands and wrapped around the flames.

"_You…you were waiting for that chance, weren't you_?" thought the angry Orion.

The power of Chaos Eruption turned the streams of flames that rolled around inside its sphere shaped form, into something far worse. The orange sphere exploded, releasing a horde of red fireballs with black cores, all aimed at Orion. Orion was hit by the first immediately, but was quick enough to slice his way through three more. However, Tojiro stretched his fist up and delivered an angry Chaos Punch to his foe. Orion may have been sent flying back across the air, but Tojiro stretched his left arm further, and grabbed him in his large hand which Tojiro expanded in size. Tojiro deliberately raised his left hand high and smashed Orion into the earth, then quickly swung him around in the middle of the forest, smacking down trees, and being forcibly dragged through the mud and earth. Finally, Tojiro pulled back, causing Orion's corpse to be sent flying towards him. Tojiro had already retracted his left arm back, and his hand was back to its proportional size of a Werehog. Tojiro reeled his right fist back, causing a sputtering green aura to burst around it. Orion's eyes snapped open, filled with burning blue brightness.

Orion quickly unsheathed Silver Wind and swung it once, releasing a cut shaped blast of blistering positive Chaos energy. Tojiro lowered his arm and used both of his large arms to block the blast the best he could. The impact of the blast smacked Tojiro directly in the lower abdomen and shot him back through the forest, splintering down tree after tree.

Tojiro finally came to a small waterfall which was lighted by several candles on the rocks. He was flung into the small pool of water which the waterfall fed into. The agonizing pain he felt wouldn't stop him, nothing, more or less anything, would stop Tojiro from getting back on his feet. He rose up from the water, growling and snarling with his fangs clenched in anger.

"Hey! Big hairy freak guy!" called out a tomboyish voice.

He turned around, seeing three girls standing under the waterfall. There was Yuko Atoda on the left, Haruka Amanogawa in the middle, and Sakura Sugai on the right. They were wearing white bath robes, but were clearly drenched when standing under the waterfall. They were practicing their exorcism skills and to buildup their concentration, that was until Tojiro interrupted them.

"Them again? How foolishly convenient." Tojiro said out loud, turning his gaze forward.

"Just what is it, Sakura?" asked Haruka.

"Hold on, wait a minute!" she said, noticing the symbol on the back of Tojiro's cloak.

"It's that demon! The one that stopped that fire giant!" she exclaimed.

"Really? We should at least say hi and thank you for his help." said a kind Haruka.

"You can't be serious, Haruka! This guy is as dense as rock!" exclaimed the angry Sakura.

The sudden arrival of silver Chaos Spears caught Tojiro's attention. He waved his hands up, creating a wall of ice out of the pool he stood in. The Chaos Spears shot into the ice barrier, but were unable to completely shatter it.

"_Where is he? Where_?" thought the persistent Tojiro, his eyes peering from one corner to the other on reflex.

Suddenly, the ice wall in front of him shattered, and Orion came through, grabbing one of the shattered ice shards and impaling the small chunk of ice into Tojiro's right arm, shocking it and gushing out a glowing red liquid; known to Tojiro as discharge of his very own Chaos energy. Orion forcibly grabbed Tojiro by his snout, and tossed him over his head, but while in mid-air flight, the Cloakmaster released a quick yet devastating red Chaos Spear to Orion, which exploded against him on impact, splattering the water everywhere. Orion rose out of the water, coughing it out of his mouth. Orion looked over his shoulder, noticing the three nuns.

"I see. Tojiro…you know these three, I can tell. Then, I'll just use them as my trump card." smirked Orion, turning his head forward.

Tojiro dug his claws into the ground to halt his sliding across the dirt. Once he stopped, Tojiro charged back to the waterfall setting, standing at the edge of pool, he couldn't see Orion anywhere. The three nuns were still standing at the waterfall, confused at what was going on, but more worried on what would happen next. Tojiro grabbed the ice shard in his arm and removed it, feeling an unquestionable amount of pain right after the removal. He grabbed the hole it created, to ensure the discharge energy wouldn't become a nuisance to him. He turned around, seeing nothing.

"No idiotic bounty hunter, nothing. Only a twisted demon stuck with these fools. How quaint." he rambled with his hand to his forehead as a sign of restlessness.

A sudden rock hit him in the back of the head. He angrily turned around, letting out a vicious roar. Yuko, dropped the other stones she held in her hands. Tojiro's eyes were filled with glowing red, there were no eyes to study, no human to see.

"You better take your fight elsewhere, demon! Don't involve us in your fight!" exclaimed the defensive Sakura.

"It won't matter. He'll still come for you!" replied the agitated Tojiro.

"This foe you're facing is as dull as you! So leave now or else!" demanded Sakura.

"This foe you speak of has came across a starting revelation of mine, and he's going to use that against me whether I leave or not! Damn!" called the struggling Tojiro, stepping back into the water, looking up and around at the sky.

"You're that disrespectful individual who fought off that fire giant when it didn't deserve to die! We were suppose to exorcise that creature!" said Sakura, crossing her arms.

"Monster, demon, human. No matter what the hell it is…they all have their reasons for dying, and the worst part is that they find out when its already too late." answered the Cloakmaster, removing his left hand from the deep hole in his right arm, noticing the discharge had ceased spilling out.

"I'm telling you we shouldn't trust him! Can't you see that?" Sakura whispered to Haruka.

"Yeah. I have a feeling something like this is just too much to handle." Yuko whispered to Haruka as well.

However, it appeared as if Haruka wasn't paying attention, more like she was simply thinking of a plan on her own.

"Maybe you guys should speak quieter. You're conversations about doubt and distrust are all referring to me. Seriously, I'm not that deaf to the world around me." said Tojiro, facing the three girls.

"You shouldn't have a say in this anyway!" Yuko admitted, pointing at Tojiro.

"Obviously." Tojiro responded carelessly, turning his back to the nuns once more.

"Well? You have to say something, Haruka!" commented Sakura.

"Yes, I know." Haruka answered, still staring in a diagonal direction.

"You can't be serious, right? Right?" exclaimed Yuko.

"This nonsense never ends." surveyed Tojiro, his palm rooting itself to his face.

"We've seen how careless he was when he first arrived at the temple. I'm telling you, he's as dense as rock!" annoyingly observed Sakura.

Tojiro's eyes suddenly widened when he removed his hand from his face.

"_The golem_!" he exclaimed in thought.

Tojiro quickly turned around and began to run. As if in slow motion, the ground in the middle of the pool imploded, and out came the golem thrusting its stone sword towards the nuns. Tojiro jumped onto the golem's back, then jumped himself into a front flip, stretching his arms out to the left and right, then curling them around to snatch the three girls up from where they were standing. Tojiro quickly retracted his arms back and safely landed on the top of the small waterfall, holding Sakura and Haruka under his right arm, and Yuko under his left arm. He safely put the girls down.

"Stay out of this, and you'll live. It's that simple." he warned, before jumping down at the golem.

"Dense as rock, you say? Well, it seems that even the most stubborn of people have a defensive side, right Sakura?" Haruka explained with a cheerful smile.

Sakura was embarrassed by such words, and turned her head away at them, however, she kept one eye open, to observe the battle below.

Tojiro kicked the golem in the face with both his feet, stunning it apprehensively. Tojiro then swung his outstretched arms and fists that repeatedly pounded away at the golem's face. Tojiro landed into the water, and was immediately kicked by the golem's right foot, then left with a barrage of yellow Chaos Spears that shot out of the golem's stone blade that the golem pointed at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro was heavily pelted, unable to even move an inch from the spot he had been lodged to. Orion appeared on the head of the golem, Silver Wind in hand. A wild blast of red Chaos energy exited out of the cloud of smoke from where Tojiro. The golem raised it's sword to create a protective yellow barrier. However, Tojiro angrily came through the smoke and let out a fierce roar, which surprisingly was a technique he made up. The fierce and extremely loud roar completely shattered the golem's left arm, and sent Orion flying off. Tojiro clasped his hands together, and clenched them tightly together. He angrily swung them around and batted the golem back into the forest with all his power and strength. Orion launched a series of pin needle shaped beams of white Chaos energy.

Tojiro stood his ground, letting the attacks cut through his cloak, and even to the bone. Tojiro's eyes blazed with even more power. With that, he unleashed an incredible amount of dark red Chaos energy. Orion clapped his hands together, releasing a wave of blue Chaos energy that pelted through Tojiro's blast and hit the Cloakmaster dead on. However, once flying towards the waterfall, he sprung his feet off the rock behind the flow of water and shot back towards Orion, delivering a clobbering combo of five punches to the face, then several high and low kicks to the face and gut. Orion was thrown to the ground, but Tojiro wasn't finished of course. He stretched his left arm, grabbing Orion's right leg. Tojiro spun around, throwing Orion towards the wall of the waterfall.

Tojiro then lunged straight towards him. Orion swiftly unsheathed Silver Wind and merely pointed it forward, impaling Tojiro through the center of his chest. Blood dripping from his mouth, Tojiro still appeared angrier than ever. Orion released a discharge of blue Chaos energy from his sword, which shot Tojiro off his sword and landed back into the water. Tojiro rose back up from the water, and released several ice shards from out of the water. One scratched a scar across Orion's cheek, and the others were easily destroyed by Orion's swift moves with his sword. Tojiro stepped forward, but his chest ached, forcing him to halt his advance.

"I knew you would selflessly sacrifice yourself for these girls. How pretentious." said a victorious bounty hunter, lunging forward at Tojiro.

Tojiro easily gave Orion and uppercut. Tojiro reached up for his foe, but Orion delivered a painful spin dash straight to Tojiro's face, throwing him out of the water and onto dry land. Orion came down at Tojiro, with Silver Wind pointed straight for Tojiro's spinal cord. The Cloakmaster quickly rolled onto his back, shooting a barrage of black Chaos Spears up at the banished bounty hunter.

Orion spun in numerous circles, dissipating all the Chaos Spears then readied to strike down on Tojiro. The Demigod of Death quickly rolled to the right, and Orion had just landed with his blade impaled into the ground. Tojiro swung his left arm, knocking Orion away from his sword. Tojiro hopped to his feet and lunged straight for Orion, but the persistent hedgehog performed a spiral uppercut. With Tojiro just a few feet in the air, Orion leaped up and grabbed him by his snout. Orion shocked Tojiro with a dangerous amount of electricity, which he amplified with his positive Chaos energy. The smoking corpse of Tojiro was sent flying back towards the pool, ending up at its edge.

Orion came up through the tree canopy, and back down at Tojiro, delivering a swift and deadly stab into the center of Tojiro's chest. Tojiro gritted his fangs in pain, but allowed his anger to take over instead. Tojiro gripped Orion by his head, and rose to his feet. With his hands off the grip of Silver Wind, Orion desperately tried to free himself. Tojiro began to squeeze, aiming to crush Orion's skull so only a bloody mush remains.

"Chaos Incinerate!" shouted Orion.

Orion's sword began to glow with purple, and sent a violent burning shock of Chaos energy across both Tojiro's body and Orion's. Tojiro dropped Orion and dropped to his knees. Orion grabbed his sword, and put his right foot against Tojiro's chest, and forcibly yanked it from Tojiro's ribs. Tojiro let out a painful snarl, keeping his hands on the wound. Orion swung his blade three times, cleaning the blood of it, then placing his sword back in its sheath. Orion reached his hands for Tojiro's throat, but the Cloakmaster quickly shoved him away. Orion stepped back from Tojiro's forceful shove. Orion stood in a take charge stance, but then he realized something. Orion once again realized the three girls on the top of the small standing waterfall. He then looked at Tojiro, who had already charged at him. Orion quickly rolled into a ball and reversed himself back a few feet to avoid Tojiro from smashing his large fists down on him. Orion exited his ball form and was back on his feet, wearing a serious, yet displeased expression.

"You are considered one of the most unearthly and undeniably cursed beings on this Earth, maybe in all existence. Long ago, there wasn't a single person who didn't know your name. You stood as a figurehead for the word 'death' whenever it was mentioned." Orion spoke distinctly.

"What's your damn point?" barked the severely angered demon.

"All that evil, all the hate in the world is right inside you. Yet…you stand in the protection of others. It's pathetic and it's really beginning to sicken me!" yelled Orion, releasing wave after wave of Chaos energy blasts.

Tojiro slammed his right hand on the ground, creating a wall of earth. Orion quickly smashed himself through and kicked Tojiro right up the chin. Tojiro was thrown into the air and above the pool of water. Orion quickly appeared behind Tojiro with Chaos Control and delivered an explosive Chaos Spear to Tojiro's back, shooting him forward. Orion teleported in Tojiro's path and did the same, this time the blast sent Tojiro up into the air. Tojiro quickly began jabbing his fists down at Orion. Orion took a painful hit to the face, one to the side of the head, another to his gut, but then he vanished. Reappearing behind Tojiro, Orion was formed into a ball, with an intense spiraling aura of blue Chaos energy around. At the last second, Tojiro quickly turned himself around. Regardless, Orion struck Tojiro right in the chest, and remained spinning against his chest until the two finally impacted the ground, resulting in an explosion of fearsome blue flames in the shape of a mushroom cloud.

The three nuns atop the small waterfall with disbelief and shock by such a tremendous explosion, if the fighting hadn't been enough that is.

"Wow can such power even exist? It's not even human." said the baffled Sakura, taking off her glasses and rubbing the lenses.

"I want to know if that guy is even alive." commented Yuko.

The three remained silent and bewildered by such events. They all felt unwilling to get involved. For what Tojiro said to them, they somehow managed to trust him, to believe in him. That's how the Cloakmaster has become who he is now. He refuses to let anyone's life to be ruined or disrespected by another. Those are the kind of people that angers Tojiro so easily. People who garner hilarity by laughing at another, or simply doing something that hurts the feelings of another. It isn't long, however, until someone pays with their life. It is a mystery to understand how Tojiro is able to follow a path to kill and eliminate those who threaten the lives of others. After all, he did learn it all on personal accounts. The three nuns decided to run down to the pool below, stopping alongside the rocks that surrounded the spot. They saw that blood had numerously filled up the pool from the battle between the two rivals.

"This is awful." mumbled Haruka in disbelief.

"We can't just go back to the temple without warning anyone. This has to end." added the blue haired girl.

"No need to worry." said Orion's voice. The three girls looked to the far left, spotting the bounty hunter to still be alive.

"That monster is gone now. You should all leave now." requested Orion.

"It seems you're the monster in question. The man you were facing was protecting _us_." responded Haruka.

"_Man_? You sure know to cause humor, miss. But truly, that monster isn't anything more than a man. He's lesser than a killer, he's even lower than dirt. You should all be wise to make sure you never face that creature again." said Orion, with the golem walking out of the forest behind him.

"Are you threatening us? Are you sure that he's the monster instead of you?" questioned Haruka.

Orion huffed, then closed his eyes. Immediately, the golem charged at the girls, jumping into the water and thrusting its stone blade at them. The girls were ill prepared for this outcome, as the blade charged towards them. Suddenly, a large silhouette appeared out of flash before them. The blade sharpened to a more focal point at its tip and drove itself into the chest of: Tojiro. It was even more surprising than the whole fight between Tojiro and Orion, as the nuns were completely shocked by their sudden savior. The blade stuck up from at least the top of Tojiro's chest and into the lower abdomen. "You damn…idiotic fool. How dare you…try and perform such an act." said Tojiro's ill voice.

"Haruka, the whole tip of that weapon just went through him!" said a baffled Yuko.

"Forget that, he's still able to talk!" Sakura added. Tojiro grabbed the blade by both sides with his hands.

"These nuns may have unfortunate lives with an uncertain and lecherous friend of theirs, and that's ALL they need right now! I won't allow you to desecrate their way of life, knowing that…" Tojiro spoke, suddenly stopping.

Suddenly, all his fur became gleaming white, and the tips of white on his quills glowed blue. "He's…he's entering his Nightmare Form!" said the bounty hunter.

Tojiro raised his head up. The white in his eyes were black, and the eyes themselves were shining blue with black pupils. "…I CAN PUT A STOP TO IT!" he roared.

The entire stone sword shattered from Tojiro's unleash power of his Nightmare form. Orion was flung off the ground, and given an extreme blast of blue Chaos energy that overwhelmed his body. Tojiro appeared in his path and kicked him directly in the crown of the head, then stretched his arm forward to grab him again. Tojiro tossed him up into the air and used Chaos Control. Tojiro appeared right in front of his long time rival. His fists were suddenly enveloped in static blue Chaos energy.

"Nightmare of a Thousand Chaotic Fists!" Tojiro exclaimed with all his might.

Tojiro viciously began jabbing his fists right into Orion, and just as the Cloakmaster said, he delivered one thousand on tact punches. Finally, Tojiro spun around in mid-air and released an extreme dosage of blue Chaos energy from his mouth, with a thick white lining in the middle of it. The blast smashed Orion into the earth with devastating pain. The golem below looked up and was grounded to nothing but dust once Tojiro ferociously landed on top of it, severely crushing the golem into nothingness. Tojiro was surrounded by a flash of white light, and he was back in his human form, his hair back to it's black hue, and his wounds slightly healed. Tojiro's body, having discharged so much Chaos energy caused the Demigod of Death to lose consciousness. He grabbed his head dizzily, and then fell back. He could still feel something once he landed. It wasn't cold, it wasn't hard like the earth. He felt warm and comforted. The real reason why is; Haruka Amanogawa was there to catch him in her arms.

A terrible and self aware gaze looked down at the bloodied corpse of the Cloakmaster. Haruka's eyes looked to her friends: Sharing the moment with nothing but silence. If they had to interrogate Tojiro for anything…it would be a question of truth: Why does he protect the very race…that has banished him from their arms cursed him to the depths of Hell and hated him and despised him! Why? Why does he still stand to protect those that have given him so much suffering. Haruka only looked at Tojiro with little relief, embracing his troubled head; and even in unconsciousness did Tojiro recognize…he had succeeded in protecting the temple.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Zang: You have atoned for a lot before being thrown in here you freak! What hate is more powerful?

Dominic: The point of his threats don't make much sense...he better finish Kenji before the worst occurs.

Yoko: Kenji's the idiot here! He's the one who's done for if he doesn't get up! Get on your feet Kenji! Don't let this loser show you up!

Mikuru: Her will may actually outshine Kenji some day.

Kyon: Too bad she won't be here long enough to even try.

Yuki: Chances of victory are even. Kenji must quickly dodge Zang's **final** attack.

Dominic: Perhaps Ms. Nagato is right.

Kyon: But despite the way she said it? You can't possibly agree!

Yoko: All this useless talking is beginning to annoy me!

Dominic: You must see much in the masked warrior if you're _this_ controlled.

Yoko: You can't let yourself down dammit! FIGHT! YOU'VE WON EVERY SINGLE TIME BEFORE, RIGHT? **SO DO IT AGAIN!**

NEXT TIME!

**_CHAPTER XX: CONFINED TO CHAOS PART III:_**

**YOKO'S BELIEF  
><strong>


	20. Chapter XX

_**CHAPTER XX: CONFINED TO CHAOS PART III:**_

_**YOKO'S BELIEF**_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANYONE in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Dominic and Kenji Haruki! They are my original characters and thus owned and belong to me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

_**Kingdom Stadium, 8:30 am**_

Kenji was thrown against the metal wall at the far end of the stadium. Transforming out of the metal ground next to his foe Zang, was a large metal spike. Zang proudly took it up, and held it over his head with one hand. Kenji unreadily charged himself towards Zang.

"What a fool! If you wish to die so, I shall graciously hand it to you!" exclaimed Zang, launching the large steel spike directly at Kenji. The masked warrior blasted the ground with red Chaos energy which boosted him into the air, and straight over the spike. Kenji quickly dove kick down at Zang. The Werewolf smirked, reaching up and grabbed Kenji by his left leg. Zang quickly turned around to deliver a painful message between Kenji's back and the metal floor of the arena. All of the audience shared their view by making several of the same sounds, yet they all began cheering wildly once again.

"Is there even a rule against how you defeat your opponent?" Yoko desperately asked.

"In a way, nearly every match is a no holds barred one. Unless Orion cares or decides to make a change in a certain match, fighting fair doesn't exist." explained Dominic, drinking more of his tea.

"Kenji is as worse as Zang, Yoko. You shouldn't worry, he's really capable of handling this fight." said an assuring Joey.

"I hope you're right, because I can already tell this battle has left Kenji's favor." answered the worried Yoko, sitting back in her seat.

"As timid as you are Kenji Haruki, you are still able to have that light shining over you. It surprises everyone every time you step foot into this arena. No matter who the foe, no matter what the numbers are, you still foolishly believe in _your_ victory." exploited Zang as he was walking towards the wounded fighter.

Kenji tightly gripped the ground and began concentrating. Zang used Chaos Control to have his spiked mace staff appear in his right hand, "Considering how cowardly you're being, and seeing that this crowd is becoming more bored by every passing second, I'll simply beat you into a bloody pile!" said Zang, raising his weapon back over his head.

Yoko immediately stood up from her seat. Kenji then quickly turned around and delivered a frightful punch to the front Zang's snout. "YES!" cheered Yoko happily, along with most of the crowd in the arena.

Zang smacked across the ground numerous times until the painful momentum stopped. Zang got back up, snarling with a considerable hint of hate in his eyes. Kenji was back on his feet and standing proud. The true reason behind his hesitance was all on his hands. He had used Metalbending to entrap his hands with steel gauntlets, with curved spikes under the gauntlets and small mini laser guns on top of the gauntlets.

"Boy, I can't remember the last time that boy had used Metalbending." said Dominic, appearing interested by sitting forward in his chair. Yoko sat back down, wiping her forehead of sweat.

"What I tell you? That Kenji doesn't give up! Not even for a minute!" cheered Lina.

* * *

><p>Back in the fight and with the determination he needed, Kenji aimed the gauntlets forward, shooting swift burning blasts of plasma bullets from the small turrets on top of his gauntlets. Zang began spinning his spiked ball mace staff like an out of control windmill, but he succeeded in blocking every shot. Zang finally ceased once Kenji had halted his firing. Zang raised the spiked mace staff over his head and smashed it straight down on the metal floor. Several metal platforms that were a part of the ground grew glowing cracks of red in-between. Zang then pointed his spiked ball staff up. Many pieces of metal chunks that were once part of the floor launched out of the ground like spouts of flames that would explode out of a volcano. Kenji began a sprint forward. One falling platform came from up ahead, flying in at Kenji from the right. He quickly jumped for it and ran along it's short width then jumped to another on the far left, staying on it. As he was spinning around in mid-air, Zang took this as what he would an 'initiative'.<p>

By pointing his spiked ball staff up at the spinning platform, he shot sphere like blasts of pink colored Chaos energy which had several static bolts coming out of it. Realizing this, Kenji leaped towards another platform, swinging from a pole that stuck out from the side. He swung himself off it to avoid the platform from being completely destroyed by one of Zang's flying Chaos energized sphere. Kenji swiftly took his 'initiative' by rapidly jumping from one flying platform to another, and with each one he jumped off from, it was destroyed by one of Zang's spheres of Chaos energy.

"Zero Sphere!" shouted Kenji, releasing a black sphere from his left hand.

In its center was a glowing white ball, which gave this technique it's true power. The sphere surrounded and encased Zang in a bubble of itself. Once Kenji landed on the ground, he kept his arms stuck out, and his fingers bent, keeping a tight hold on the Zero Sphere that surrounded Zang.

"That's a tough way to go." said Dominic, lowering his cup of tea from his mouth.

"What do you mean, Dominic? It doesn't look that lethal." noted Kyon.

"The reason it's _lethal_ is mainly due to its name. The individual stuck inside it has no chances of escaping." explained the priest. Kenji then slowly brought his hands together. As he did this, the Zero Sphere began to close and shrink down on Zang.

"Ohhh. No wonder." sighed Kyon.

"You think you are able to do away with me so easily you pretentious rat?" roared the angry Werewolf. Kenji, however, wouldn't quit now. The glowing bandages wrapped around Kenji's arms appeared to be peeling off. Yoko noticed this immediately.

"I see. Looks like Kenji's got another brilliant trump card to play." said Dominic.

"Wait, then is Kenji even trying to defeat Zang?" asked the confused red head.

"Zero Sphere focuses all the Chaos energy in one's body, and points it all directly to the arms, hands, and fingertips. Put too much Chaos energy at one point in your body, and it ruptures. Kenji wants to show this crowd a real light show, by my observations." explained the high priest.

In the large podium box that was overlooking the arena below, stood Orion with his sentinel guards behind him.

"Turn his Chaos Restraints back on. He isn't going anywhere." ordered the hedgehog. One of the sentinels walked over to a panel and flipped open a protected button, then pressed.

The bandages around Kenji's arms turned blue, and the Zero Sphere around Zang vanished, freeing the monster just in time. The crowd roared with frequent booing.

"Strange isn't it? It seems the prisoners have more sense in who should die and who should live." noted Yoko, sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"As ironic as it is, I truly agree with you." Dominic responded willingly.

Kenji clenched the metal gauntlets that wore over his arms.

"Damn that Orion. It appears I actually have to try, how troublesome." said Kenji, crouching down, then jumping back to avoid Zang from smashing him with spiked ball mace staff.

Kenji landed on the ground with complete safety, but was soon smacked by a flying metal platform that he released. Zang released a series of finely tipped blue darts of Chaos energy. Kenji was able to step off to the side, but some lucky shots streaked across his chest. On impact, the marks simmered off of Kenji's chest.

"Smoke? Why is there smoke coming off his body?" said a curious Mikuru.

"He's different. It's the energy inside him." Yuki answered quickly.

"She is right. Being the type of man he is, positive Chaos energy affects him the most." assorted Dominic.

Yoko's eyes widened a bit from this exchange of words. _"I'm a being of negativity. I can never exist with the positive side of the Chaos Force inside my body."_ said a reminiscent reminder that once came from Tojiro long ago.

"_Can…can it be? Is Kenji really…?_" thought the baffled sharpshooter.

Kenji angrily released a barrage of laser blasts from the two small turrets on top of his metal gauntlets. Zang snickered, swinging his spiked ball mace staff, which released a whole horde of dark purple Chaos Spears. Kenji gritted his teeth, quickly swooping himself into the air. He swiped his hands, knocking away the Chaos Spears. Zang once again snickered to himself. This time, he pounded the ground with the flat end of his staff, which several explosive fountains of red Chaos energy from under the metal arena. Kenji was able to land on top of one of the fountains of Chaos energy, and aimed his hands forward, releasing a spew of red Chaos energy from the ongoing stream of power he found himself standing on. The ground all around Zang was utterly demolished and beaten with the powerful impacts from the Chaos Spears Kenji had released. Remaining on the fountain of Chaos, Kenji peered his eyes through the black bandages around his head, and saw something erupt from the cloud of smoke.

Kenji swung his arms around which created a protective barrier of Chaos energy out of the fountain he was standing on. A huge cyclone blast of green Chaos energy shot out from the smoke, which was coming out of Zang's right hand. With enormous power, Zang's beam rammed directly into the protected masked warrior and launched him up at one of the stadium lights, completely shattering it, shooting sparks everywhere. The subtle rain of glass and small bits of debris were enough to tell the prisoners under the light to suddenly start running.

"That doesn't look too good!" exclaimed Joey.

The huge stadium light soon fell, crushing some of the prisoners that weren't so lucky to get out of the way in time. Zang rose into a straight posture, laughing to himself. Suddenly, the whole fallen down stadium light lifted up, under it was the still alive Kenji.

"WHAT!" exclaimed the angry Zang.

The crowd wildly cheered the masked warrior on. Kenji bent his knees down then leaped off his footing and back down to the arena. Kenji then tossed the gigantic wreckage of the stadium light down at Zang. Pointing the spiked ball mace staff up at it, Zang released an rupturing amount orange rings that were made up of Chaos energy. The rings immediately destroyed the stadium light, and through the chaos came Kenji, diving himself directly through the rings, which tore away at his body. Finally, Kenji was able to drive his right fist straight into Zang's snout, knocking him across the floor, and dropping his spiked ball mace staff. Using his foot, Kenji tossed the spiked ball mace staff off the ground and grabbed it with his right hand. Zang got back to his feet, looking up from the ground and at Kenji. He lowered his head, and chuckled.

"What kind of chaos can you cause with a weapon that doesn't answer to your power? Well, Kenji?" said Zang confidently.

Kenji huffed and tossed the weapon back over to Zang. The weapon landed right in front of his feet. "You're right. I'd rather soften up my knuckles by beating you to death." said Kenji, raising his fists up and clenching them horrendously tight.

Zang humored him and stepped over the spiked ball mace staff, ready to answer Kenji's challenge of a hand to hand face-off.

"So, who's more crazy right now? Kenji or Zang? My bet is definitely on Kenji." commentated Silver.

"I'm not sure Silver. Kenji doesn't seem to care what happens to him! As long as he sees his foe dead and gone, then he's happy!" said the over exaggerated Haruhi.

"Whatever you say Haruhi, but the real answer lies in these two competitors talent and awareness. Sure we can all agree on Kenji's talent, but it seems the natural instinct and awareness that Zang possesses may overshadow Kenji in this battle." explained Silver with deep interest.

"Whatever they're planning, I sure hope it happens before lunch break!" exclaimed Haruhi, with even more ridiculous exaggeration in her voice and body.

"And there she goes again." said the slumped Silver.

Zang shoved his clawed fingers into the metal floor and angrily tore out a large metal platform, immediately tossing it at Kenji. Kenji quickly charged forward and slid right under it, but took a painful blast of yellow Chaos energy head on. Zang reached into the open hole of the metal floor, looking down into the square shaped pit. He reached his right hand into it, and took out a large metal pipe which was as thick as his arms. As soon as Kenji sat up, his eyes grew wide. Kenji swiftly spun around on the ground to avoid Zang from squashing him. Kenji quickly did the same spin around on the floor to avoid three more attacks. Jumping to his feet, Kenji swiftly ducked down, then ducked his head down to avoid two more of Zang's attacks. Zang finally charged again, but Kenji stood still Zang then spun himself in circles like a wild tornado, with the thick metal pipe sticking out as he wildly spun around in circles. With only inches between Kenji's face and the pipe, the masked warrior quickly raised his right arm up to block the pipe, then used his left foot to strike Zang straight in the gut, throwing him back across the metal floor.

Kenji quickly charged after him. The masked man jumped into the air and dove down at Zang. The Werewolf quickly grabbed the metal pipe to his right and turned onto his back to painfully smack the pipe right against Kenji's waist, throwing him over to the far left of the arena. Kenji bumped and rolled across the metallic floor, that is until he was lodged into the metal wall that circulated around the arena floor. Hearing his distant war cry, Kenji awakened to see Zang charging straight at him with the pipe pointed directly for his chest. Kenji planted his hands back against the metal wall, and patiently awaited for the correct moment. Zang was just inches away, lunging the pipe straight for Kenji's ribs. Kenji finally pushed back, which caused his legs to dislodge from the metal wall, both kicking Zang right up the chin, and throwing the Werewolf onto his chest. Kenji dislodged his arms from the wall and grabbed Zang by his ears, angrily swinging him around and smashing him against the metal wall. With aggravation still clear and vibrant in his head, Kenji marched over to Zang's corpse, grabbing him by his ankles. Kenji tossed him towards the middle of the arena, then swiftly charged after his flailing corpse.

By skidding across the ground, Kenji was right under Zang. Kenji vigorously delivered a painful punch to Zang's chest which launched him further into the air, giving the crowd good reason to shout and roar with clear excitement. Kenji stomped both his feet on the ground, which launched himself into the air. Zang's eyes opened up with. With angry vigor in his soul, Zang unleashed a huge blast of dark purple Chaos energy from both his hands. Kenji quickly turned himself around, quickly diving back towards the metal floor of the arena. Kenji began waving his hands several directions, but he was actually using a type of bending.

"He's not gonna' make it!" exclaimed Yoko, sitting up in her chair.

With just seconds, Kenji landed on the ground, and two large purple surges of Chaos energy crashed down on top of the masker competitor. The light that exploded on impact let out a misty purple fog that filled the arena floor. Zang landed back on the ground, growling to himself, filled with thoughts that somewhere in this fog laid the cold dead corpse of Kenji Haruki. When it was finally cleared, the answer was clear to him, and everyone else. In the center of the arena lied; a dome of metal that curved upwards.

The walls of sheet metal and reinforced steel suddenly broke apart, and revealed Kenji, who rose up to his feet in a stoic pose. Yoko cheered happily, along the rest of the crowd. Orion, in the stand observed the wild and cheerful glees the people got from the apprehensiveness that was the masked warrior; Kenji Haruki. However, like many things that had always crossed his mind, there were _some_ slight doubts he withheld deep inside his mind.

"Something about that man still confuses me…and I'll never find the answer, won't I?" the bounty hunter questioned himself.

Kenji clapped his metal gauntlets together, which caused them to break off from his hands. The bandages that wore themselves around his arms were glowing blue, due to the earlier upset that shut off his Chaos powers.

"_Whether I get them back before the end of this dreaded match or whether I die…I'll defeat this fool with great ease, no matter what it takes. No one silences a killer like me_." thought Kenji to himself.

Zang stepped forth, snarling and bickering within himself on how to dispatch this foe of his.

"_So unorthodox, yet brilliant. This Kenji sure lives up to the rumors that were so easily stretched across this damned facility_." Zang thought alone.

"Could anyone mind telling me why Kenji is letting this fight drown out for so long? It's _actually_ getting boring." noted the tiresome Kyon.

"If you'd be patient, it wouldn't be as painful." replied Yuki.

"You have no idea how wrong you sounded just now." stated Kyon.

"Just relax Kyon, I'm sure Kenji is able enough to settle this dispute at some point. Have some faith." assured the always smiling Itsuki.

"Easy for you to say, you freaking Esper." Kyon mumbled tiresomely.

At another standoff, the two foes stared each other down, having nothing else better to do anyway, except kill one another of course.

"_No matter the reason, he will fall. No matter he tries, it will never end for this costumed freak_." Zang thought to himself, putting on a vicious grin which he believed would spell his victory.

"What gives you the power to continue, eh Kenji? After all, it's obvious that you have nothing else better in your life to do but rot in a four walled room until your day finally comes. Something hampers your true power Kenji, I can feel it. You're actually holding back against me, are you not?" questioned Zang with great carelessness.

However, Kenji obviously saw through Zang's words, and refused to let his ears hear it for one more second. Kenji quickly swung his arms up. From the left and right, two of the metal platforms out of the ground, attempting to crush Zang's body. The Werewolf reluctantly held his hands out to stop the two walls of steel to crush him.

"I knew you were holding back! CHAOS CONTROL!" yelled Zang.

The two platforms vanished, and appeared on Kenji's right and left. This time, the two platforms were studded with metal spikes and both charged at Kenji. The masked warrior persistently grew the backbone to stay still.

"I'm definitely going to regret this tonight." noted the absent minded Kenji.

He pointed his hands out to the left and right. One of the spikes pierced through his right hand, his waist and into his right leg. From the left wall, one spike pierced through his hand, another delved into the hip, and another drove itself into his ankle. Bleeding continuously from all sides, Kenji summoned two words from this abominable agony: "CHAOS BLAST!" he thundered with intense hate.

The two spiked walls were blown apart. Instead of a dome, there was a red sphere that surrounded Kenji and randomly released intensive painful blasts of Chaos energy all over the stadium. Several prisoners were blown right out of their seats or simply blown to pieces by the furious blasts. As one blast came towards the individuals we know, Dominic immediately rose up, pointing his right hand forward, creating a vast barrier wall of golden Chaos energy, which curved upwards, protecting about all the other individuals sitting behind them.

Within the blistering fury of the red sphere that the Chaos Blasts erected themselves from, Kenji revealed himself. Zang quickly used Chaos Control to have his spiked ball mace staff appear back in his hands. Kenji angrily released all the power from his momentous Chaos Blast; into one huge centralized beam headed toward Zang. Out of luck and out of chance, Zang turned his thoughts to belief. Creating a wild storm of blue and silver Chaos energy around the spiked ball on his staff, Zang lowered it and immediately fired a furious beam of cyclonic power, that which matched against the blast Kenji released.

"You may wish to hold onto something everyone!" exclaimed Dominic, keeping the barrier of impenetrable Chaos energy up and running.

The two furious beams ultimately collided in a thunderous clash of flames and hellish chaos, blowing an intense beam of yellow, red, and orange Chaos energy through the cavern ceiling above the stadium. Everyone in the stadium was knocked to the ground by the ravaging blast radius, dust surrounding them all. Dominic, too old to keep the barrier running any further, fell back in his seat.

"You did good, Dominic. Thank you." said Yoko, hugging the high priest. Dominic shook his head, and then his eyes appeared surprised. "Oh dear, my tea!" he exclaimed once Yoko broke from the embrace.

"You guys alright up there?" Yoko asked.

"Sure, sure! I may have more dust in my veins than blood, but I'm okay!" said the dizzying Kyon, his legs stretched up while he fell back in his seat.

"Same here, Yoko! Joey, get up! Wake up!" said Lina, shaking him.

"Wha? I'm here! W-what happened?" he replied with a dizzy response.

Mikuru was coughing and wheezing from the lingering cloud, while Yuki remained still as ever. Yuki turned her head to Mikuru, "Will you be all right?" she asked in her usual quiet voice.

"I should be asking that. But…but yeah! I'm fine." she said, looking over to the others.

Yoko went to the railing that was in front of her, staring into the abyss of chaos that surrounded the battle arena floor. The entire metal floor was ravaged and utterly devastated with extreme means. Yoko could see that the ominous cloud of smoke that obscured the arena floor had finally began to dissipate. In the middle of the chaotic landscape, there stood the warriors, down and out. Zang's arms were bloodied and some of the flesh had been burned off. With Kenji, he was still nowhere to be seen.

"Well? Is Kenji alive?" asked Dominic tiredly.

Yoko desperately looked around in the arena floor, seeing no one else but Zang. The confident Werewolf looked around with pride and joy, yet it wouldn't last long of course. Zang's gaze quickly changed towards the ground in front of him. It busted open and out came Kenji, delivering a Chaos Punch straight to Zang's stomach, launching him back across the ruined metal arena floor. The crowd immediately cheered and roared with excitement. Once Kenji rose to a straight posture, his back was torn and shredded; right to the bone: Silence and disgust filled the air at such horror.

"I've never seen Kenji wounded so much. This Zang fellow is quite different than any other foe Kenji has faced before!" said Mikuru.

"As long as he uses his power to regenerate himself, he should be fine." Yuki implied quietly.

"I'm not sure I can be watching. If Kenji's the strongest one here, then how come that oversized hairball is still standing?" exclaimed Yoko impatiently.

"You certainly have enough trust and belief in Kenji having this victory. It makes me wonder." dwelled Dominic.

"What are you saying?" Yoko barked, turning to him.

"It's nothing, honestly. I just can't help but recognize the similarity of trust and belief you had with Tojiro. Is that the reason you kissed him that day, my dear?" asked Dominic, smiling.

Yoko blushed deeply, turning her head away, "You don't know what you're saying! It's not even like that." she said, turning back to the railing and putting her hands on it.

Dominic watched her hands tightly gripped the metal bars. "Tojiro…you idiot." Yoko muttered to herself.

Zang released an unwavering surge of black and purple beams of Chaos energy out of his hands. Kenji was quick enough to leap into the air, then raise a pillar of metal out of the floor along with him. Kenji kicked the large metal column directly down at his foe, Zang. The Werewolf easily launched a flurry of blue green Chaos Spears which speared through the metal column and deliberately pelted into Kenji's flesh numerous times. Zang then released a sparkling ball of sporadic yellow Chaos energy up at Kenji. The blast hit the masked warrior, throwing him back down to the ground, smashing through the metal sheet he landed on. Zang waved his arms, causing an eruption of red Chaos energy to shoot up out of the ground under Kenji. The burning of the Chaos energy peered into the long open gashes in Kenji's back, giving him even more agony and grief to the experience. Zang used Chaos Control to appear in the air right in front of Kenji. The evil Werewolf delivered a fearsome punch, shooting Kenji back to the ground. Zang once again used Chaos Control, reappearing on the ground, standing still on the ground, and waiting to deliver more hurt to his foe, Kenji. Zang's right fist was slathered in a red misty aura of Chaos energy, which was a potential one hitter quitter if struck to anyone. It was a high limit to exceed for the negative side of the Chaos Force, but Zang wanted to ensure this risk would forever silence Kenji's persistence.

"This is your end! PREPARE TO DIE!" roared Zang, reeling his fist back.

Yoko lifted her head, wearing a strained and determined gaze.

"DO SOMETHING ALREADY KENJI! FIGHT BACK!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Kenji's eyes opened up underneath the black bandages. His entire body exploded with a whirling aura of black and crimson red. Kenji was upside down in his fall, so in just seconds from approaching Zang and his deadly attack, Kenji focused a quick surge of green Chaos energy to his right. Kenji then swung himself into a front flip, delivering the heel of his right foot directly into Zang's skull, causing a massive boom of white smoke to shoot up from the metal floor below the two warriors.

Kenji back flipped out of the smoke, landing on his feet, appearing to be surprised.

"Who in the hell shouted? Who was it that…gave me power?" he said, staring at his hands.

With much relief, Yoko sat back down in her chair. "It seems you're one of a kind Miss Yoko." adhered Dominic's kindness.

"Yeah, you could say that." she shyly noted, wearing a smile.

Kenji lowered his hands once Zang's roared erupted from the smoke, and he angrily came charging out of the smoke cloud, releasing a blast of black fire from his mouth, which he amplified with negative Chaos energy. With much haste, Kenji grabbed the floor, creating a metal wall to rise out of the ground in front of him, blocking the intense heat from scorching straight through him. Kenji delved both his fists into the metal column which launched it out of the ground and towards the Werewolf. Zang once again released another burst of black fire from his mouth, burning a large hole in the middle of the column. Zang ran towards it, then jumped through the hole, but was viciously kicked in the face by Kenji. The metal column slammed across the ground and Zang landed back on the ground, with Kenji landing in front of him. Zang swiftly jumped to his feet, immediately taking two punches to the face. Kenji ducked from a swiped of Zang's claws, then in his crouched position, the masked fighter delivered a quick and deadly punch straight to Zang's chin. Zang was knocked back to the ground once Kenji leaped up after him and grabbed him by his snout. Plummeting to inevitable pain, Zang smashed into the metal floor.

Kenji landed on his feet, but was immediately dealt a deadly hand once Zang sat up and released a shocking blast of green Chaos energy from his hands. Kenji slid across the floor, while Zang rose back to his feet. Kenji came up against the wall that circled the arena floor, laying against it. Zang used Chaos Control. With that, Zang's spiked ball mace staff appeared in his right hand.

"Get up! Move!" exclaimed Yoko, looking over the edge of the railing, and down at Kenji.

His eyes tiredly peeled open, and saw Zang gathering all his Chaos energy, and purposely putting it into his spiked ball mace staff.

"This! THIS WILL BE YOUR END!" thundered the devious Zang, charging across the ground in a single air dash, his feet inches above the floor.

Yoko suddenly took action, jumping over the railing and landing in front of Kenji. "Yoko! What in the devil is wrong with you!" exclaimed the priest, looking over the edge.

Zang still charged, uncaring of Yoko. Kenji saw the red haired sharpshooter standing defensively in front of him.

"No one…no one should…protect me." he mumbled to himself, a sudden aura of blue beginning to surround him.

"SO BE IT! I'll kill YOU and the trash which you protect!" laughed Zang maniacally, thrusting his weapon forward.

Yoko shut her eyes carelessly. A sudden flash shined, and so; this match was decided.

Orion, from the podium box which he observed, appeared surprised. He felt a sort of surprise that he's never felt for years; and Yoko's swift act reminded him completely of that feeling. Yoko's eyes were forcibly shut, but she felt nothing was done. She opened her eyes, finding herself laying back in Kenji's left arm, while with his right he held the spiked ball mace staff back.

"NO ONE PROTECTS ME!" roared the angry Kenji.

A sudden blast shot Zang back across the arena floor. Kenji carelessly let Yoko go, bending down to grab Zang's spiked ball mace staff, then charging straight after his foe. Zang came to a stop, but the moment he stepped to his feet, he took a brutal smack by Kenji with the spiked ball mace staff.

"It just has to be…" Yoko silently said to herself.

Kenji slid to a sudden halt, turning himself around in the process, then charging back towards the fatally wounded Zang.

"…Can it? Can it be?" solemnly graced Yoko.

Kenji fiercely delivered an angry jab forward to Zang's back, the spikes that riddled the mace digging into his flesh, causing him to drop to his knees. Kenji jumped back a foot or so, then swung the weapon into Zang's back, causing the spikes to literally stick into his back. With Zang attached to the spiked ball, Kenji then leaped high into the air. From all around the crowd, pictures were vigorously being taken. Kenji spun in several forward rolls, with the spiked ball mace staff spinning forward as well.

"Is it possible? Is he…is he…" she continued.

Kenji then dove towards the ground, holding the spiked ball mace staff over his head, and with Zang still attached to it. With all the force in his body, with all the anger and frustration he could muster, Kenji Haruki swung the weapon down, and smashed Zang into the metal floor, turning him into a bloody mush, creating a vast mist of blood and body parts. The crowd went mad with excitement. Roaring and screaming filled the stadium walls, there's no way it could have been stopped, especially now. Kenji remained in his stance, then rose into a stoic pose.

"…is he…To-**Tojiro**?…" Yoko mumbled in shock and awe. Kenji turned the spiked ball mace staff over and drove it into the ground.

"**And that's all I wrote**." he claimed with victory.

* * *

><p>The first round was done away with, yet there were still two more to come. However, those battles would arrive on other days. For now, everyone in the stadium had the leisure time to walk around the cell blocks before their <em>curfew<em> was up, and they would have to return to their cells. It was about an hour after the stadium match, and Yoko was on her way back to her cell, but that wasn't the truth of it. Knowing that Kenji's cell is next to hers, Yoko wanted to have a word with the masked warrior of chaos. Approaching the front of his cell, she grabbed onto the cell bars, finding it to be completely empty.

"He's not here? Then where is he?" she asked herself.

"May I have the honor of asking why you're standing there?" asked the voice of Kenji.

Yoko jumped to see the masked warrior standing right next to her.

"Evening." he greeted calmly.

"Hi, Kenji…ummm…listen, I wanted to talk to you." she began nervously.

Kenji remained still, "Sorry, I need to rest." he replied, opening his cell door, then shutting it from behind.

"I think I know who you are! And you should know me!" Yoko said, grabbing the bars of Kenji's cell.

"That so, huh? I wouldn't mind dying to hear it." he replied in a aggravated voice.

Yoko sighed a bit, knowing this would be difficult, but it was _her_ situation _she _was getting _herself_ into, so she had no room to complain at all.

"I'm sure out of all the people in this prison that you know of Tojiro, right?" Yoko questioned.

Kenji stopped what he was doing, his head peered over his shoulder, looking at Yoko.

"The Man with the Five Faces of Evil. That's one of the many nicknames that poor sucker got in the time that he lived." Kenji replied, sitting down on his bed.

A sudden shock hit Yoko, taking her by surprise. "That can't be! I'm sure that it's you under that mask! I know it's you, Tojiro!" she exclaimed.

"Listen you absent minded girl, just because I use my Chaos powers in a way that reminds of you of that idiotic demon, doesn't mean I'm him. The Cloakmaster of Darkness is long gone because he decided he had business in Hell. Business to settle, to be more specific." said Kenji, sitting down on his bed, and rummaging through a duffle bag that was sitting on his bed with him.

"_It can't be. It can't_!" Yoko exclaimed in hopeless thought.

Kenji took a quick glance at Yoko, taking a newspaper out of his duffle bag at the same time.

"Tell me, what does a girl such as yourself have _any_ business with that unholy creature? You sure don't look like the type who would take a liking to him." said Kenji abruptly, sitting back against the wall, and opening the newspaper.

Yoko raised her head back up, blushing from Kenji's comment, and at the same time imagining a quick image of the time she kissed Tojiro.

"Trust me, it's not like that anymore." she said, turning her head away from the cell.

"Anymore? That sounds intimate." replied Kenji, turning the page of the newspaper.

"You have no right to say anything like that!" yelled the sharpshooter, turning to grab hold of the cell bars.

"You're even protecting his _and_ your name, sounds intimate to me." answered Kenji.

Yoko tiredly removed her hands from the bars of the cell door, then turned her back to the cell, sliding down it to sit down on the cold ground.

"What do you even know about him? What makes you so sure that Tojiro was a bad person?" Yoko questioned.

"You didn't really just ask that right? It's Tojiro, what's not horrible about him? That unforgiving soul has countlessly made a helluva body count, even his family are part of it. And if I'm sure, he has affected your life as well." said Kenji, lowering the newspaper.

Yoko's eyes appeared strained from his comment, a sign that he was indeed correct. Kenji held his newspaper back up, and turned the page, sighing tiredly afterwards.

"Whatever reason you may have to believe, I'm sure it's a noble one. However, you should trust me on _this_. These days, the word _Cloakmaster_ means a lot more than it defines. Every single time someone utters it or believes he's alive, they're thrown in here: Mostly on Orion's behalf because he's a sniveling coward. In this prison, a lot of people believe in the last Nightshade coming back to help them. Some know that he went through Hell to kill the one responsible for his anger and pain." Kenji began explaining.

Yoko turned around, sitting on her knees, wearing a concerned look on her face, appearing interested in Kenji's story.

"Tojiro believed that he could solve a lot if he had upheld his one and only promise. I'm sure he's told you at least once that he doesn't keep promises, eh?" said Kenji, sounding amused.

"His one and only promise? What is it?" Yoko quickly asked.

"The hell if I know. Some say it's this, others say it's this and that. Very few, however, believe that the Cloakmaster went through the Nine Circles to kill his brother because he was a Nightshade like him. They say something hit Tojiro like a ton of bricks, giving him this motive that only he could deliver. A message to the world and it's people. **Tojiro wanted to prove that the word **_**Nightshade**_** meant nothing to this world, and he would be willing to rid the world of such a name, no matter what it costed.**" Kenji explained deeply.

"He believed he had no chance…to live?" said a surprised Yoko.

"That'd be the best way to sum it up, I suppose. Because of that, it is why the opposite of people that do believe in his return shall always believe in his non-existence. To me, it sounds like a pretty cheap way to go, don't you think?" he said, yawning, then scratching the back of his head.

"Why would he believe of ridding the world of his name if it costed him something so dearly?" questioned the red head.

"Beats me. Tojiro wasn't much of motivational person once he descended through the Circles. All he thought was kill, kill, kill, obviously." noted the masked man.

"Just wait a minute, if Tojiro believed ridding the world of his name, and if he would do anything to accomplish that…then he…" grasped Yoko, her eyes becoming wide.

"Hey Yoko!" called Silver's voice. Yoko was knocked out of her short trance, standing up to see Silver, Dominic, and Lina coming her way.

"What's the matter? Something wrong, again?" questioned Silver.

"Don't be so derogatory!" snapped Lina, elbowing Silver.

"How am I being _derogatory_ to begin with?" questioned the confused hedgehog.

"You saw her out there! She could have died! Behave yourself, Silver." ordered the high priest.

"Sure, sure. Just as long as we get to the lunchroom on time. That's all I need to worry about right now." replied Silver, turning back around, with Lina following by his side.

Dominic was looking over his shoulder, watching the two disappear out of sight. Once he turned his head forward, he looked questionably at Yoko, who appeared drained of energy, or even life.

"Well, Miss Littner? Shall we go get our bellies filled or not?" requested Dominic in a kind manner, and smile on his face.

Yoko looked at him as if she just got knocked out of her so-called trance. Yoko looked back into Kenji's cell, seeing that he had disappeared from sight. All that was left was the newspaper he was reading, neatly folded and resting on his bed.

"Yoko? Is there truly something wrong? Hmm?" asked the old priest.

Yoko stood up, appearing worried, wiping her eyes.

"Something has wrongly riled your spirits, Miss Littner. What exactly is it?" replied the old priest.

"Could you confirm something for me?" she suddenly asked, without looking at him. Dominic blinked a few times from her response, his eyebrows cocked.

"And what would that be?" he asked, crossing his sleeves into one another.

"Tojiro…what is it that makes him…so different _here_? What makes him such a threat?" Yoko said, looking at Dominic with a look of anger printed on her face, and fiercely growing in her eyes.

Dominic was severely taken back by such context of words. Yet after all, Dominic knows from the time line that she came from, Yoko had a rather interesting past with the Cloakmaster.

"For many things, do people here question his existence. I can't speak for all of them, because we're all prisoners. Prisoners for many reasons. If I were to vouch for Tojiro, which I can hardly believe myself ever doing again…**I would say it's his spirit**." said Dominic, nodding his head slowly at the end of his words.

"His spirit?" she replied, turning her head forward, and looking down.

"If you're really interested in an old man's opinion my dear, it is his spirit that gave him his strength. It was his spirit that made people question and deny him the title as an addition to humanity. For what the Cloakmaster of Darkness has done to humanity, it is something that can **never** be taken back. Tojiro has permanently scarred it. Yet for some obscene reason, there are people here, who actually believe in that demon, pardon my French." he continued.

"It's his spirit. His spirit!" she repeated, holding her head up. Dominic was confused even more.

"What about his spirit?" replied the confused priest.

"His spirit…is what gave him the reason to go through the Nine Circles, right? And behind that spirit was his reason! That reason was him wanting to rid the world of his name! And with that…he…he…" Yoko said solemnly, tears slowly coming from her eyes.

"Yoko…I'm sure whatever fate he was handed, I'm sure he's better off gone. In a way, **out of all the people in this world…Tojiro deserves to finally rest in peace**." Dominic said in a comforting tone, resting his hand on her shoulder.

Yoko stopped her tears, having some sort of feeling that told her if Tojiro was here…he would simply walk away until she decided to stop. Yoko wiped her eyes dry, and Dominic retracted his hand from her shoulder, then began walking his way down catwalk.

"Dominic…wait." she said. Dominic turned around. Yoko remained all so still, her fists clenched by her side. The old high priest patiently awaited her question.

"Tell me everything about it." she said. Dominic tilted his head an inch or so by surprise.

"Tell you of what, Miss Littner?" he responded confusedly.

"Tell me everything about Chaos energy!" she answered with raw determination in her mind and heart.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Jotoku: And you are certain of these feelings? All that you believe in cannot be dismissed?

Sakura: I'm sure Lady Jotoku! Is that Tojiro really willing to keep staying on our sides?

Chitose: Sakura has to end this sometime, doesn't she?

Sumi: I don't want to blame her. Hinata was almost hurt after he came! But in the end he saved her!

Jotoku: Ohhh? And why do you think that is?

Haruka: He's a complete gentleman. Not someone I could adore everyday, but still: He's nice!

Sakura: You can't be this mundane!

Ikko: You guys are still arguing about this?

Sakura: YOU SHUT UP!

Ikko: AHHHH! Not the face! No, no, no, no. Not there either! Stop! AHHH!

Jotoku: Halt your pummeling, Sakura. Where is Tojiro as of now?

Sumi: Probably on the roof, I think.

Chitose: Staring at the sky probably. He does enjoy the sunset I heard.

Jotoku: Then perhaps you can all enjoy a walk on the town with him. Confirm your doubts...and his powers.

NEXT TIME!

_**CHAPTER XXI: THE WILL OF DOUBTS, THE POWER TO PROTECT!**_


	21. Chapter XXI

_**CHAPTER XXI: THE WILL OF DOUBTS, THE POWER TO PROTECT**_

__**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Kuro Senso (real name revealed next chapter). They are my original characters and thus belong to me, their creator. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

_**Present Timeline, Saienji Temple, 8:15 am**_

In one of the spare rooms at Saienji Temple, inside lie the slowly awakening Tojiro. He slowly reached his right hand up, moving around his metal fingers, where at the tips of each five, they were claw like. He sat up, finding a set of white bandages wrapped down from his right shoulder, and around his chest and back.

"God, how am I alive?" he grumbled, rubbing his head achingly.

He checked his right arm, seeing that the deep hole in his arm was patched up with a bunch of bandage.

"Isn't that creative?" he said with a dull look, yanking the bandage out, noticing the metal parts had rebuilt itself, due to his partake of Chaos energy that went to the spot and repaired it while he was unconscious. Tojiro then removed the bandages that around his previous wounds, noticing they hadn't completely done healing. He tilted his head at the sight of them, "They could use some air anyway." he mumbled.

He closed his eyes, reverting to his hedgehog form. His eyes were blank white, as they traced themselves across the room, noticing his black t-shirt and cloak. He removed the bed sheets from his body and marched to the door, rubbing the still present ache in the back of his head. The second he grabbed the sliding door to open it, he heard voices.

"Hinata! I told you there's no need to help him! He can rest on his own." said Sakura's voice.

"He would like breakfast." replied her quiet sister.

Tojiro opened the door, revealing the two purple haired girls standing in front of his door. Both Hinata and Sakura Sugai looked at him, but Sakura shared more of the contempt in her eyes.

"Breakfast." Hinata presented, holding a tray of some delicious morning grub.

Tojiro's curious blank eyes looked at the tray, and he took it from her. Sakura's eyes widened a bit once she caught a glimpse of Tojiro's right arm, completely made out of metal, as well as his hand.

"I am humble." he spoke, nodding his head to Hinata, before turning away and to sit down in the center of the room, setting the tray down. Hinata was now looking up at her big sister, Sakura, who kept a keen eye on the Cloakmaster.

"Sakura? Are you there?" asked Hinata, waving her hand in front of Sakura's eyes.

Sakura shook her head, then looked down at Hinata, "Go on, Hinata. Wake the others up." she said, putting on a smile.

"You mean Ikko? I will go." she replied, walking down the hall.

Sakura walked into the room, and closed the door behind her. Tojiro wasn't paying attention, mostly due to that his attention was attracted by the food laid out in front of him. Sakura kneeled down in front of him, her face full of question, and even more contempt.

"May I help you in any way? Or do you normally stare at other people while they gorge themselves?" asked Tojiro, taking a drink of the tea on his tray.

Nothing changed on Sakura's face, except a bit of frustration may have been added to her expression.

Tojiro looked at his body, "Oh, right. You've never seen a hedgehog stand upright before, haven't you?" he said.

"I want to know why you're back." she questioned.

"If you think I'll threaten you and your friends' safety, than you're wrong. Well, in actuality, it may be those who want me dead that may threaten you and your friends." he said, setting his cup of tea down on the tray.

"That doesn't help!" she exclaimed, getting in his face, which he backed his head away from.

"It's not like there's a difference. I highly doubt any of you will be harmed, that is if I can get some peace." he said, wiping his hands together.

Sakura backed her head away, sitting back in her kneeled position.

"You changed from a human into this, right? How?" she asked.

"It's complicated would be my best response. I don't like telling stories that have no _good_ ending." he answered.

"_Is that so_?" Sakura said in thought.

"Orange?" he said, holding one splendid looking orange in his left hand.

"Where'd you just get that?" she said with surprise.

"I made it appear. See?" he said, making another orange appear on Sakura's lap, surprising her again.

He took a bite from the one held in his left hand, then after a few moments of chomping it down, he swallowed it.

"So tell me, from what I've scanned through that head of yours, you and these other nuns are very…_unfortunate_." he explained.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" she responded dully.

"That boy seems to get the best of _all_ of you when the time is crucial." he said, rubbing his mouth.

"What are you trying to say!" she exclaimed at the Cloakmaster.

"I'm simply stating that, when you all seem to face a spirit of unquestionable force or power, using that boy's true power seems to leave you all in…how do I say? An unfortunate position of embarrassment?" he explained.

Sakura knew he was speaking of Ikko's awakened form, and that lust would easily call it out.

"Yeah, yeah, what about it?" she said, her head turned away by embarrassment.

"Really? I just guessed." he said, making the tray of cleared food vanish with a snap of his fingers.

Sakura cringed her eyebrows, yet she was able to hold back her anger, and ensure herself from yelling another word at the Cloakmaster.

"You seemed obviously upset once we first met, why's that? Or do I already know the answer?" he questioned, standing up and walking over to his cloak.

"You _should_ know the answer. Your business is yours, not mine." she said with aggravation.

"Now that's a story for the year. No matter what I said, I apologize if you took it wrongly." he said, observing his cloak closely.

Sakura turned her head to him, surprised to hear his voice sound calm.

"But truly, you should really learn to take things less seriously." he quickly added.

Sakura's anger boosted ten fold by his 'simple' response. She immediately stood up, attempting to ram her fist into the back of his head, but the door opened. It was the head nun of Saienji Temple, Jotoku.

"M-Morning ma'am!" said an anxious Sakura, hiding her clenched fist behind her back.

"I don't remember you having to be in here, Sakura. Would you mind leaving for a moment?" asked the old nun.

"Yes. I shall." Sakura replied strangely, walking past Jotoku and out of the room.

Tojiro quickly reverted to his human form and put his black t-shirt on, then grabbed hold of his cloak, putting it on, letting it drape down in front of his body and the back as well.

"_A very dark aura surrounds this man, but…but yet he doesn't even look like one_." Jotoku thought decisively to herself.

Tojiro turned his head to Jotoku, keeping a distinct glare locked on her.

"So which one of you fools are going to _try_ and get rid of me? Last time someone tried to exorcise me, it backfired and instead of Heaven, they went straight to Hell." he announced in a hateful voice.

"When you first arrived here we had no idea what to believe. You seemed drastically adamant on bringing down that beast, however." she implied calmly.

"It deserved the fate I dealt it with. You were all in danger, and I refuse to let people who deserve to live be disrespected by someone else." he explained honestly with vice.

"That's interesting. What kind of demon protects humans?" she questioned with curiousness in her voice.

"The type that actually thinks before going off to kill someone. Unsteady decisions create weak people, I make decisions every step of the way." he stated emotionlessly.

"Yet you show some kind of significance that we cannot trust you. That is what I fear." said Jotoku cautiously.

"Trust me, there are much more terrible things in this world than me. I just happen to the worst example, and I didn't even ask for it. It doesn't matter, though." he said, flipping his hood over his head.

"Are you planning to stay?" she asked inquisitively.

"I don't know. Am I planning to become a good person at heart? That'd be rather difficult for a being such as myself." Jotoku remained silent by his words, not surprised by them.

"I plan on assuring the safety of this temple and the others. If you upset our daily balance, you must leave." she said.

"I never liked indecency, so you have no reason to worry about _me_. I only threaten others when they deserve it, or if they're asking for a death wish. My business is mine isn't it? I'll personally make sure I myself won't upset this place." Tojiro answered clearly.

"I am finding it difficult to believe you." she said, tightening her eyebrows.

"Then you can count on it. I wouldn't trust myself either." he said, walking to the door, but Jotoku took a step in his path to stop him.

"You still expect an answer, huh? Then let me tell you this; I'm a demon demigod, and all of you are able to exorcise unholy beings or whatnot. Seeing you as the head of this temple, you could have already made an attempt at doing so, but I'm aware that the others wouldn't want to see what I could do to you." he said in a harsh tone, looking down at her.

"Is that suppose to be a threat?" she said.

"No. It's actually a promise." he said, bending down to meet her face to face.

"It's no surprise I had my doubts." she said with a glare.

"Same here, but all my doubts are simply a waste of time." he said, standing back up in a straight pose. By using a small amount of Chaos energy he caused Chaos Control. By the time Jotoku had time to react and open the door, Tojiro had already began walking down the hallway. Jotoku remained where she stood, questionable of Tojiro's words and his unsightly presence of evil.

Tojiro made his way down the hall, seeing a right turn up ahead. Before he managed to turn down it, however, Ikko Satonaka was thrown out of the right hall and into the wall to Tojiro's left, causing the Cloakmaster to wore a subtle yet confused expression. He poked his head around the corner. Chitose Nanbu poked her head out of her room and screamed, "It's called knocking! Next time you better try doing it or else!" and with that she went back inside her room. Tojiro looked down at Ikko, who was still squirming on the ground.

"She wasn't dressed, wasn't she?" he suggested with a dull look.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." he replied.

Tojiro grabbed Ikko by the back collar of his robe and put him on his feet.

"Hey, hold on! You're…you're that one crazy entity!" Ikko exclaimed surprisingly.

"Crazy, huh?" Tojiro replied, interlocking his sleeves together.

"No, no, no, no! I didn't mean that! I'm sorry!" Ikko replied in terrible grief, feeling that Tojiro would also deliver him a few painful strikes.

"I don't take half of the things humans say about me serious anyway. Calm yourself." replied the Demigod of Death.

Ikko's eyes opened back up, then he took a sigh of relief.

"So what were you doing before you were knocked out by the door?" asked Tojiro.

"I was telling everyone that breakfast was ready. Uhhh…do you want any?" he asked.

"I've already had some, thank you." said Tojiro, walking down the hall.

"Hold on for a moment!" called the monk in training, following after the Cloakmaster.

"Your name's Tojiro, huh? Sounds like an old name." said Ikko, as the two were walking throughout the temple.

"You could say that again." replied Tojiro half-heartedly, knowing he has been alive since Greek times.

"So what was it that you fought off once you first arrived here? It didn't look like no spiritual I've ever seen before." said the monk.

"It was a demon like me, except from Hell. That, for some reason, really didn't like this temple." Tojiro replied in counts.

"I see. Are there going to be more?" Ikko responded curiously.

"Maybe…maybe not. I don't know how creatures from Hell act." said Tojiro, as the two walked into the room with the large Buddha statue in it.

"Well, that's monumental I suppose." said Tojiro, bringing his left hand to his chin.

"This is the place where we mostly practice our sutras, or whenever we have meetings on events around town." explained Ikko, walking ahead of Tojiro, kneeling before the golden statue.

"You all must engage in frequent exorcisms of spirit like beings then, correct?" he said, observing the room.

"That's right. It does get annoying a lot, and I'm always stuck doing all the work." he suddenly complained.

"You're surrounded by women, and you're the only man here. All the manual labor goes all on you, kid." hinted the Cloakmaster.

"Wait a minute, maybe you can hel-" said an excited Ikko, but instead met Tojiro's right hand as it gripped around his whole face.

"Hold it there. I'm hearing something." said Tojiro, turning his head to the left and right.

Ikko freed himself from Tojiro's grip. "What? What do you hear?"

"Something ominous. And I really don't like the smell of it." he said, reverting into his Darkrai form, then lowering the hood.

"Wha, wha, wha-what in the world did you just do?" exclaimed Ikko with shock.

"Shut it or I'll be the one to permanently smash your head off of your shoulders! Now, whoever's coming, stay right here. I'll be watching from the shadows." Tojiro said face to face with Ikko, before becoming a shadow and going into the floor. His shadow quickly scurried off and went up the left wall, hiding in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Ikko's awareness quickly turned to the door, and as it opened, his face went to shock and hopelessness. Walking into the room was the fifteen year old Kazuki Kazusano. In her school uniform, she approached Ikko with a devilish look.<p>

"Ikko-kun. Once again…at long last…_we're alone_." she said in a sweet and harmonized tone.

Tojiro's turquoise glowing eye appeared on the wall, looking between the two in the middle of the room. "I knew I felt an uneasy presence." mumbled Tojiro.

"N-n-now listen Kazuki, just stop for a moment, and we could maybe talk for a bit." he said, his eyes falling down, and staring at her legs.

Kazuki giggled, lifting her skirt up a bit. "Is this what you wanna' see?" she said, pulling it up more.

On the wall, Tojiro's one eye appeared disappointed and dull.

"You can't be serious! Not here, Kazuki!" Ikko exclaimed, backing up against the golden Buddha statue.

Kazuki pressed herself against Ikko, her breasts warmly rubbing against Ikko's chest. His eyes were glazed, and he was wearing an absolute shocked smile on his face.

"Now please, stay still for me." Kazuki said in a seductive manner.

She lifted her right leg and began rubbing it against Ikko's hip. His eyes became blank white, he was completely drunk off this lust.

"This poor boy has so much to learn." said Tojiro, removing himself from the wall. Kazuki grabbed Ikko's chin softly with her right hand. Ikko looked down at her, blushing with high embarrassment. "Kiss me now, do whatever you want. Just…_do it_." she said.

Ikko slowly approached Kazuki's lips, and as did she. Slowly from behind Kazuki, Tojiro's ominous black body rose. His cloak grew tendrils which made his appearance more frightening. Ikko stopped, noticing the horrific thing behind her.

"Ikko? What is it?" she said confusedly. Ikko's mouth was wide open, raising his right hand to point at the being behind her.

The second Kazuki turned around, the heightened Darkrai that was Tojiro bent his head down towards her face.

"Do you mind controlling yourself? Or am I going to have cut your legs off?" he said in a fiendish tone, his turquoise eye glowing intensively. Kazuki quickly shoved Ikko off to the side and stepped away from Tojiro, preparing to strike at him.

"I can tell you are very skilled in exorcising. And by selling your body to Ikko, what makes you so determined in seducing him every time you can?" questioned Tojiro, reverting the black tendrils back into his cloak.

"He's mine. No supernatural being understands emotion. So be gone!" Kazuki exclaimed, creating a vortex of whirling blue and white energy which surrounded Tojiro in an instant.

All the other nuns arrived in the room, surprised and shocked by the vortex of pure energy.

"Is that Kazuki? Again?" exclaimed Sakura.

"How did she even get in here?" spat the angry Yuko.

"Probably trying to awaken Ikko again, and it looks like she achieved it." said Chitose, staring at the spinning vortex.

Suddenly, it began to turn deep red. "_What is he doing_?" thought Ikko. Kazuki's eyes widened, seeing Tojiro's silhouette inside the vortex. All the positive energy suddenly exploded into nothing but sparkles of red light that fluttered throughout the room. Hovering in mid-air was the still alive Cloakmaster. His aura of negative red Chaos energy began to vanish from around his body.

"_Him_? Since when was he here?" said the confused Chitose.

Tojiro turned his gaze to Kazuki as he slowly hovered to the ground, reverting to his Werehog form. Surrounded by his clock, the ten foot tall monster approached Kazuki, while she helplessly looked up at him. His eyes were literally full of glowing red as he peered down at her.

"I'll say it again…leave now…or I'll decorate this room with whatever remains of your corpse." he threatened with evil.

Kazuki grew a face of anger by Tojiro's interruption between her and Ikko. She quickly clapped her hands together, creating a flash of smoke, which she used to make her escape. Tojiro hastily looked around, smelling for her scent, but gave up once he knew she was gone. Ikko rose to his feet, looking at the large creature that stood before them. With his knuckles on the ground, Tojiro looked from between Ikko and the other nuns, both slightly causing them to flinch by his malevolent gaze. He removed his knuckles from the floor, then reverted to his human form. Walking past the nuns, in walked Jotoku, holding her pipe.

"Lady Jotoku? When did he arrive here?" asked the curious Chitose.

"There is no reason to be doubtful everyone. Tojiro here stopped a most unneeded awakening that Kazuki could have easily succeeded in." she said, lowering the pipe from her mouth.

"Are you saying? That…we can actually trust him?" said a slightly infuriated Sakura.

"If he helped this lazy young fool from awakening, then I believe he deserves it." she said, a smile forming on her face.

Tojiro was even more surprised by her answer.

"How wonderful! Now let's all have some breakfast, shall we?" said Haruka joyfully.

Ikko was nervously scratching the back of his head, remaining where he stood. Tojiro unfolded his arms, and took a quick look at Ikko passing by him, who still looked restless and uneasy by Jotoku's exception of trusting the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Last night?" said the surprised Chitose.

"We were out by the waterfall when he came flying in. He was being attacked by this other individual wearing a white cloak." explained Haruka.

The nuns and Ikko were at the table eating their breakfast, while Tojiro was given the opportunity to 'explore' the temple which he took up due to having nothing else better to do.

"It was amazing! I'm surprised none of you heard all that noise." exhaustedly announced Sumi.

"How long did it last?" asked the curious monk.

"Who knows! That Tojiro, however, was extremely injured." said Haruka.

"Somehow, this strange golem like creature stabbed him right through the chest with a stone sword! I couldn't even believe it!" said Sumi.

"Incredible." mumbled Hinata, while her little fire demon friend hopped up on her shoulder.

"He did seem very adamant to keep us from harm too." said Haruka, looking up at the ceiling.

"Are you kidding? We were in the middle of it all!" Sakura implied with a shout.

"He protected you?" Jotoku responded curiously.

"Yes he did, Lady Jotoku. He was using that large wolf form we saw earlier." said Haruka.

"You're taking all this excitement to your head." muttered Sakura, taking a sip of her drink, then quickly going for the bowl of rice.

"His intentions seem strangely obscured by his power. But if he was focusing on you three being safe, I don't believe he's that bad of a demon." noted Chitose.

"Which in many cases are surprising. We've never faced any demon like him, have we?" Ikko noted, putting his bowl of food down.

"Definitely not." answered Yuko.

"Maybe it would have been best if I used my forbidden power against him, then he wouldn't be a problem." suggested Ikko.

"And why's that?" said an angry Chitose.

"Looks like Ikko still wants a good look at Chitose's body, and to be saved from the evil demon at the same time!" laughed Yuko.

"No, that's not what I meant! I just thought it would have been better! I mean, Sakura doesn't look like she likes him!" said the nervous monk.

"Sakura, is that true? Do you not believe the boy can't be trusted?" asked Jotoku, looking at the short haired purple girl.

"It's probably the way he treated her when that thing arrived." said Sumi.

"He endangered Hinata! I didn't like it!" Sakura exclaimed defensively.

"He was nice." mumbled Hinata.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Hinata's older sister.

"Well, there you have it! You shouldn't need to worry about him. It's not like he'll turn on us." Ikko assured willingly.

"Even if he attempts anything, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it." added Haruka with a smile.

"In what way, will you fools try and handle me?" questioned Tojiro, appearing in the door way of the room, in his hedgehog form.

Everyone turned and appeared silent, acting like nothing had ever happened.

"I should make you all aware that I'm a different kind of evil. Shouldn't you all have figured out that you can't force someone to leave this world, whether they're alive or dead? I'm the type of person who refuses to die…and I'm not leaving any time soon. So, try and enjoy your day." he said, closing the sliding door and leaving them.

"That sounded too honest." noted the restless Yuko.

Outside, Tojiro was sitting atop the temple's roof. His legs crossed and his sleeves interlocked. He tiredly yawned, then looked down below to see Haruka, Yuko, and Sumi coming out of the temple.

"Three...two...one...and…" he pronounced.

"Hey, Tojiro! Come down here for a second!" called Haruka.

"_What I tell ya'_?" he thought to himself, getting up and jumping off the roof.

He landed in front of the group, "What do you need? I really don't feel like being a part of ghost hunting today." he stated, crossing his arms.

"We were actually going to the mall for a bit. Would you like to come?" asked Haruka kindly.

"No thanks. Nothing there would interest me." he replied.

"And what if we got in trouble or danger?" Haruka added.

"Then it's your problem." he replied, walking past them.

"Nice try, Haruka." noted Chitose quietly, while Sumi followed after Tojiro.

Sumi stopped in the hedgehog's path, squatting down in front of him.

"Haruka was just trying to be kind. She believes you should me more lively. Right, Haruka?" said Sumi, looking past Tojiro.

"Yes! Of course! I think it'd be real healthy for you Tojiro!" said the joyful Haruka.

"_Health, huh? Like I need any of that_." Tojiro thought blatantly to himself.

"Very well, but I'm staying as I am." he answered.

"Great! Let's go!" exclaimed a joyous Sumi. Tojiro flipped his hood over his head, creating the wall of darkness that covered his face.

"I may regret this before I die." he said with a blank expression on his face.

Once there, Tojiro looked from left to right, seeing shops and people every time he turned his head. "This is increasingly pathetic with each passing second." he mumbled incoherently.

"You shouldn't worry. We won't be here long." Haruka assured him.

"It doesn't make me feel any better nor any worse. This is tremendously solemn and pathetic." he went on.

"It won't be long until we're done. Stop worrying." Sumi noted to the demon.

"Then tell me why everyone is staring at me." he griped.

With every person they passed, they all were stuck in a gaze at the mysteriously cloaked Tojiro.

"It's a good thing I have my face obscured. Because apparently they've never seen a talking hedgehog before." he said.

"Is that what you are? A hedgehog? I've never seen one before." said Haruka, curiously looking down at Tojiro.

"You can cease now. Keep doing that and we'll even have security following us. But I won't mind coating my blade in blood anyway." he said, beginning to unsheathe his blade.

"Don't do that you fool!" exclaimed Yuko, punching Tojiro in the back of the head, giving him a surprised look, which quickly turned to aggravation.

"You're lucky this accursed place is still standing." he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Is that Ikko? And there!" Haruka pointed out. Ikko was miserably sitting on a bench, and out came Chitose out of a women's clothing shop.

"Interesting." said Tojiro, his ears twitching a bit.

"Hey, Chitose! Ikko!" called Sumi, running over to them.

"Sumi? Haruka?" Chitose responded, turning towards them.

"Yuko? And Tojiro!" Ikko added, getting to his feet.

"So what are you up to?" asked Sumi.

"I was just doing some shopping, that's all." replied a smiling Chitose.

"Much to my dismay." muttered the miserable monk.

A quick flash, and Ikko was already on the floor, with a painful bump on his head.

"Don't listen to him." Chitose said, using her outburst of violence as an excuse.

"It's great we've all met up, too! Chitose, could I talk to you for a moment?" said Haruka, walking towards her and pulling her into the women's clothing shop.

Tojiro stood by Ikko, Sumi, and Yuko, all confused. Tojiro looked up, putting a hand to his chin.

"So now what?" questioned Ikko, sitting back down on the bench.

"We wait, obviously." said Tojiro, lowering his hand from his chin.

"It's not so bad if you don't think about it, you know." Sumi assured the group.

"I don't even want to begin thinking about what Haruka's up to in there." Yuko said, holding her hands behind her head.

"Hey guys, wasn't Tojiro _just_ here?" noted the monk.

Indeed the Cloakmaster was gone.

"You have to be kidding? If anyone sees what he can do, everyone will go berserk!" said the anxious Yuko.

"I can't believe we just lost him!" Sumi invoked.

"Ikko! How come you weren't watching him?" said the angered blue haired girl, clenching her fists by turning to the coward us monk.

"Right here." he said, appearing under Yuko's feet, with a tile on his head.

Yuko stared down with embarrassment.

"Greetings, do you mind moving?" asked the Cloakmaster.

"You damn pervert!" Yuko angrily screamed, lunging her fist down at his head.

Tojiro vanished from the small hole in the floor and appeared right next to her.

"Be calm. I had no disrespectful intentions in mind. You're wearing your nun outfit aren't' you? There's no need to exclaim." Tojiro stated.

"That's not the point, you freaky bastard!" Yuko barked angrily at him.

"Yuko, you should try and calm down now." Sumi said in a kind prose, reaching for her slightly.

"No wonder Sakura doesn't trust him! He's a damn nuisance." said Yuko, turning away and crossing her arms.

"Feeling's mutual." he said.

A set of angry marks appeared on the back of Yuko's head, but Ikko and Sumi were fortunate enough to grab Yuko by her arms and stop her from unleashing her violent side.

"Just let me go for a second! I won't take long! Just one punch, or kick! It doesn't even matter!" Yuko said in desperate heat.

"Please calm down Yuko. We're in public remember?" said the nervous smiling Sumi.

"I'm actually surprised Yuko's yelling at another male, and it's not even me!" said the shocked, yet relieved Ikko.

Yuko suddenly turned around and delivered a very tightly clenched fist to Ikko's cheek, once again sending him to the floor.

"Now what in the world was that for?" he replied in blind pain.

"What is this about Haruka?" said Chitose.

"You know the reason we're here, right? Jotoku told me that there's vengeful spirit somewhere in the mall." Haruka explained to her.

"I'm aware of that already. But why did you bring me in here to tell me?" Chitose replied with confusion.

"Tojiro doesn't know of course. And let's just keep it a secret, okay? When the spirit does turn up, we'll just have to act on coincidence. Okay?" explained the nun.

"Alright, I understand. I just hope Tojiro isn't the type to just fall for something like this." said Chitose, looking out in the front of the store at the group waiting for them to return.

"You seem really worried over what he would do, Haruka. Are you that concerned?" asked Chitose.

"We all remember when that fire demon attacked, right? And I've already noticed he doesn't like to be lied to and dragged into these kind of situations." said Haruka, turning around and heading for the exit.

"I don't think he'll do anything reckless. He seems like a calm person. At least that's what I think." said the worried red head.

"If we don't think about it, we won't need to worry. As long as we exorcise the spirit and get out of here, everything will be okay." replied the smiling Haruka.

Once the two arrived outside the shop, all the lights above them turned off completely.

"Well, this can't be good." said Haruka.

"I'd figure this all felt wrong." Tojiro said, creating a flame in his left hand to give the group some light.

"What exactly is going on? Hey, is anybody listening to me?" said the impatient Yuko.

"Quiet, Yuko. Listen." said Ikko, looking around.

Tojiro waved his left hand, seeing nothing in the empty mall.

"Everyone's gone? But how?" said Yuko.

"This isn't real. That's why. We must be stuck in an illusion of some sorts. Created by who the hell knows what." eased the Cloakmaster, walking around.

"You think this could've been the spirit's doing, Haruka?" Chitose whispered to her.

"Maybe. But when's the last time we've seen one spirit able to create such a powerful illusion before?" she replied.

"It's almost like the time before when we were in that mansion with that little girl." said Ikko, hiding behind the bench.

"He's right. Before, that little girl was able to hypnotize us and make us think we were part of its family." Chitose responded.

"Except now, we weren't as scared like before when she tried all those horrible traps." Yuko included.

"Was one of them suppose to be wearing a hockey mask and holding a chainsaw?" said a glum Tojiro, looking at the group.

"Yeah. Why? Wait, how do you even know?" said a nervous Sumi.

Behind the nuns and monk was actually a hockey wearing being with a chainsaw in his hands.

"I don't know, maybe I just guessed." Tojiro shrugged.

* * *

><p>The group turned around, looking up at the frightening visage of the chainsaw wielder. In the eyes of his hockey mask, its eyes glowed red. The group immediately ran for, speeding past Tojiro who was merely standing still. Tojiro shot the flame in his left hand at the hockey masked madman, setting him ablaze. Tojiro charged and grabbed the chainsaw from his hands then drove it straight down from the hockey masked freak's head, down through his chest, slicing him completely in half. Witnessing the bloody mess, Ikko, Yuko, Sumi and Haruka were shocked and disgusted. While for her own reason, however, Chitose appeared with an open mouth of joy, being the horror fan as she is of course. Tojiro observed the chainsaw closely, noticing nothing on it.<p>

"No little clue or nothing. That figures." he said, tossing it to the ground.

Once he turned around, a star gazed Chitose was standing behind him, looking extremely excited.

"That was so amazing how you cut him completely in half with his own chainsaw! And how did you shoot fire out from your hand? It was amazing!" she sassed.

"Uhh, shouldn't you have just noticed the flame I created once the lights went out?" he said awkwardly.

"Oh, right. But still! I couldn't even believe it!" she continued excitedly.

"I'm glad to hear it?" he said, raising an eyebrow, and walking past her.

"Listen up, it appears whatever the problem is; someone or something has casted a type of illusion barrier over the mall. Everything we see starting now, is completely real." he answered.

"So we're stuck in here? There's no way I'm living here forever!" Yuko implied vigorously.

"If we find the caster and possibly rid of him, the barrier wil fall." said the Cloakmaster.

"Can't we just leave?" asked Ikko.

"I doubt it. I don't think it'd be a good idea to even try it. I could find a way to somehow get rid of the barrier of course…but I've never dealt with this type of energy before." he informed.

All of a sudden, some of the lights came back on. "What's going on now?" said Sumi in a nervous tone.

"At least we got some light. Let's hurry up." said Tojiro, running past the group. The nuns and monk quickly followed after him with haste.

"_This isn't no simple attempt. Someone's after me…I can smell it already_." thought the Cloakmaster to himself. He came to a stop, ending up in the center of the mall, and looking up at a large paneled window above him. The others stopped behind him.

"Well, that may be the source right there." pointed Tojiro.

Yuko walked up right next to the Cloakmaster, spotting a large glowing purple sphere above and outside the top of the mall.

"That's where this illusion seems to be powered from. Destroy that and it should go away." Tojiro said, preparing a vibrant array of red Chaos energy in both his hands.

He pointed his hands up, staring up at the window. His ears nervously twitched, fearing something was wrong. Tojiro quickly lowered his arms and stomped the ground to cause the earth beneath the tiled floor to rise up just in time to protect the group from a sheer release of black Chaos energy. Tojiro struck both his fists into the earth wall which shot it forward. It was suddenly blown to pieces in flight. Tojiro stepped forth, seeing a being in the same cloak as his.

"**It's her**." said Tojiro, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness. In the middle of the clearing smoke was Kuro Senso, the Eighth of the Nine Hell Gods, ruler of Fraud.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: Why allow Akuma to take you over? Why let that bastard of a devil stun you with words of anger and Chaos energy?

Kuro: It wasn't that at all. I knew what he gave me was more than just life...but **hope**.

Haruka: Do you got an idea what's going on, Sumi?

Sumi: That may be Mr. Tojiro's ex-girlfriend. Though that can't be right?

Ikko: Obviously it can't! She's already threatened us and him! We can't just stay here!

Kuro: You speak so low of me even when such a cold Nightshade such as yourself is standing by the side of mere mortals. You've fallen far, Tojiro-

Tojiro: Silence your foolishness! Your business is with me this night! What have you done to all the people?

Kuro: It's only an illusion, dear Demigod of Death. A void...just like the one you left me in my already empty heart.

Tojiro: You're a fool. No Nightshade need let their feelings control them! Chaos Spear!

Kuro: My barriers will protect me from all that you throw at me.

-Kuro flies down, Tojiro swings the Blade of Darkness. Kuro vanishes-

Kuro: You are only a fraction of what your hatred truly is. It's thanks to that unbearable attitude of yours that made me care about you so much.

-Tojiro erupts a small burst of Chaos Blast energy. He turns around and finds nothing but Ikko and the others.-

Tojiro: You must flee...ALL OF YOU!

-Kuro appears through Chaos Control in behind Tojiro-

-He leaps back and lands in front of the others who begin to take his words to heart.-

Kuro: It is because of your beliefs...because of your unbeatable mind...that I wanted to come back.

-Tojiro covers the Blade of Darkness with his negative Chaos energy, soon leaving it encompass his whole body as he continues to glare at Kuro.-

-Kuro's eyes remain closed as a violet Chaos energy surrounds her body.-

-Upon opening her ruby eyes, she smiles with faint tears in her eyes.-

Kuro: My nightmares never harmed me because I still held you dearly within myself; even without a heart. With or without it...**I love you Tojiro-kun**.

NEXT TIME!

_**CHAPTER XXII: WITHIN AN EMPTY HEART **_


	22. Chapter XXII

_**CHAPTER XXII: WITHIN AN EMPTY HEART**_

**DISCLAIMER: ****I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Yumi Amaya (Kuro Senso)! They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

Her hood was lowered, her elegant silver hair flowed in the breeze. "I'll admit you're timing is impeccable, but that's all I shall admit." graced Tojiro.

"It doesn't surprise me that you still hold a grudge. You always have." she replied.

"I always have? You should eat your own words, **Yumi**." replied the Cloakmaster.

Kuro's ruby red eyes appeared somewhat angry by the mentioning of such a name.

"I'm glad you remember my real name. Is it because you remember the first time we met?" she said.

"You already had your own family, but you fail to realize that going to Akuma's side was foolish." Tojiro snapped angrily.

"Just because my family was murdered, doesn't mean I should simply give up and waste away my tears. Akuma came to me and proposed a chance at life once more, and I took it." she replied, unleashing a furious wave of dark red Chaos energy.

Tojiro waved his sword, creating a black barrier to protect himself and Yuko.

"It's time you find safety. She's the reason for this illusion. You must leave now." he warned with haste.

"What about you? We can help!" Yuko assured.

"She's my problem!" Tojiro yelled, shocking the group.

"Kuro won't hesitate to kill any of you, nor use you against me. I won't let that happen. **I refuse to let any of you be in harm's way!** Now GO!" he demanded, charging at Kuro.

Kuro hovered off the ground and went backwards, preparing her guandao spear known as the Spear of Deceit. She easily raised it block Tojiro's attack.

"Yuko! Come on!" called Ikko, running up to her and nudging her shoulder. Yuko broke from her trance and quickly joined the others, running in the opposite way of the chaos that would soon ensue between the two Nightshades.

"There was no need for that, you know. They won't escape me, and neither will you." she said, caressing her right hand across the Tojiro's face. Tojiro released a shocking blast of red lightning from the Blade of Darkness which dangerously electrocuted and shot her back across the floor.

"All I need to know is that it was the smart thing to do. And I _won't_ let you lay a single finger on any of them." Tojiro enforced defensively.

"So, one of those girls interests you? How foolish." replied Kuro, releasing a thunderous amount of blue lightning from her hands.

Tojiro raised his blade in defense, creating a barrier of gold to block the attack, but that didn't stop the force of the impact to throw Tojiro to the ground.

"What is it that makes you believe that I didn't want this fate? Tell me, Tojiro." said Kuro's calm voice.

Tojiro pointed his blade into the ground and helped himself to his feet.

"You were part of a regal family…and the day your family was attacked…you were there to save us…and me." said Kuro, bringing her hand to her chest.

Tojiro's shoulders heaved up and down, gripping the Blade of Darkness in his right hand.

"After seeing that bravery coming from you, my family and I were grateful. That is until we noticed you were the last Nightshade." she said.

"It didn't surprise me that any of you were shocked to see me. Yet I guess I should have regretted it." he said, shooting an array of black Chaos Spears.

"Yet…you inspired me." said Kuro, jumping out of the way.

"We left the Great Shade Empire in fear. My parents were afraid I was to become a Nightshade, and take my own life because of the nightmares that we are given. But you…" she said, using Chaos Control once landing on the ground. Kuro suddenly appeared behind Tojiro.

"…You were there to fill the void…in my soon to be empty heart." she whispered into his ear.

Tojiro quickly turned around, kicking Kuro back. She stopped, and releasing a tornado shaped beam of light green Chaos energy from the tip of the Spear of Deceit. Tojiro released a ravenous dark red beam that was the same as Kuro's. The two forces collided in a quick and violent explosion of power.

"The night my parents were murdered, you suddenly arrived. I was the one who invited you earlier…and once you saw my parents murderers…you tore them all to ribbons. That was the night you _first_ used the power of the Werehog. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I think that's why I fell in love with you. Your purpose. Your reason to kill…in order to live." she said, as Tojiro continued to turn around and around, searching through the drifting fog of smoke that surrounded him.

"You watched me cry, and yet you didn't feel any pity for me. Because you know how it feels to lose those close to you." she said.

"Just one problem with that Kuro…" he began. Tojiro swiftly turned around, grabbing Kuro by the neck, stopping her from impaling her spear into his back.

"…You weren't the reason for your loved ones' deaths. But I was the reason everyone I cared about died!"

Tojiro tossed her violently from his arms of steel. Kuro smashed through a store window, and was quickly pelted away with a slew of red Chaos energy. Tojiro lowered his hands, which were still enveloped in Chaos energy. The Cloakmaster used Chaos Control to appear in the store with Kuro who was pinned into the wall.

"Akuma and everyone else are Nightshades. They are all part my twisted family, but I don't see them as that. They're not even an inch related to me, and neither are you." he stated with vigor.

"You never liked the facts, didn't you?" she said, releasing a painful green sphere of Chaos energy to Tojiro's chest, shooting him out of the room and into a column outside the store.

Kuro quickly came flying out of the store, tackling Tojiro completely through the column. Holding the hedgehog up by the hood of his cloak, Kuro thrashed him into the ground, then tossed him straight towards another pillar. The Cloakmaster was fortunate to roll up into a ball and smash through the pillar, not causing himself too much agony. He skidded backwards across the ground on his feet. The moment he stopped, Kuro appeared in a dive, using the Spear Deceit to forward her attack. Tojiro spin dashed straight into her chest, then swung his left foot across the side of her head, shooting her back into the ground with extreme momentum and force. Kuro watched Tojiro land on the ground away from her.

"What purpose is there? Tell me, I'd enjoy hearing this troubled truth of yours!" Tojiro exclaimed at her.

"I had nowhere to go. I became a Hell God because I had no one else to turn to. No one else would have expected my presence anywhere else." she said in aggravation.

"You thought I wouldn't trust you if you came to me? That was foolish." he said, raising his sword.

Kuro's cold eyes now appeared questionable and baffled. "We may have shared a past together…we may have loved each other for who we are…but I don't respect people who believe only in revenge!" he said, charging directly at Kuro.

Kuro rose to her feet and smacked Tojiro away with the Spear of Deceit. Tojiro landed on the ground, sliding to a sudden halt.

"If you speak so highly about me…why don't you take your own advice, Tojiro?" she replied heinously.

"True. I'm obsessed with revenge. Why do you think I'm **not** afraid of death? I don't need to respect myself and my choices. As long as I know they are right, nothing else matters. Not even my own life." he said, shooting a large black Chaos Spear from the tip of his blade.

Kuro waved her hands which were covered in blue Chaos energy, dissipating the Chaos Spear. Kuro released a storm of black and dark blue beams that shot out from all around her body. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness and formed into a ball. He was wrapped in a fierce blanket of red Chaos energy, and shot forward at Kuro's attacks. Ripping through the beams like paper, Tojiro exited his ball form once he was face to face with Kuro, delivering a divine and horrendous Chaos Punch to her stomach. Kuro shot back across the floor, but used Chaos Control to appear behind the Cloakmaster.

She furiously shocked him with bolts of blue purple lightning, which she amplified with positive Chaos energy. Tojiro, a being that thrives on negative Chaos energy was horrifically agonized by this sudden attack. He then dropped to his knees, and Kuro stood over him.

"There's no question. You truly have adopted your own beliefs, haven't you?" said the weakened Cloakmaster.

"You've had your own little beliefs that reflected off of your painful life, Tojiro. Now I have mine. You were the one who gave me the strength in becoming a Nightshade. I devoted my life to it. I came to the high priests, and risked it all once I became a Nightshade. My nightmares didn't harm me…because I still held you dearly within myself. With or without my heart…**I love you Tojiro-kun**." she said, her voice drenched in warmth and sadness.

Tojiro grabbed the handle of the Blade of Darkness. He swiftly turned around, unsheathing it with promise, swinging it directly at…nothing. Tojiro's blank white eyes were then filled…his orange eyes appeared. He looked down at the floor, then lowered his hood.

"_You were foolish to join them Yumi. Just like my Akuma…I shall rid your name from this world…along with the rest of the Hell Gods. I will personally make sure…you suffer your foolish choices_." the Cloakmaster of Darkness thought to himself. Tojiro tiredly sheathed the Blade of Darkness and turned back around, on his way to find the others, in brief hope that no other evil entity would show up to harm them. Yet with every step he took, he regretted not striking Kuro down.

Was it lingering feelings? Or could it possibly lingering mercy? Tojiro made a promise to end this by finding the Nightmare weapons, then with the power of the Nightmare Scythe; he would forcibly bring all of Hell to it's knees. As for the Nine Hell Gods, it was his personal business to rid the world of the last remainders of a family he never knew about, except for Kuro. Originally the daughter of wealthy family a forgotten dynasty, her real name was actually **Yumi Amaya**. Once the news of the Shade Priests finding anyone they could get to become the next Nightshade; and due to the rapid suicides of those who succumbed to their horrific nightmares, their people slowly began to dwindle.

Yumi's family left the country, using Chaos Control to arrive in China during the Three Kingdoms Dynasty. However, with such thoughts racing through his mind, Tojiro could find more and more reason why he was hesitant to striking Kuro down for good. Maybe it was for something he still believed in, or possibly it was something more. The thought of her foolishly joining Akuma's group of Hell Gods annoyingly ate away at Tojiro's mind, causing him to be filled with anger.

This surprised him. Would the heartless Cloakmaster…actually hold the thought of keeping her _alive_? He questioned why this thought suddenly found its way into the back walls of his conscious. Like many things that wander off into his head, he treats it like everything else; nothing. In some way, Tojiro felt a slight obligation inside himself. A sense of obligation that he should've persuaded Kuro from continuing her ways as a part of the Nine Hell Gods. However, it wouldn't even help. After all, Kuro was the Hell God of the Eighth Circle of Hell; Fraud. Now how would he handle that? Tojiro felt no lies in Kuro's words, nor her feelings which she confessed to him in their brief struggle. For once in his life, Tojiro believed that he himself, was the only person Kuro could tell the truth to. As ironic as it was, he actually believed that was the ugly truth of it all.

The dark furred hedgehog found his way into another part of the mall, and up ahead he saw the group. "Good. They're safe. Looks like Yumi's not all so heartless after all." he said to himself, picking up the pace. The group noticed the cloaked hedgehog on his way over to them.

"Everybody, Tojiro's back!" said Haruka, being the first to hurry over to him.

"Ikko! Get up already! Tojiro's here." said Chitose, nudging the sleeping monk while he was sleeping on a bench.

"I got him." said Yuko, pressing her foot down on his head. Ikko squirmed helplessly, pleading Yuko to stop. Haruka came to a stop before the Demigod, her hands clasped together.

"I see that you're all okay. Nothing strange happen? No illusions?" he wished to confirm.

"None at all. I think that fight caused all her power to be focused on you." said Haruka.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case." Tojiro replied, scratching the back of his head.

"But you are alright?" she added.

"Yes, yes. No need to worry. I'm here, aren't I?" he said.

"Of course! Thanks for protecting us." she said, bowing to him.

Tojiro blinked a few times, then huffed.

"Anytime." said he.

"So what about that core thing? Is there any way we can destroy and get out of here?" asked Yuko.

"It sure would have been easier if someone lesser was guarding it, but with Kuro there, it's going to be next to impossible." replied Tojiro, sitting on the ground.

"Who is she actually? She wore the same type of cloak like you wear." noted Chitose.

"I rather not deal with it, especially when we're locked in here because of her." Tojiro responded, slowly waving his right hand back and forth.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Haruka asked.

Tojiro grumbled to himself. "Are you deaf or thick headed? Which one is it? I rather not speak about. It's a simple answer. So leave it at that." wallowed the Cloakmaster.

"She likes hedgehogs then?" said a confused Haruka.

"NO! What did I just tell you?" barked the very annoyed Cloakmaster.

"I just think it's strange." she said.

Tojiro reverted to his human form.

"Now, that makes more sense. Thank you." Haruka replied happily.

"She's one part of a multi paneled past that I plan to leave where it belongs; in the past. Do you understand _now_?" said the demon with plenty of aggravation and annoyance in his tone.

"Then we won't be getting out any time soon, huh? Well that sucks." said Yuko, laying down on the floor restlessly.

"As soon as we find a way to get to that core thing by getting past that girl, then we'll be out of here." Chitose responded optimistically.

"You made it sound simple and easy at the same time. That's rather surprising, I suppose." said Tojiro.

"Someone has to say it, right?" said the red head.

"Sure, sure." Tojiro dully replied.

"Can't you just do that vanishing act of yours to get out of here?" Yuko suggested, sitting up at the same time.

"I wish I could, but this illusion barrier Kuro put over the mall also stops my Chaos Control from coming out of it. I can use my Chaos powers while in here, sure. But using creating portals or Chaos Control are permanently unusable." said Tojiro.

"She definitely is a smart one." noted Sumi calmly.

"She's too smart if you ask me." responded the demon.

"Is that what made you like her?" responded a smiling Haruka.

"Who even asked you?" yelled the Demigod fiercely.

"My apologies. I didn't mean it." Haruka responded innocently, wearing a smile. Tojiro sat back down, resting his hands behind his head.

"Sooo…are we _suppose_ to wait?" intervened Yuko.

"Are you _supposed_ to be this annoying? Stop asking questions." replied Tojiro.

"You wanna' say that again?" Yuko perceived, getting up and raising her clenched fist.

"I speak truthfully, then leave others to take my words for advice…or guidelines." he said.

"Then let me show you just how much I can be truthful with my fists!" threatened Yuko, marching towards Tojiro.

"Come on, Yuko! Let's calm down, and nobody will get hurt." said Ikko, calmly standing in her way.

The unfortunate monk was tossed to the side and smacked into a wall, lodged into it.

"Why me? Seriously? Why me?" he whined, as he slowly peeled off from the wall. Tojiro looked up at Yuko, who was standing over him.

"Tell me, do you hate surprises?" she threatened, cracking her knuckles together.

"Tell that to _them_." said Tojiro, looking up at the ceiling.

* * *

><p>The group looked up, seeing a large group of freakish spiders with small horns on their legs, all over the ceiling. Everyone beside Tojiro appeared with gaped faces. Tojiro quickly got up, taking out Black Death. The demon spiders were about seven feet tall when on all eight legs. Tojiro blasted away with his powerful revolver, blowing the insects into globs of mush and green goop. Tojiro pushed Yuko back behind him, then jumped back himself, where the horde of spiders split Tojiro and Yuko off from the others. Tojiro put Black Death back in its holster. Tojiro pointed his hands towards the ceiling, and spread his arms out. He swung his hands down, clenching the floor. The entire ceiling came down on the spiders, squashing them all, but also splitting off the group. Tojiro rose to his feet, appearing angered. There was a huge wall of debris covering the large section of the hall.<p>

Shockingly, the debris was piled up to the ceiling. "I guess I overdid. Oh well." he murmured.

"Now what, smart guy? How are we suppose to get to them now?" exclaimed Yuko.

"It'll be fine. Don't panic." he responded, refusing to turn back to her.

"Excuse me? You just split us off from the rest of the group, and with those freakish looking spiders around, they could be in danger now!" Yuko continued to shout.

"I said we'll be fine!" he snapped, turning around to her.

Yuko wasn't ready for his sudden outburst.

"We will be safe…and so shall they." he said, helping her to her feet with his right hand. Tojiro walked past the blue haired nun, leaving her with a curious look. Yuko lowered her head, staring off to the side.

She shut her eyes, opened them back up, "Wait up!" she called, and with that, she followed after the Cloakmaster with quick and desperate haste.

As the two wandered aimlessly through the mall, Tojiro kept a stern outlook with his senses. With Yuko a couple of feet behind him, she kept her hands behind her head, keeping an eye on the Cloakmaster.

"_It really makes me wonder if this guy can be trusted_." Yuko thought.

"Is that so?" said Tojiro, appearing by Yuko's side.

"What the? How did you?" she said by surprise.

"I can read thoughts, you know. What makes you so righteously worried of my presence?" he questioned.

"It's nothing serious to think about."

"Then why are you worrying? Or do you actually believe what Sakura believes?" replied the integrated Tojiro.

Yuko remained unanswered, but she tried to answer, however.

"Demons worry all of you, I see. That's not surprising." he said, walking up ahead.

"Hold on, don't take it seriously!" she said, running after him.

"I'm not. You're just one of the many people I've met in my life that judged me, and thus they were afraid of me. There's no need to apologize." said the Cloakmaster.

"Oh, alright then." said Yuko, lowering her hands from behind her head.

"All of you seem too obsessed with your daily practices of sutras, and keeping the spiritual essence of your bodies in peace. It doesn't surprise me that a bunch of people such as yourselves would want me gone. Maybe instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourselves, like normal humans should." he rigidly mannered.

"What? Do you have a grudge against humans? You look like one to me." replied Yuko.

Tojiro transformed into his Werehog, his cloak grew larger so it would fit around his body. He turned to her, his hood lowered. "Do I look human to you now?" he said, his eyes now full of glowing red.

"Wow. That's something different. What do you call it?" asked Yuko.

Tojiro backed away, and flipped his hood back over his head, walking away. "It's hopeless." he mumbled silently as he walked away.

"Well I can tell that you don't enjoy it. Whatever you are." noted Yuko.

"Glad to hear it." moped the Cloakmaster.

"How do you get your powers anyway?" asked Yuko curiously.

"Powers? I live off the power in my body. I have no heart." he answered.

"Huh? That can't be right. There's no way you don't have one." said Yuko, running up to him.

Yuko stopped in front of the ten foot Werehog, and put her right hand over his chest, feeling no heartbeat.

"Told you so. A Nightshade cannot exist with their heart inside of them." he said, nudging her hand away, walking past her. Yuko remained still and frozen by such a truth.

"He…doesn't have a heart? That must be one of the most strangest demons I've ever seen." said the shocked Yuko. Once Yuko caught back up with the Cloakmaster, she walked by his side.

"So what's this power you use?" she asked.

"There's no way you're _this_ interested." Tojiro said, looking down at her.

"Do you have anything else better to talk about?" she said desperately.

"My life's story is as boring and annoying, trust me. You don't want to hear it." he assured, keeping his gaze forward.

"Okay then! Whatever." she replied, yawning.

"Rather my cursed powers…the situation with that boy…what gives him the resolve to hate his time at that temple of yours?" said Tojiro.

"Ikko? Well, the guy obviously has trouble using his awakened power, and becomes a mad pervert afterwards. So one of us has to knock him out of it." explained Yuko.

"In other words, you bludgeon him." Tojiro insisted.

"Yup! You'd be right on that one. He deserves it most of the time though." she said.

"He brings it onto himself, huh? Well, I guess fools deserve their punishments. As long as they deserve it that is." said the Demigod.

"And he definitely does. Why are you so curious, Tojiro?"

"No special reason. It just makes me curious why that Kazuki girl was so obsessed on gaining his attention."

"Kazuki and her fake boobs deserves any negativity that comes at her! She's been nothing but a pain ever since we met her." Yuko went on.

"Why haven't you just…I don't know…got rid of her for good?" suggested the cloaked Werehog.

"Believe it or not, but we can't do half of the things you do, Tojiro. It really isn't right." noted the girl that represented the Asura Realm.

"You're giving Kazuki too much chances if you ask me." he explained.

"Trust me, I wouldn't mind beating the hell out of her, but I'm sure Lady Jotoku would be pretty angry with me if I did. Unless…you want to beat her up of course." said Yuko.

"I'll do it when I actually feel like it. Right now, she's not our problem." said the demon Demigod.

"Do you even have any genius plan on getting us all out of here safely?" asked a furious Yuko.

"I'm sure something will come up. Like those two." said Tojiro, pointing up ahead. Up ahead, he saw Ikko and Sumi walking down another way in the mall.

"Well come on then! We better catch up to them!" said Yuko, running with haste.

Yuko jumped over a bench, then headed for the corner she saw Ikko and Sumi turn. However, she stopped, frozen like a statue, wearing a freaked out expression on her face. Tojiro slowly turned the corner and stopped next to Yuko, raising an eyebrow. Under a light, Ikko and Sumi were standing together, looking at each other lovingly.

"Ikko…I…I never thought it would end up this way." Sumi said cherishingly.

"Don't worry…I feel the exact same way, my love." Ikko replied.

Yuko was pointing her right hand out, still in a shocked stance.

"L-L-love? Did he really just say that?" exclaimed Yuko.

"Ikko…please. Say it to me." she said, her face getting close to his, her eyes full of passion and love.

"I love you, Sumi Ikuina." he said, getting close to her face as well.

"Forever?" she replied.

"Forever always." said the monk.

The two lovingly kissed each other with fiery love. Sumi reached her hands around the back of Ikko's head, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Tojiro was looking down at Yuko with a strange look, noticing she was either too shocked for words or too lost. Tojiro heavily sighed, and fired a red Chaos Spear at Ikko and Sumi. The Chaos Spear hit, turning them into golden dust.

"What the hell? What did you just do to them?" Yuko exclaimed up at Tojiro.

"You wanted to keep watching?" Tojiro replied with a strange tone.

"NO, you idiot! You just resorted them to freaking dust! What did you do?" Yuko continuously yelled.

"**It was an illusion**. Kuro just created it to piss us off. Well, _you_ at least. I just don't care for such things." noted the sidestepping Tojiro.

"That's a pretty twisted way at doing it." noted the blue haired girl.

"Kuro teases her foes. Attempting to anger their primitive feelings and drive them blind with anger, then she strikes. She's really decisive. Next time we see someone kissing, no freaking out or random screaming, okay?" he said, turning around.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll try to. Next illusion we see, it's mine." said Yuko, turning around as well, but bumping into Tojiro.

"Tojiro! What's the deal, huh?" she said, walking next to him.

Yuko looked forward, her eyes widening. The entire area before them was literally filled with the eight foot tall spiders. Their mouths dripping with venom, and each of their eyes glowing red.

"This can't be normal." said Yuko shockingly.

"Welcome to the life." Tojiro said, getting in a defensive stance.

Tojiro released a static wave of red lightning bolts from both his hands. Amplifying his lightning abilities with his Chaos energy, the bolts ecstatically shot off amongst the horde of spiders, killing them off one by one. With the horde of spiders lost in the chaos that continued to spread amongst them, Tojiro turned around and grabbed Yuko, throwing her onto his back.

"Hang on!" he warned loudly, ferociously charging towards the spiders.

"You have to be crazy?" shouted Yuko.

Tojiro leaped over the spiders. Some began to explode into green goop as they passed over them. The bolts of red lightning shot off in random spots. Luckily, Tojiro landed on the other side and continued running on all fours.

"You think we lost them?" pressed Yuko, looking over her shoulder.

"I would say yes, but there's another problem." said Tojiro as he kept running.

"Yeah? And what's that?" responded Yuko quickly.

"All those spiders wouldn't have showed up unless they have someone to tell them so." said the Cloakmaster.

"Okay, what's that suppose to mean?"

"Their mom must be near." he contracted.

Tojiro ran into an open section of the mall, taking a swift left. From the ceiling wall, it immensely shattered, and down dropped a humongous spider, quickly running on all its eight legs after the two.

"You can't be serious? That's the mother?" exclaimed Yuko.

"Sure is. Ugly thing isn't she?" said Tojiro half heartedly.

"You can say that again! You better hurry, she's gaining on us!" Yuko advised with a scream.

The mother spider kept its eight glowing green eyes locked on its morsels.

"Watch this, I'm about to make her even more hideous." stated Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster leaped forward, his feet and hands leaving the ground. In the process, he turned himself around. With both his fists wrapped in blistering dark Chaos energy, the Demigod of Death fiercely smacked his hands together, releasing a needle storm of dangerously sharp spikes that were made from the dark Chaos energy he summoned. By the hundreds, the small needles pierced into the spider queen's body, causing it to slip up on its running, tripping to the ground and sliding to a sudden halt. Tojiro landed back on the ground, skidding to a backwards stop.

"Think it's dead?" said Yuko.

"You wanna' check?" suggested Tojiro.

"Not funny. Let's go find the others." she demanded.

Tojiro turned around and was ready to sprint, but a string of webbing latched onto Yuko's back and pulled her from Tojiro.

"Yuko!" he shouted.

Yuko screamed as she was flying back towards the spider queen's venom dripping mouth, its fangs twitching desperately with a ravenous hunger. Tojiro launched himself off the ground, and he passed over Yuko.

"Take a bite of this you bitch!" Tojiro yelled.

The Cloakmaster landed in front of the spider's mouth, and it quickly sank two of its fangs into his chest. The web string shot that the spider released from her mouth suddenly dropped, and Yuko was on the ground, safe as you could be.

"Tojiro! You damn fool!" screamed Yuko.

The spider's eyes suddenly appeared sickly.

"Trust me, this spider's the fool." he mumbled evilly.

The spider smacked Tojiro away from it's mouth and the Cloakmaster was sent rolling up in front of Yuko.

"Oh, god! You okay there Tojiro?" asked the worried nun.

"Just fine. It had to be done anyway." he said, his left arm wrapped around his belly.

He lowered his arm, revealing the bare bones from his ribcage were showing.

"What were YOU thinking, huh? Good lord, how are you even talking?" she said, looking away from Tojiro's unfortunate predicament.

Yuko looked back at the spider queen. It appeared sickly demoralizing, spitting goop and saliva from within its mouth.

"What the hell is wrong with it?" said a shivering Yuko.

"It's me. My blood is as tainted as any venom or poison….and that foolish spider graciously indigested a rotten sized dose." explained Tojiro, rising to his feet again.

"You're not going to face that thing are you?"

"I must. I have enough power. As long as I know how to use it, I'll be fine. Stay here and stay safe." the Cloakmaster ordered, before charging forward into action at the spider queen.

Not caring that his ribcage was exposed, and even the fact that blood was being spilled from the grave injury, Tojiro treated this somewhat kind of a calamity and turned it into a double negative. Whether he is in the dark or in the light, he never settled fights with strength and power. Alone, he settles them his own way, give no mercy to beings who refuse to stop killing. With an obvious distaste of monstrous demons or beings who enjoy brewing chaos and disorder, he personally makes sure those types of people get the fate only _he_ can deliver without prejudice. Tojiro leaped up into the air, and lunged down at the voracious spider queen. Can you guess what it is?

"DEATH!" roared the angry eyes of the vengeful Cloakmaster of Darkness.

* * *

><p>Tojiro smacked away at one of the spider queen's legs, which was an attempt at skewering the Cloakmaster. Tojiro quickly landed on the ground in front of the spider queen and gave a fierce, rapid set of three swift Chaos Punches. The spider queen hissed and groaned, backing away in torment. Tojiro released a large breath of fire from his mouth. The spider queen was reluctant to win. It shot a large webbing of dark yellow from it's mouth. Horrendously enough, the webbing was dripping with acid. It passed through Tojiro's fire breath and quickly landed on him. His fur easily melted off, then began the flesh. Tojiro released a stable blast of green Chaos energy which tore the netting to shreds. The spider queen lunged forward with it's fangs, but the Cloakmaster quickly retreated with backwards flip in the air. Once right-side up again, Tojiro released disc shaped projectiles of bright green Chaos energy. On the spider queen's left side, the first and third legs were completely sliced off by the cutting force.<p>

The spider released a spray of acid from its mouth. Tojiro pressed his left hand into the ground, raising a protective wall of earth to barricade himself from the vile liquid. Tojiro tightly gripped both sides of the stone wall and lifted it out of the ground.

Once he held it over his head, his eyes widened in surprise to see the spider queen jab its right front leg forward. Tojiro leaped backwards into the air, then smashed the large pillar of earth down on the spider queen with incredible strength. The Cloakmaster landed on the ground in front of the oversized arachnid, seeing it was lying completely still on the floor, covering the whole hall. Tojiro reverted to his human form, his eyes shut. The spider queen's eight glowing green eyes shot open.

The same went for Tojiro. He quickly readied the Chains of Fear in his hands, and quickly slid to the right to dodge a jab from one of the spider queen's legs. It shook the remainders of the chopped up rock that was on it's back. Tojiro crossed the kusarigama blades together, sparking an intense voltage of green stinging electricity. The spider queen angrily charged at Tojiro, but the Cloakmaster leaped over it. Turning himself around in the middle of the leap, he launched the two weapons, hooking them into the spider queen's back. He jerked himself forward. Tojiro landed on the spider queen's back, but suddenly fell onto his stomach once the spider queen began to angrily shake its body back and forth. Desperate, the spider queen hopped up, and smashed Tojiro into the ceiling, lodging him into it face first and chest first.

The spider queen shot a webbing of silk from its spinnerets. Tojiro quickly freed himself from the ceiling and dived down onto the spider's back again. He drove both blades from the Chains of Fear deep into the spider queen's body, releasing a horrible aching sensation of pure static lightning which Tojiro amplified with his Chaos powers. By reverting his powers into the Chains of Fear, it made the attack more painful, and ten times as agonizing than regular lightning he would use. Tojiro released the blades from the spider's flesh, and jumped forward, landing in front of the beast's head. The spider queen lunged forward, attempting to grab Tojiro in her fangs.

The Cloakmaster dangerously turned around, lodging his blades into two of the spider's fangs, immediately creating a dangerous explosion between the impact. Tojiro was sent rolling back across the floor until he ended up back on his feet, sliding to a halt. The spider queen let out her loud screech throughout the mall. Tojiro quickly looked over his shoulder, spotting the whole horde of the spider queen's children.

"That's how you want to play it? Very well. I'll kill you and your ugly offspring." said Tojiro, gripping the Chains of Fear in his hands.

The blades of the kusarigama grew with a dark forest green color. Tojiro turned around to the oncoming horde of hungry arachnids. He stuck the two weapons out to his left and right. Tojiro crouched down a bit, and then in a flash; Tojiro was surrounded in a tornado of green swirling Chaos energy. The tornado of Chaos energy stayed at the same size of his height. Tojiro charged forward towards the oncoming. Carelessly, all the spiders leaped at him. Tojiro cut through the front row, spinning off to the left, then maneuvering off to the right where he continued his ravenous carnage of spider genocide. Not wanting to waste any more of his Chaos energy, Tojiro exited the form and slid to a halt, surrounded in the middle of the pack of hungry arachnids. Tojiro first turned around to swing the kusarigama blades across six spiders, cutting them all in half.

He looked to the right, springing himself forward, spinning like a fan with the blades stuck out. He cut himself way through the swath of spiders, then landed on the face of one unfortunate arachnid, squashing it. He cut three in front of him, he slashed away at three jumpers that came from the left, and then the right.

Tojiro launched the right blade, which latched into the head of one of the ghastly creatures. He then began swinging the spider around, smacking away all the resistance so he could give himself some good old breathing room. Retracting the blade back, Tojiro swiftly turned around, seeing the spider queen come down on him, and forcing the Demigod of Death to the floor. With the spider queen gluttonously swinging its fangs close enough to Tojiro, the Cloakmaster desperately kept her back by using the Chains of Fear to keep them away from biting into his body and melting his insides. Tojiro glared angrily, his eyes full of glowing red. Tojiro released a single beam from both his eyes which blasted the spider directly in the face, and forcing the large arachnid to fall straight on its back. Tojiro jumped to his feet, but was unfortunately tackled from behind by one spider, then another, and then five more! Tojiro released a surge of stinging purple Chaos energy from his body, which burnt the spiders off him. He quickly turned around and began spinning the kusarigama weapons like fans.

This immediately released funnel shaped vortex of golden Chaos energy that exploded forward from his spinning with the Chains of Fear. The merciless blasts eradicated the numbers, leaving only sloppy remains, and pools of green mushy slime. Fully aware of the continuation of this all- out brawl, Tojiro turned around to see a foot directly kick him in the face. The Cloakmaster bumped and slammed across the floor until he slammed into a stone pillar in the middle of the open hall that was one of many in the mall network. He raised his head, seeing Kuro's face approaching his.

"Glad to see me again?" she wisely admitted.

Tojiro swung the left kusarigama blade at her, but she vanished in the blink of an eye. Tojiro looked up, and rolled backwards across the floor to avoid Kuro from impaling the Spear of Deceit straight down into Tojiro's cranium. Back on his feet, Tojiro placed the kusarigama known as the Chains of Fear, back into their holsters that were strapped onto Tojiro's waist.

"I never thought you had a taste for insects." said the Cloakmaster.

"I never thought you had a taste for persistence." she replied with her cold eyes.

Tojiro wasted no time with anymore talking. The Cloakmaster of Darkness charged forward at Kuro. Kuro returned by lunging the Spear of Deceit forward, straight at Tojiro's open ribcage. He spun around to the left, and then with his right hand, smacked the spear out of his face. He stretched his left hand, grabbing Kuro by the face. Tojiro then lunged the back of her head toward the floor, but Kuro quickly used Chaos Control to free herself of Tojiro's grip. She suddenly reappeared behind the Nightshade of Death, driving the Spear of Deceit straight through the center of back, and out his chest. The spear's blade was glowing hot blue, it was positive Chaos energy. Tojiro could feel all his insides suddenly pressure themselves. He could feel the negative Chaos energy in his body desperately block off sections in his body to stop the positive Chaos energy from spreading any further, so they wouldn't cause any real harsh damage, if being impaled wasn't enough that is.

Tojiro dropped to his knees, his hands shaking uncontrollably with the pain that continued to mulch away at his innards.

"I'm curious…do you still question the ways of others? Is that truly all you can muster for your own being? Don't you think that's a bit too shameful?" she said, pushing the spear further. Tojiro growled in even more hurtfulness. Kuro huffed with an aloof sounding.

"If one thing that, you've never let go; it's that sense of will and duty. There's…something about it." she said, whispering her words into his ear. Tojiro's eyes angrily spread wide open. A blistering red aura exploded from his body, knocking Kuro away, as well as removing the Spear of Deceit from Tojiro's body. Kuro landed herself back on the ground, her eyes appearing a bit surprised. Tojiro faced the Nightshade of War; in both his eyes was the symbol of the Great Shade Empire, the same symbol on his forehead and the back of his cloak. The black symbols having replaced his eyes, gave him even more shocking power. With the rest of his eyes shining with bright red, he growled vengefully at the Cloakmaster of War.

"So it is true. You possess the same type of power that no other Nightshade could harness; the power of a dragon." said Kuro with a pale expression.

Tojiro viciously gritted his teeth, vanishing in a quick blur. Kuro gasped silently by his sudden disappearance. He reappeared behind Kuro, sending an angry and vicious Chaos Punch to the back of her head. In just seconds, she had already turned, using the staff part of the Spear of Deceit to block his sudden strike.

"You're not normal in this form. You don't know who's friend or foe!" he claimed in a shout, pushing her forward, then leaping herself into a back flip.

The second Kuro's feet touched the ground, Tojiro had already charged at full speed directly at her. The two exchanged a series of intense jabs and blocks between each other. At one point, the two were at a temporary stalemate. Tojiro's right fist Chaos Punch was locked with Kuro's Spear of Deceit, the two metals grinding against each other, even lightning up some sparks.

"I know you're not doing this for yourself. I can tell Tojiro. I know how to tell the difference between a fraud and a truth teller." she proclaimed without loathing.

Tojiro quickly grabbed hold of Kuro by her throat with his left hand. Kuro quickly blasted Tojiro in the face with a blast of dark purple Chaos energy from her left hand. The blast gave Kuro the opportunity to escape from Tojiro's clutches, landing on the ground safely, in front of the spider queen she had summoned. Kuro steadily rose back to her feet, lowering her spear. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the Cloakmaster of Darkness was still standing, and still alive.

Kuro lowered her head a bit, glaring at her former lover.

"_Tojiro…you truly haven't changed, haven't you_?" the Cloakmaster of War thought to herself, shutting her ruby red eyes.

The black symbols in his eyes were replaced by his orange eyes, and the white in his eyes had returned to normal as well.

"If not persistent…you're definitely individualistic. Can't you concur? Tojiro-kun?" she said, opening her eyes again.

"With such a cursed power…what do you plan to do with it?" she asked plainly, her eyes shifting gaze to the holy lock that was chained around his left arm.

"And for a being that thrives on the negativity of the Chaos Force, you possess an item that keeps all things evil at bay. You must not be as determined to defeat Akuma as I thought. If you continue to keep that **holy lock** around your arm: You will surely lose more than your life."

Tojiro raised his left arm, staring at it. He had a gut feeling she was right, hating to even admit such a thing.

"It's not the spirit of the Werehog that's trying to take you over, Tojiro." Kuro surmised.

Tojiro quickly turned his gaze back to Kuro, appearing surprised.

"When you lost control at that academy for monsters, it wasn't your Werehog blood…nor was it your Werehog spirit. **It was completely something else**." explained Kuro, keeping a keen eye on Tojiro's eyes.

"What then?" he barked, grabbing the handle for the sheathed Blade of Darkness.

Kuro smiled, lowering her, and shutting her eyes. The large spider queen behind her leaped over her head and towards Tojiro. Tojiro quickly unsheathed the Blade of Darkness with haste: A large blade shaped amount of red Chaos energy erected from the sword's tip. The Cloakmaster of Darkness viciously hacked it forward. The sharp blade of summoned Chaos energy cut straight through the middle of the spider's face, and as it kept on going, the rest of its body was sliced into two. Finally, Tojiro's blade hit down on the floor. The two massive chunks of dead spider chunks slid back behind the Demigod, vanishing in a mist of purple. Tojiro looked up at Kuro who stood apart from where he was.

"Wrong answer." he confirmed, standing back up into a straight stance.

Kuro lifted her head back up, her eyes looking at the Cloakmaster, her once former love.

"You're the only Nightshade that has never been questioned to change your ways, nor change your sides. You've created your own balance…you've created your own world. That's something no other Nightshade could do." Kuro explained, her cold delicate eyes beaming at Tojiro's stubborn orange ones.

"Because they were awfully too busy lost in their problems…or ended up at the bottom of a steep ravine because they couldn't handle their nightmares." Tojiro responded irritably, getting into an offensive stance.

"I simply believe a Nightshade lives for the first purpose that pops up in their head. Having lost all of their reality…a Nightshade can only hold onto that one purpose. Don't you think so?" said Kuro, holding her spear in a figurative position behind her back, using her right arm.

"Don't tell me you're trying to think that makes a connection between us. We are **nothing** alike." he spat angrily.

"But there is no such thing as a Nightshade who is different from all the others. We may not be all alike…but we share our visions that define our persons, our abilities, _our existence_. So…what does that make you? _Tojiro-kun_?" she said in a sweet and sly tone at the end of her words.

"No one else made me this way. It was because of other people and what I did to them…is what caused me to be like this. My reasoning for existence is for vengeance. Vengeance against those who deserve to suffer more than I have. I'm going to get even…_with everyone_." he said, pointing the Blade of Darkness.

"Starting with Julius…and ending with Akuma? Is that what you believe?"

"It's a start." growled the loathing Demigod.

Kuro laughed to herself, then opened her eyes back up. Pointing the Spear of Deceit forward, Kuro announced, "As a Nightshade you callously believe in your own sense of right and wrong…and you turn that into a six sided negative. You have nothing to bet against…or anything to bet with. The forces of Hell shall come, and will take over this planet. We shall spread our evil amongst the universe. Our rule of nihilism and hatred is more powerful than whatever you can summon, Tojiro Ankoku! What say you to that?" said Kuro in a vigorous explanation. Tojiro prepared himself in a charging stance.

"Then let us begin." he said, his sword exploding with a furious aura of red Chaos energy.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Tojiro: What matters most is not the world and its rules; the lives of peace must be preserved! YOURS, Yumi! Must be ended for good!

Kuro: And what manner of war will this spell?

-Tojiro slashes through a barrier wall of purple Chaos energy, lunging forward with a thrust from his blade.-

-Kuro kicks Tojiro across the face then jabs him with the Spear of Deceit's blunt end-

Kuro: War and fraud. Deception hands you and everyone else on this world pain, Tojiro. You're not the only one that is _always_ suffering.

-Tojiro knocks away the Spear of Deceit and grabs Kuro by the throat-

Tojiro: You and I may have suffered our parents' loss to war. But for me; it is only for revenge!

-Tojiro is kicked back by a countering Kuro.-

-The Cloakmaster of War is able to grab the Spear of Deceit while upside down, landing on her feet: Meeting Tojiro face to face.-

Tojiro: CHAOS BLAST!

-Pillars of stone are eroded, the ground shredded and cracked from the controlled burst of negative Chaos energy.-

-Kuro emerges from the smoke, scarred streaks of blood crossing against her right cheek and forehead.-

Kuro: You may be benevolent to those who you pity, but no Nightshade has honor, Tojiro. We don't exist for that kind of belief. It is but foolishness.

Tojiro: I mine as well die as one if you're so determined to sully my will, Yumi.

-Tojiro is soon hit by a force of Chaos energy as thick as cement.-

-Kuro drops to her knees.-

-Tojiro charges forth, shocking the Cloakmaster of War.-

Tojiro: RASENGAN!

-Kuro is pummeled through agony and crashes through the gradually unstable floor. She finally is able to halt herself, preparing the Spear of Deceit as she sat upon one foot.-

-Tojiro charges forward again: Kuro strikes forward and impales Tojiro with the Spear of Deceit.-

-The Cloakmaster of Darkness bleeds uncontrollably from the horrifying wound; soon drizzling from his mouth.

Tojiro: W-W-Why did you join my brother...? Why allow his evil become your root...of the powerful will you once had?

-Kuro lets go of the Spear. On both knees she reaches up and uses her thumbs to heal Tojiro's face, wiping the blood away with her thumbs.-

-A sparkle on her lips kept her still in beauty.-

Kuro: I joined him...whether you believe it or not...

-Tojiro's eyes vanish of white, his orange pupils erased: Crimson red Chaos energy filling his eye sockets.

Kuro: I joined him...**so I could see you again...**

-Kuro leans forward and lovingly ties her lips around Tojiro's: All her love and feelings now trickling away, her ruby eyes shimmering whilst they remained inches from closing.

NEXT TIME!

_**CHAPTER XXIII: A GRUDGE TO BE SKEWERED?**_

___**TOJIRO ANKOKU AND YUMI AMAYA!**_


	23. Chapter XXIII

_**CHAPTER XXIII: A GRUDGE TO BE SKEWERED?**_

_**TOJIRO ANKOKU AND YUMI AMAYA!**_

**DISCLAIMER: ****I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Kuro Senso a.k.a. Yumi Amaya! They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners!**

Preparing a lightning aura of blue mixed with silver bolts of shock, Kuro readied the Spear of Deceit by delving enough of her Chaos energy to combat with Tojiro. The two immediately sprinted towards each other, clashing their weapons against one another, creating sparks of blue and red to pop out from the their two weapons. In this first strike, the two Nightshades swung themselves around then slashed their weapons at each other once again. Tojiro and Kuro exchanged a series of over the top strikes and blocks, and with each time their weapons came into contact, it lit up with sparks of bright red and blue dots. Tojiro was forced to retreat back from a swift forward jab that Kuro had maneuvered. Tojiro released a single thick bolt of red lightning out of the tip of his blade. Kuro jammed the Spear of Deceit into the floor, creating a protective barrier. The bolt exploded on impact with the barrier, summoning a large cloud of dust after the collision of power.

Kuro removed the Spear of Deceit's blade from the floor and shot a ferocious series of silver Chaos Spears, which morphed into the shapes of birds in mid-flight. Losing the aura on his sword, Tojiro charged towards the oncoming barrage. He swung his sword at every projectile, collecting it onto his evil sword, which created a growing black and red aura around the blade. He cut through three on the left, then jumped up to cut through four more. Landing back on the ground, he cut one from the right, then quickly ducked from two that came from directly ahead. Tojiro stood back up, and gripped his blade with all his force.

"Chaos Trigger! One Thousand Spears!" shouted Tojiro, pointing the Blade of Darkness forward.

Appearing from all around him, a thousand black and red Chaos Spears. The slew of pain shot towards Kuro's position. Kuro drastically swung her spear several times, which created three blue glowing pillars in front of herself. Blue lightning bolts shocked between the pillars, creating a defensive barrier. The mad barrage of Chaos Spears exploded and popped against Kuro's column barrier.

Tojiro readied his sword in his left hand, "_She's not that simple_." he thought to himself.

The three blue pillars suddenly gathered together into a large sphere. On the front, it formed into a malevolent looking face, and immediately shot towards Tojiro. The Cloakmaster quickly impaled the Blade of Darkness into the ground, then clapped his hands together.

"CHAOS BLAST!" thundered the Demon Demigod.

A red surge of energy began to cover over Tojiro's entire blade. He quickly removed it from the ground then pointed it forward, releasing a large red beam from the tip of the sword. The beam collided with vigorous intent against Kuro's large blue Chaos Sphere. The two forces grinded against each other, complete opposites in a total lockdown between each other. Tojiro kept his sword pointed forward, which the stream of Chaos energy continued to release from his sword. Kuro kept her left hand stuck out, keeping her Chaos Sphere powered by herself. The two Nightshades were dreadfully tired, worn out from focusing their powers from out of the very tips of their fingers. Tojiro finally let his anger get the best of him, having no other choice. The entire red beam that was challenging against Kuro's Chaos Sphere suddenly turned crimson red, and blasted through Kuro's large Chaos Sphere and impacted her dead on, resulting in blowing away half of the mall structure behind her. Tojiro lowered his arm that held he used to hold his sword, gripping his right shoulder.

Kuro was against the wall, sitting on the floor. Walking through the cloud of smoke that surrounded her was Tojiro, glaring down at her with his furious orange eyes.

"You really never understood what it meant to be heartless." said the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"It doesn't matter, right?" she said, blasting Tojiro back with a painful blast of blue Chaos energy from her right hand.

Tojiro soared out of the smoke and crashed through the window of a department store. Kuro hoisted the Spear of Deceit off the ground and lunged out of the smoke, and went through the shattered window, landing in front of Tojiro's corpse which slowly began to stir. Kuro stabbed her spear down at his chest, but the Demigod quickly rolled onto his back, blocking it her attack with the Blade of Darkness.

"Who are you to even speak about being a heartless? Out of all the Nightshades that existed…history has deemed you as the worst." said Kuro wisely.

Tojiro pointed his foot at her chest, releasing a blast yellow Chaos energy, shooting her back into the mall.

"I don't need to impress history, to Hell with it." Tojiro said, as he was back on his feet and walking through the shattered window of the department store.

"And yet you protect others? Do you even realize how much that baffles some people? The heartless symbol of death, a lone walker of evil. Yet it doesn't sustain because of your so called beliefs." Kuro hissed at the Demigod.

"It's not just belief…it's what I believe in. It's all I have to hold on to. Nothing else can bring me to peace…only killing you, and the rest of the Hell Gods will do that." he said, releasing a series of red Chaos Spears.

Kuro released an oversized amount of larger blue Chaos Spears. Tojiro prepared a black protective barrier around himself to shield his body from Kuro's ability to manipulate positive Chaos energy. The large projectiles exploded into flames of blue, releasing a catalyst of smoke along with it. Tojiro stormed out of the smoke cloud, inches up to Kuro, releasing a surge of green Chaos energy to her chest, blasting her through a store wall behind her. Tojiro quickly charged in after her, grabbing her by the foot. He quickly turned around in the process, tossing her through a pillar in the middle of the clothing store, through a window in the front, and smashing through a cell phone booth in the middle of the hall. Tojiro quickly appeared outside the store, hoisting Kuro up by the hood on her cloak.

"You and your petty Hell Gods have disgraced the name of our people, and I'm not going to let you off so easily." said Tojiro angrily.

Kuro vanished with Chaos Control, reappearing a few feet behind him.

"What makes the name of a Nightshade so honorable? No Nightshade knows honor, Tojiro." presumed the Cloakmaster of War.

"Yeah, that may be true…but I'm one of the few Nightshades who knows more about reason than honor!" he shouted, firing a spinning funnel of swift yellow Chaos energy.

Kuro jumped through the open section in the very middle, spinning gracefully through the blast. Once landing on the other side, she fired a blast of blue flames from the tip of her spear. Tojiro raised a chunk of earth out of the ground, which was suddenly coated in orange warped Chaos energy. He shot it forwards at the incoming fire blast. The earth was blown to pieces, and the blast of blue fire hit Tojiro with deadly precision. However, small bits of glowing orange rock littered the floor around Kuro. Like cherry bombs, they exploded all around her, causing enough damage to create a nasty sized hole in the floor off the tiled walking area. Tojiro rose to his feet, suddenly jumping up into the air to dodge a wall of black shocking Chaos energy.

Kuro suddenly appeared in front of Tojiro, delivering three swift and elegant punches, then five kicks to the chest, and finally wrapping it up by slamming the other end of Kuro's spear down on the crown of Tojiro's head, launching him back into the ground. Kuro dove down to her foe, with the Spear of Deceit aiming for the center of his chest. Tojiro leaned back, appearing like he was going to simply jump back to his feet. Instead, with his feet aimed up, he pushed himself off the floor. Tojiro was spinning in a spiral function, both his feet drilling straight into Kuro's chest. The force of the impact shot Kuro in the ceiling, lodging her into it, but not for long. Once she was released from the ceiling wall, Tojiro grabbed her by the collar of her cloak, spun her around and tossed her back to the ground. Kuro was reluctant and persistent like Tojiro knew her to be, safely landing on her feet instead. The minute she turned around and looked up, all she heard from Tojiro was one word.

"RASENGAN!" he shouted, driving the whirling ball of chakra. Kuro was able to create a blue barrier, sparking an intense light show of power to explode outward from the impact. Kuro was shoved across the floor on her, literally tearing through it, leaving a long swath of earth in her wake.

Kuro tiredly, and in great enough agony, raised her head up to look at the Cloakmaster of Darkness that stood far apart from where she currently was. Tojiro looked at his left hand, creating another sphere of whirling chakra, but this time, it turned blood red.

"_That power…I've never seen him do something like it before_." Kuro thought to herself with a grudge, as she rose back to her feet. Tojiro locked his eyes back on his foe.

"You sure must have had a lot of trips while journeying around on your own, am I right? Especially by picking up that technique you just used." said the Cloakmaster of War.

"Don't worry…it won't be any of your business once I kill you with it."

"You definitely inspire confidence, but never have I noticed you could do it to yourself, Tojiro-kun." amplified Kuro.

"Most lessons are better learned through pain." he divulged.

"Then would you mind standing still?" she replied, creating a wild array of golden Chaos energy around her hands.

Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness and charged forward with his 'Chaos Rasengan'. Kuro readied the Spear of Deceit and forced the spear into the ground. Shooting up like spouts of steam, a series of burning golden Chaos energy shot up from the floor. Tojiro hastily spun to the left, then leaped to the right. Kuro maneuvered her hands in the air. Up ahead, a spout shot up, and then fell over sideways. Just inches away, Tojiro slid onto his knees, and passed right under. Tojiro got to his feet, and stretched his Chaos Rasengan out towards Kuro. As if it was in slow motion, Kuro collided her right fist that was swarming with golden Chaos energy against Tojiro's incoming Chaos Rasengan.

The collision of such powerful attacks created a mass explosion of flames and smoke. Tojiro was thrown far down the mall and smashed through the floor several times, until he slammed through a stone pillar, which accelerated the pain all onto his back and spine. He punched the ground with anger, looking up to see Kuro already charging him. Tojiro grabbed her foot, then stood up, and delivered a straight Chaos Punch directly to Kuro's face.

Kuro went soaring towards the ceiling, but was quickly tossed back to the ground once Tojiro appeared behind her out of Chaos Control, delivering a mindless and anger filled double kick to her back. Kuro smacked directly back into the ground, face and chest first. Kuro sat up, looking over her shoulder, seeing the rage filled Cloakmaster Ankoku dive down at her. Her red eyes shook with some fright, _some_. Kuro quickly prepared the Spear of Deceit in both her hands, looking up with a sad and grave look. Tojiro swung angrily down at her, but an opposing force had other ideas. Kuro was on one knee, with the Spear of Deceit impaled through the center of Tojiro's chest.

Tojiro was standing before her, bleeding voraciously from the mouth, but strangely enough, he appeared in no pain at all. His eyes were replaced with full red glowing hatred. His teeth were gritted, and the Cloakmaster's breathing was hoarse.

"Why? Give me a simple and truthful answer you damn fraud. Why would you join my brother's pathetic league of squanderers for pain?" Tojiro asked angrily.

Unfortunately on Tojiro's part, he didn't get an immediate answer, something he can respect from people if they actually think precisely, and respond in the same way.

"Because…because whether you believe it or not…" she began quietly. Tojiro's eyes grew a suspicious look, feeling this was yet another lie.

Kuro looked up at Tojiro, and grabbed both sides of his face with her gentle hands, with black thin gloves on them. Tojiro looked at Kuro with his mouth gaped a bit. Like any Nightshade that shows sincere, sad, or hopeless feelings because of another, Kuro was crying tears of blood. When a Nightshade does such a thing with their emotions, their skull begins to crush and crack from the inside out, and if that Nightshade refused to stop crying, their head would simply crack open, resulting in their immediate death.

"I joined him…_**so I could see you again**_." she said, her eyes in a saddened look.

* * *

><p>Kuro lovingly pressed her lips against Tojiro's. Her eyes slowly closed, and the sorrowful tears continued to flow from her eyes. Their lips were locked in a very enticing match. Tojiro's full red eyes remained open, and quaking. It was rather unknown to tell if he was surprised or simply more angrier than before. In what could be considered one of Tojiro's highly rare and very few tender moments, the two were under a shining light, making the scene rapturous. From just a few feet away stood Ikko, Chitose, Haruka, Sumi and Yuko, all reunited. Everyone appeared shocked at such a scene, but Haruka looked tremendously happy.<p>

"That girl attempted to kill us, fought the hell out of Tojiro, stabbed him in the chest, and now they're kissing?" exclaimed the utterly question less Yuko.

"This guy is going to put us in our grave." said the tormented Ikko.

"I'm so glad they've been able to get along so nicely? Right?" said Haruka, wearing her gracious smile.

"How can you even think of something like that?" exclaimed the whole gang, leaving Haruka slightly outnumbered, and a bit embarrassed.

Kuro broke from the kiss, her lips still puckered and her eyes only half the way open. Tojiro's full red eyes vanished, and his orange ones returned. The white of his eyes returned as well. Tojiro grew a sudden look of distaste. He grabbed the staff part of her spear and pushed the weapon out of his chest, then quickly took out Black Death and shot a good round into Kuro's stomach. She was thrown far back from the effectiveness of Tojiro's large ebony revolver. Kuro raised her head, placing her right hand over the wound Tojiro _rewarded_ her with.

"It doesn't surprise me that you wouldn't have done that earlier." she announced.

Tojiro placed Black Death back in his holster, pointing his right open palm out at her. A lethal ball of Chaos Fear formed in it. Kuro's eyes widened by shock.

"Get out of my sight." Tojiro said darkly.

Kuro slowly stood up into a straight pose, holding the Spear of Deceit like a staff. Tojiro's eyes grew even more dissatisfying. Kuro closed her eyes, then whisked away in pedals of blue light. Tojiro made the orb of Chaos Fear immediately vanish, lowering his right hand in process. He disturbingly turned towards the others, who he caught approaching him. Tojiro turned towards the group. Taking a single step forward, a wave of sudden hurt and emotion washed over him, causing him to collapse to the floor.

"Oh great!" Yuko exclaimed, hurrying over to him.

"What's wrong with him?" called Sumi, following with the group.

Tojiro was laying with his back toward the floor, and his left arm over his chest. He cringed his eyes, feeling like his vision was escaping him. The monk and nuns crowded around him.

"Say something, Tojiro! Come on!" said Yuko, _slapping him_! Tojiro's eyes grew wide.

"I think that worked!" braced Haruka.

"Quick, do it again, Yuko!" replied Chitose.

Yuko slapped Tojiro more seriously this time.

"All right! Good god, stop this idiocy why don't you!" he yelled, sitting up cautiously.

"You going to be alright?" said Yuko, resting her hand on his shoulder. Tojiro grumbled and threw his hood over his head, then reverted to his hedgehog form.

"I shall." he said, looking at Yuko, then noticing her hand. Yuko noticed it as well, quickly pulling it away with all sorts of nervousness. Tojiro rose to his feet achingly, holding his right knee.

"Are you going to be able to stand up?" asked Sumi, her hands clasped to her mouth.

Tojiro stretched his back, a few worth while cracks and stiffening were loosened up. Tojiro let his arms drape as he stood in a slouched stance.

"Just be concerned of your own being. Don't waste your sympathy…especially on a Nightshade like me." he said gravely, standing up straight and walking forward.

The group behind appeared questionable, and indeed they could have asked for all the answers they were curious for, but Tojiro's sudden attitude and few words told them some things are better left alone. In Tojiro's case, however, it was more better to leave it in his past, where most of his mistakes and violent sins occurred.

"Purpose…reason…judgment. Three things that Kuro obviously believes I hold a flaw in. Who is one Nightshade to judge another for their own said duties? Mine don't matter because they are absolute. Akuma and the rest of his vile band deserve the pit's of Hell they've been given. Once that time comes, that one single chance I get…I will have my ultimate revenge against those who are the reason for me being here. The Shade Priests weren't at fault…neither was my father," sworn the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

" **It was our civilization that was at fault**. We honored a god who was known as the invincible ruler of chaos, but that title is what drove him to be a failure, and costing him his life at the same time. Our people are the fools, and Akuma's just the ring leader. Our people is the reason I lost control and killed my mother, it forced me to believe in the cold empty fact that my father died the night I was born…it was all to be blamed on me. I…as the last Nightshade carry my people's mistakes…and with those mistakes…I'll carry them on my shoulders forever, no matter where my accursed path in life takes me…I shall carry our mistakes….as well as my very own. My crimes, my sins, the people I've murdered were all out of a hunger for revenge. I blamed the world for giving me this curse…and I know I'm right. If this world gave birth to Ryu Kaze, the man we viewed to be honored in our civilization…it gave birth to all the Nightshades before me. If killing those who don't deserve a spot in this world is my path…I'll gladly continue it. Because those who disrespect the lives of others…don't deserve their own. That's my revenge, that's the vengeance I seek…and I _**shall have it**_." narrated Tojiro's darkly estranged voice.

From behind the Cloakmaster, walked the rest of the group. "It's as if he brings more and more problems to us the longer we stay with him! I'm beginning to feel uncomfortable about all this." explained Yuko, crossing her arms as she walked.

"You shouldn't forget that he was there to protect us, Yuko. He didn't want us in danger, and he told us to run." Sumi invoked rightfully.

"Who here even trusts him?" Ikko suddenly spoke up.

The group remained unanimous in silence, not willing to say yes, or even say _no_ to the monk's question.

"If Tojiro's been with us since the very beginning of this problem, I'd doubt he would want to hurt us. Haven't you seen him?" Chitose added.

"It won't really matter if he suddenly snaps and decides to get out of here all on his own." Yuko complained.

"Yuko!" exclaimed the annoyed Chitose.

"Sure he's done a great job and everything, but I'm not surprised Sakura has something against him being around us."

"I'm sure whatever reason he has it's the right one in mind. So let's leave it at that, okay?" Haruka responded, wanting to drop the ongoing argument that could lead to even worse complications.

Up ahead, Tojiro decided it was time. The Cloakmaster went over to the left wall and sat down with all his restlessness, _trying_ to slowly slip away from his aching body.

"What's up Tojiro? Why are we stopping?" asked the blue haired girl.

"We're taking a break. What does it look like _I'm_ doing?" he replied annoyingly.

"Shouldn't we keeping moving? If we stop, we'll get attacked again." noted Sumi cautiously.

"I'm in no mood to continue fighting for no reason at all. It is best to enforce violence when there are people who deserve it at the time. Right now…I don't see anything. Besides, Kuro used up a lot of her Chaos energy so she won't be able to summon anything freakish or perform such pathetic ambushes. Hell, we may even be lucky if the illusion she created around this mall is weakening due to her overuse of her Chaos powers when she was fighting me." the Demigod explained to them, laying his head back against the wall.

The group did exchange some nervous looks, but were good enough to believe in what Tojiro had to say. The group sat down, and decided to ease their spirits for moment being. As some time passed, the strange filament of silence worked a number on the group. They didn't know what time it was, couldn't tell what was going on outside, and had to deal with the unfortunate truth that they were stuck in a mall with a heartless demon who had a less than evil of a past, that's even counting the recent squabble he had with Kuro earlier.

Everyone was asleep but one; Haruka Amanogawa. Her kind blue eyes were still wide awake, looking at the Cloakmaster who had his arms crossed. Tojiro was busy holding the skull hairpin he made a necklace out. With it dangling from around his neck, he held the item with his right hand, between two of his metal fingers. He breathed out through his nose, then freed it from his hand, letting the skull pin dangle on the chain that ran through the top of it. Haruka tilted her head a bit at his actions which she considered _off-beat_. Tojiro finally caught eye of the blonde haired girl staring at him.

"You should get some rest instead of looking at me, you know." he enforced with irritation.

"Yeah, I could." she responded quietly.

"Then if you can't, stare at something else." he snapped.

Haruka hummed, then walked over to him. Tojiro of course watched her every move. She sat down next to him, looking at the skull pin necklace.

"I noticed it before…but, where did you get _that_ from?" she asked.

"What?" he replied.

"_That_!" she responded, pointing at it.

Tojiro put his hand over it, gripping it in his right hand.

"Business with someone that refused to believe in the better good. Only worried about her own feelings." he said, staring forward.

"Another girl problem, huh?" said the smiling nun.

"It's not a problem, as you call it. I saw it as a complication that needed to be dealt with…and I'm glad it turned out this way. Don't be so foolish." he said to her in a careless tone of voice.

"If you ask me, I don't think you should worry."

"First off; who's asking you? Second; who's the one worrying right now? I think it's you, Haruka." he said, looking at her, then staring his gaze back forward.

"Yet you look at it like it's your own type of treasure. Do you think you did something wrong? Or was it something she did wrong?" Haruka asked, her head turned towards the Demon Demigod.

"Interesting that you believe that one fault can come from either source. It's a good thing you realize that in people." Tojiro noted in a respectful tone.

"Thank you, Tojiro!" she replied in a gleeful response.

Silence slowly founded its way back over the scene, and who is there to be surprised? With only some of the lights on, and sitting next to an unearthly demon like Tojiro. It wasn't as easy to strike up any type of conversation or small talk, so give Haruka some credit for actually being able to sit next to him! Haruka looked at the exposed necklace again.

"Tojiro…may I see it?" she said, holding her hand out. His orange eyes vanished, so only blank white remained. Haruka's eyebrows rose a bit, looking into the hood, getting a good look of the hedgehog's face.

"That is…if you don't want to. I'll understand." said Haruka, pulling her hand back.

Once her back was against the wall, Tojiro was holding the necklace in front of her. Holding it with his left hand, his head wasn't even turned to her. Haruka smiled, and took it, leaving Tojiro to pull his hand back.

"Really creative to make it a necklace, Tojiro. I'd say it really fits you, don't you think?" she said in response to observing the item.

"I'm surprised." his voice spoke up.

Haruka turned her head back to him, looking confused.

"You're the first one to say that…and here I was expecting it would be _her_ instead." he acknowledged coldly.

"Oh…I see. Were you even expecting to see her again?" she asked with curiosity, but respect for whatever kind of feelings Tojiro had.

"Don't worry. I made sure she got back to the home she deserves. She's with people she cares and loves for. Why should I be involved with a life that can find its own peace without me?" he said, looking up at the ceiling.

Haruka looked back at the necklace.

"Give me your hand." she said, looking at him.

"Hmm?" replied the cloaked hedgehog.

Haruka grabbed the wrist of his right hand and pulled it towards her.

She rested the necklace in the center of his cold metal hand, then closed the metal claw fingers over it.

"I know you may not believe me…but I have some kind of feeling she needs you more…than you need her." Haruka said brightly.

Tojiro's blank white eyes looked down to his hand, opening his hand, and taking the necklace out of his palm. Holding it in front of his eyes with his left hand, his mind began to race with Haruka's words, but was it something he could believe in? Even trust in? Whatever small negotiation that raced through his chaotic mind…he let it pass on by. The Cloakmaster of Darkness lowered his hood, then put the necklace back on, then lowered his hood back up.

Taking in a sigh, "Haruka, I-" he said, turning his head to the right, but the only thing he saw was her fast asleep, with her head resting on his shoulder.

Tojiro sighed in a grumbled fashion, turning his head forward, keeping himself awake. "No harm shall come. None shall come…**as long as you have me around**." the Cloakmaster said in a surprisingly, gentle tone.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

Simon: What is it that Yoko did, exactly? She can't be executed for it can she?

-Simon bursts into Orion's office as the warden hedgehog turns around in his chair.-

Sonic: As fearless as she is, Yoko can't be doomed to isolation, Orion.

Shadow: Certainly. The girl can handle many things, but foolishness is not one of them.

Orion: I stand as the warden of this place not you three! -Orion angrily rises from his seat.-

-The trio leave the room.-

Shadow: He assured to not increase her years of conviction, Simon.

Sonic: Yeah! Orion may be as stubborn as faker there, and quick in the head that may shun my own speed; but Orion can't doom everyone by insubordination!

Simon: The only trust I would have...is to have it in _**him**_.

-In the library of Silver Sanctum Prison-

Dominic:** The Chaos Mages**: _**The Seven Gods of Chaos**_.

Yoko: And they're the ones who created Chaos energy?

Dominic: They all perished millenia upon eons ago that is. Only a single one exists; and he is famous for building the endless network of dimensions and worlds.

Yoko: And if I go back to present time and get Tojiro to find this last Chaos God; he'll give him the power to stop Akuma?

Kyon: And how is that plan going to come up to fruition?

Kenji: That snarky bastard's office will be her ticket out of here. -Stepping into the library.-

Haruhi: His office...don't tell me

Dominic: Orion's office possesses a working Chaos Tunneler Portal. That shall be it!

Kenji: Bingo.

NEXT TIME!

_**CHAPTER XXIV: LEGENDS BEYOND FREEDOM!**_

___**ESCAPING ORION'S SILVER SANCTUM PRISON!**_


	24. Chapter XXIV

_**CHAPTER XXIV: LEGENDS BEYOND FREEDOM!**_

_**ESCAPING ORION'S SILVER SANCTUM PRISON**_

__**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Kenji Haruki, Orion and Dominic! They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their rightful creators/copyright owners.  
><strong>

_**Underground Prison Complex, Main Sanctum, 10:30 am**_

A day had passed, and Simon was vigorously determined to bring Yoko back just as Orion said. The young man walked through a silver metal hallway. Simon straightened his clothes, and passed around the corner. His eyes widened a bit. Up ahead, there was the door to Orion's office, but standing next to it was Shadow the Hedgehog along with Sonic the Hedgehog. Simon's eyebrows curved into a stare and he walked up the hall. Sonic spotted the pilot of the famous Gurren Lagann.

"Hey there Simon! How's it going?" greeted the Blue Blur.

"Why are you so _late_?" asked Shadow with a piercing tone.

"You two can break the sound barrier just by running. So don't give me such a hard time!" snapped Simon.

"We're just messing with you of course." Sonic assured.

"So what's up with you two standing out here? Is Orion not here? He better be!" Simon inflicted angrily.

"The feelings' mutual. For some reason, I don't know why he's taking his time. He never missed something important like this before." said the blue hedgehog.

"Well, for some reason, I don't know why I simply haven't broken this damn door down yet." Shadow put in a dark tone.

"See? He's even getting on Shadow's nerves!" notified Sonic, smirking anyway.

"Laugh it up faker…" grumbled the Ultimate Life Form.

"So nothing then? Have either of you even seen him before you got _here_?" asked the desperate Simon.

"Nope. Have you Shadow? You were out trying to find him, weren't you?" Sonic responded, turning his head to Shadow.

"Not even a bit of his Chaos energy. I couldn't sense him anywhere. Seems something must have happened over the time that had passed." Shadow explained in a figurative, but nonchalant tone.

"So…what? You think it involves Yoko?" Simon asked, sounding more curious and demanding.

"I'm not saying it involved her. I'm not even saying anything could have happened. You should just take in a damn breath of air instead. You'll have a heart attack before you even get to see either Orion or Yoko." Shadow responded in his typical attitude.

"Then I won't wait any longer!" Simon exclaimed, pushing the doors open, with Sonic and Shadow quickly responding to stand behind him.

It was a rather large office, really large. It had a red carpet flooring, several bookshelves on the left and right sides, and a Chaos Portal on the right side of the room. It was an arched gate of metal, with the white portal in the center. Just on entering, Orion walked out of the gate, lowering his hood.

"Ahh, it's you three." he welcomed in a simple tone, walking to his desk.

Orion's desk definitely looked like it had some money put into it. It was the type of desk a corporate giant would use in their office. He sat down at his desk, and laced his fingers together, looking questionably at the three.

"May I help you this fine day?" Orion began.

"You should know why I'm here." Simon answered by stepping forth.

"Yes, of course. The girl. Let me tell you something; do you hate bad news?" said the former bounty hunter, sitting back in his chair.

"You ARE going to let her go, Orion! I won't take _no_ for an answer!" Simon shouted with vigor.

"Then you must accept my apologies. Yoko screwed up, and I refuse to let someone in _my_ prison to leave with a slap on the wrist." replied Orion intently.

"What did she do?" asked the staunch Shadow.

"During one of our fights, Yoko jumped into the arena and assisted Kenji…I don't tolerate that kind of foolishness." said Orion, tempting his anger.

"Kenji? That crazy gladiator like guy? Well, it doesn't surprise me." said the Blue Blur.

"Whatever Yoko's reasoning, she did it to protect Kenji from getting killed. For some dumb reason, and I do believe it's stupid, Yoko trusts him." said Shadow.

"You're clearly out of line, Shadow. Yoko did it because she was scared and being pathetic, much like the three of you. None of you wouldn't be here in my office if it weren't for Yoko's stubborn determination. I would have already sent her home last night, but that radical decision of hers changed my opinion greatly." Orion barked in defense, standing up from his chair, both hands on his desk.

"I'll give you this one warning; try anything stupid, you shall be kept in this prison. Do anything foolish; and I'll have you all executed on the spot. Is that understood?" said Orion, pointing his finger between the three.

They all remained silent. "Then I take your silence as a _yes_. You can pick up the girl in the next month or so." said Orion, sitting down and working on some of his papers.

Simon, filled with rage, charged for his desk. Simon was forced to stop once Orion held up his left hand, creating a white aura around Simon's body, stopping him in his tracks. Orion's eyes trailed up from his desk and to Simon.

"You know how foolish you're being, right?" said the vague Orion.

"You're the foolish one! If Tojiro was here, he'd rip you and this whole place apart!" Simon angrily yelled.

Orion, in frustration smashed Simon into the ceiling, then let him fall back onto the floor.

"You're certainly brave at mentioning his name, you better realize that his accursed life is over! He's not coming back. He's dead! And in Hell where he belongs!" showered the offended Orion.

Simon raised his head up, glaring with anger at Orion.

"The mere mentioning of such a name requires service time in the prison, up to fifteen years at least. But I'll show mercy and not throw you in my prison." said the once famed bounty hunter, sitting back in his chair.

"Is it because you're afraid? You're too much of a coward to." Simon spat, getting back to his feet.

"Ohhh, I know how much you would too! You just want to be thrown into my prison so you can see your delicate Yoko again, and attempt to escape. I won't allow you that kind of happiness or freedom. I won't throw Kamina City's factual leader in here just for the reason to save another, that's not how I work! Now leave this place! You are no longer allowed to come near this facility ever again." Orion ordered down, his eyes full of righteousness.

Three sentinel guards appeared behind Sonic and Shadow. The Ultimate Life Form grabbed firm hold of the Chaos Sword.

"No Shadow." Sonic muttered.

The ebony hedgehog turned his head at the Blue Blur.

"We don't need this trouble. Especially if it would cause any harm to Kamina City. Hand off the sword…now." Sonic demanded, his eyes in an intense glare.

Shadow did as the Blue Blur requested. Simon stood where he was, his clenched fists were shaking uncontrollably.

"He will come back." mumbled Simon.

Orion raised an eyebrow, not impressed.

"Tojiro is alive! I know it! We all know it! And once he returns, he'll reduce this whole place to rubble, and you're going to die. It's a promise." Simon swore with intense belief.

"With that kind of attitude, I know you don't belong here. Your problems can be solved outside this facility. And as for that pathetic show of determination…" Orion said, walking over to a bookshelf.

His fingers traced through the shelves on the middle book rack. Orion grabbed a black one, with a familiar looking symbol on its spine.

Orion turned towards Simon, "…You want to see Tojiro so bad? Here you go." said Orion, pulling the book back an inch or so.

The book shelf in the middle retracted into the floor, and revealed behind a glass frame was; Tojiro's very own cloak. It was horribly ripped and torn, the white symbol of the Great Shade Empire had an X crossed through it.

"This is all that returned to the surface. Tojiro succeeded in making himself the last Nightshade a second time by killing his brother; Akuma Kyofu. Yet he couldn't even save himself. The Cloakmaster of Darkness was done away by history. Face it Simon…**history has finally erased him for good**." said Orion, crossing his arms. Simon's eyes shook with awful awe, unwilling to believe it.

It took only minutes until Simon, Sonic, and Shadow were out of Orion's office. Simon was instinctively up ahead, his anger and emotions raveled into a rather sickening mix. Aware that Yoko is forced to stay in such a place for another whole month, Simon was regrettably giving a look at the truth that the Cloakmaster of Darkness was truly gone from the world. Unable to see a good friend, and the news that he lost another, Simon formed tears in his angered eyes, unwilling to let his sadness get the best of him, knowing it's not something Tojiro would allow him to do. It was sadness, that's all it was.

The saddening truth that Tojiro left seven years ago to journey through the Nine Circles of Hell to reach the very pit of Treachery. There he faced his blood brother in a spectacular battle, a battle that no one witnessed. The simple thought of having to believe that such a timeline exists would be enough to make you give up in such a dynamic struggle. A sense of justice told Simon that this whole idea was wrong, the whole idea of Orion being allowed to help them finish off the Anti-Spirals, and to top it all off, Simon and the rest of Kamina City were unknowing that their so-called benefactors were lying straight to their faces.

The creation of such a horrific facility; it gave Simon a message. A message to tell the rest of Kamina City. However, such a revelation would create a sudden spark between Orion's forces and the forces of Kamina City. It could spawn into a whole another war; a war that could cost Simon and his city greatly. It was the worst time to be in his shoes right now. If war was waged, Kamina City would suffer great casualties, and Orion isn't a sucker for betrayal. He could level the whole city with what he has at hand. No matter what Simon could think of, Orion had all the trump cards in this situation, and there was nothing he could do to officially show peace to anyone. In the most complicated of situations, Simon was forced to react with the most simplest of actions; **do nothing**.

* * *

><p>Far off inside the prison facility junction, the scene changed to a library. Dominic was running his fingers through a set of dusty old books. He finally stopped at a large encyclopedia sized one. He removed it from it's shelf and walked down the isle. He came out, and placed the book down on the table where Yoko was already looking through some.<p>

"What's with this one? I thought we got enough?" she said, closing the book she was reading.

"He's just determined because this one has more on Chaos energy than any others. It's pretty much like everything you need to know about it." said Silver, arriving at the table.

"So they finally found something I hope?" said Kyon, arriving as well.

"Don't ask me! Like I know anything about this stuff!" exclaimed Haruhi, who was back in her school uniform.

"So tell what this book has that the others don't? We looked through about ten already." noted Yoko.

"You need to know where to look, Miss Littner. Not everything you find in the library can be true, nor fake." responded the old high priest, opening the book up.

"Let me see…the origination. The birth of the Chaos Force." said Dominic, reading through the paragraphs.

"And? What else?" asked the persistent Haruhi.

"The Chaos Force was an already magnificent force of power on its own before any individual or being tried to wield it inside their body." said the interested Dominic, his eyes still glued into the book.

"So then what? Where did it originate from?" asked Kyon.

Placing his hands on the book, Dominic raised his head. "The Chaos Force was its own mystical power, if I had to put into simple terms. It was discovered by a group of people; _**The Chaos Mages**_. They were the first to manipulate it, control it, and even bend it to their will. The book says that the Chaos Mages created all forms of Chaos energy, including the elemental types. Blue stood for water, purification and positivity. Green stood for wind, precision, and speed. Yellow stood for lightning, strength, and longevity. Cyan stood for elemental techniques, life, and immortality. Purple stood for poison, control, and desire. White stood for light, perfection, and justice. Finally, Red stood for fire, fear, and death. There were seven Chaos Mages…and thus…"

"They created the seven Chaos Emeralds?" Silver inputted with amazement.

"Correct. It seems they sealed the power of the Chaos Force in each of these emeralds. For whoever would use the emeralds, would forever contain a part of the Chaos Force within their bodies. Extraordinary, isn't it?" said the high priest.

"If the Chaos Mages were first to seal these powers in the Chaos Emeralds, then how did it spread amongst the world? How was the Great Shade Empire even able to begin the art of studying Chaos energy?" asked the silver hedgehog.

"Very good question; yet that remains a mystery. It might have been possible once the Chaos Emeralds were first discovered by other mortals, they wanted that power, and you know the rest of course." said Dominic uncharacteristically, simply wanting to read more from the book.

"Are any of the Chaos Mages still alive?" asked Yoko.

"All of them had passed. Wait, hold on…" said Dominic, eyeballing the book's text further. The group patiently awaited his answer.

"AH HA!" he exclaimed, shocking the group around him.

"Indeed…but only one is still alive." said the high priest, his voice changing into a drastic tone.

"Okay! Which one is it?" asked Yoko.

"The creator of the Red Chaos Emerald; **Osamu Tatsuya**. The very man who created Chaos Fear, the single most lethal power amongst every technique that's been created under the title; Chaos. He's a very dangerous man, I don't even know if it's possible we can even find him. We should stop reading, we-"

"We came _this_ far, Dominic! I'm not going to just give up! What else does it say about him?" said the confident Yoko.

Dominic let out a tiredly sigh, closing the white book. Dominic looked between the eyes of those who were waiting for him to continue. "The Seven Chaos Mages all existed in one spiritual world. A world where some say, the place a Nightshade goes when they die." he began.

The group looked excessively interested.

"So we can find Tojiro there?" said Yoko, a face of hope on her expression.

"We shouldn't rule it out, but we shouldn't rule it in either. The realm which I speak of is the only dimension that can't be reached by Chaos Control, or any other Chaos technique that requires time powers. The realm I'm speaking of is called **Paragon**. It is the largest dimension ever created, and it houses many supernatural beings within it. However, the reason I mention it is because of it's importance. **Paragon is the central hub for every other dimension, realm, or altered dimension in the entire multi-verse**. Picture it as a large highway; on all its sides it has streams of portal energy which you can call off-ramps or what not, and they can take you to any world or dimension. All these chutes that shoot off from the very hub of Paragon will take you to another land. It's truly the most spectacular land ever formed. That's where you'll find Osamu, and there aren't very many ways to get there nowadays."

"Something tells me you have another idea right?" a decisive Yoko answered.

"It's a bit of fluke, but I will explain it nonetheless. Remember in the fight with Kenji and Zang? Kenji's eyes turned into that strange pattern of symbols?" he began, clasping his hands together on the table.

"They reminded me of Tojiro's when the same mark on his forehead appears in his eyes. What about it?" said the red haired sharpshooter.

"Those eyes are also a Chaos technique." he revealed.

"What? Just those eyes that Kenji wielded is an ability of the Chaos Force? But how?" responded the surprised Silver.

"The technique was passed down through generations of the Great Shade Empire. By what I've discovered, only skilled and powerful people were to possess such a technique like this one. Mainly Nightshades wanted this so they could alter and bend the wills of the Chaos energy inside their body. Only very few people outside the Great Shade Empire were able to master this technique."

"What's the name of it?" asked Haruhi, sitting down at the table.

"The Lunar Shadow Eye, **otherwise known as the Tsukikagegan**. Tojiro's Tsukikagegan is that of the Dragon inside him which appears in his eyes as the same marking of his people, and the same mark on his forehead. The technique is more visually used to output your Chaos energy into a type of adrenaline boost. Once you've readied the Tsukikagegan, all your Chaos energy is flowing wildly inside your body. A simple snap of the fingers can create a single Chaos Blast." continued Dominic.

"So what purpose does the Tsukikagegan have to do with reaching Paragon?" responded Yoko.

"To reach Paragon, you must find one of its very few revealed portals, and I'm unaware of any." responded Dominic, sitting back in his chair.

"So does the Tsukikagegan give off some kind of signal? Like once you find the portal to Paragon, the only way in is-"

"Is to show you have the ability. The Seven Chaos Mages were first to use this power, that's why they created it as the only passable way to reach Paragon. It's a shame Tojiro's unaware of it, though. This would have been much, much easier." Dominic explained by interruption.

"Tojiro's dead. How are we even suppose to get there then?" added Kyon.

"No. He's not dead." stated a bold Yoko.

Everyone turned their heads toward her. "Not in the present timeline at least." she said with determination.

"True. But what would be the point? How would Osamu be able to help Tojiro and ensure he stops Akuma the right way?" included Kyon.

"In the present timeline, Tojiro has to find these weapons. Some kind of weapons that lead to this scythe." said Yoko, placing her hands on the table.

"Ahhh. The Nightmare Scythe. Of course!" said the excited Dominic.

"I need to get back to the present, and fast." said Yoko, standing up.

"I'm sure Osamu will reveal the truth about the Nightmare Scythe's location, as well as the hidden power that must be unlocked within it!" Dominic responded with excitement.

"How then? How's Yoko going to return to the present?" pestered Kyon.

"The portal in Orion's office." said a voice.

The group all turned to see Kenji Haruki, his arms crossed. "It's the only portal in this hell hole of a prison. That's the only way you can get to the timeline you need to be at." he answered roughly.

"How do you even know that?" asked Haruhi.

"I've been to his office plenty of times, mostly so he could tell me how idiotic I was for trying to escape, or when I accidentally snapping a guy's neck. That's how." answered the masked man.

"Thanks, I guess." responded Yoko, turning her attention back to the table.

"When would be the best time to go for it then?" asked Yoko.

"Go for it? You make it sound easy." said Dominic.

"And a bit lewd at the same time." noted Kyon, who got a smack in the back of the head, also causing his head to smack onto the table.

"It shall be difficult. There's much guard and protection all over the facility no matter when we try it." said Dominic, a hand to his chin.

"And how about stadium matches?" suggested Kenji.

"He's right! If Kenji's able to easily get out of here and make it as far as the entrance to this facility, we can make a escape during a match at Kingdom Stadium!" Yoko put brilliantly.

"Bingo." Kenji said.

"It would be best if we make the breakout attempt during the third round. Before that, we'll begin to formulate our plan." Dominic announced.

Knowing what would be in store, the group separated for the moment. Yoko left the planning to Dominic, who would be going around the prison and detailing the information to some of his _friends_. Yoko left the library, walking out of its front entrance. She looked down the right hall, spotting Kenji walking away.

"Kenji!" she exclaimed in thought, hastily pacing after the masked fighter.

"Kenji! Wait! Kenji!" her voice called.

The man with bandaged glowing blue arms turned halfway around, and Yoko halted in front of him. Yoko first caught her breath, and then stood up.

"So…are you in for the escape plan? You gave us the idea in the first place." she explained with a smile.

"Only for the reason that I can finally leave this crap of a facility. As long as I get to Orion's office, everything will be okay." he responded, turning away from Yoko and continuing his stroll down the hall.

Yoko caught up to him, walking by his side with a curious expression. Kenji's hands were in his pockets, and his bandaged head kept a stern gaze forward.

"How long have you been here, Kenji? You seem to know everything about this place? Especially if you give Orion hell." breathed a smiling Yoko.

"I've lost count, and no. I haven't given him _enough_ hell." said the warrior.

"I can believe you on that account. Has Orion been running this place ever since its construction?"

"Heh. He's the damn one that proposed building the facility in the first place. For some reason, after the defeat of those Anti-Spirals, he believed crime and injustice could spawn out of simple peace and harmony. Strangely enough, I have to agree with the rat on this account _only_." explained the masked fighter.

"Really? How?"

"Think of it; you end one war, you create peace. That doesn't mean evil still doesn't exist. A lot of idiots at this place falsely believe Tojiro went through the Nine Circles just to bring down that brother of his. Tojiro created a whole new era of peace without even realizing it." adjourned Kenji.

"Tojiro didn't do it for himself. You're right. I still don't know why he did it." said Yoko, her eyes closing half way.

"I don't even belong here. I came from the real timeline that keeps everything at balance. This…this dimension is just an unfortunate accident that ended up with one less good person in the world." she explained thoughtfully.

"You believe Tojiro was a good person?" said the baffled Kenji.

"_He is_ a good person! He protects others for his own belief that they deserve peaceful lives, not allowing anyone else to degrade them!" Yoko said in offense, staring at Kenji the whole time as they continued to walk through the hall.

"Some sacrifices do deserve the respect and honor they get. However, not all sacrifices go down in history as symbols of sympathetic respect. Some people sacrifice their own lives for the good of their own belief, and the belief that they have something were risking, including their life. Whatever you think Tojiro did was either honorable, brave, or simply too mystifying to even tell, I'd tell you to not even waste your time. Tojiro's a long lost legacy of a man who was born to hate everything in the world because the world hate him in return. What respects can be paid to someone who doesn't care about the actions of others. Even the noble endeavors that other people gave to him…he didn't really accept it at all. Tojiro got what he deserved. Nothing more…nothing less." explained the serious Kenji.

"I know that his sacrifice didn't go on deaf ears. I know his reason was his own! He fought for that reason! And he didn't give up on it for even a second!" she exclaimed, standing in front of Kenji's path.

"And just what does that have to with me, little girl? I didn't know Tojiro on a personal level, so tell me what makes you so concentrated in defending his name?" questioned the masked warrior, his arms crossed.

Yoko's eyes were staring off to the side. Kenji saw this as a sign of regret, possibly being able to tell whatever she had said wasn't half way planned out. Her reasoning was great, but Kenji believed her words were missing the trust.

"If you so consciously believed in Tojiro, then how could you trust him? What made you so determined that Tojiro would promise to ever return?" questioned the demanding voice of Kenji Haruki.

Yoko's gold eyes were still glaring off to the side.

Kenji raised his head up, "It seems you have nothing left to say." he huffed, walking around her, and continuing his way down the hall.

Yoko's fists clenched tightly with every passing second. As Kenji continued to walk, he wasn't ready to stop because he refused to hear any response from someone like Yoko.

"It's because of YOU!" she screamed.

Kenji surprisingly stopped in his tracks. Yoko was glaring down the hallway at the masked fighter.

"You reminded me so much of Tojiro that I could picture him saying the same things you're saying! The way you fight! The way you act! The words you say! They all remind me of Tojiro so much…that it made me actually believe you could pass up for Tojiro! That's why I want to protect Tojiro's name! I want to protect his name from people like _**YOU**_!" she continued to scream.

Kenji kept still, not moving an inch. "_He sure promised her too much._" he thought alone in his head. Yoko wiped the dry tears from her eyes, and kept a serious look as her expression of truthfulness. After brief moments of silence, Kenji Haruki began to speak.

"I can tell the ol' Cloakmaster trusted you with more things than one. I'm even sure you treated him with the same type of deal. Whatever reason Tojiro found inside himself to go down there and sacrifice himself for the continuity of the universe is practically beyond me, and anyone else." he began harshly.

Yoko sniffled, and wiped her eyes again. Kenji looked over her shoulder at the red haired sharpshooter.

"I'm also sure he must used that belief of his to protect you…and if that's the case…I'm sure Tojiro did it so he could see you happy, living your own peaceful life. You should be glad with what you have, Yoko. **Because something…is better than nothing**." he finished.

The masked fighter turned back around and kept on walking. Kenji, however, stopped once again.

"One more thing; in the second round, don't throw yourself into oncoming death…it's obviously not a good idea. Stay in the stands, you got it?" he said. Yoko was able to manage a sweet smile on her face.

"Sure, Kenji." she replied kindly.

The masked warrior then continued his way on down the hallway, knowing he made two people proud today.

Yoko watched him walk on until he was no longer able to be seen. Yoko could guess she's never had such enforcing arguments about her own emotions and beliefs. In the past, part of the fact came from her frequent talks and moments with the Cloakmaster of Darkness himself. However, that was the past, and this is _now_.

As difficult as she could sum it up to be, Yoko felt something in Kenji's words inspire her differently than Tojiro would. It was something she called a double positive, and it's highly doubtful that this sharpshooter is ever going to let something like that out of her sights. As long as she believes in her goals and success, Yoko may be on the right path to a wide spread breakout at this massive prison facility, and one step closer to getting back to the present timeline, and once again coming eye to eye with her dear friend the Cloakmaster. She could go on and on about how much she believes Kenji could be Tojiro, but something like that didn't feel right. Yoko took Kenji words into her own heart and believed that in this timeline; Tojiro's sacrifice did _not_ go in vain. She believes that on his way through the Circles of Hell, that Tojiro believed in every bit of good and prosperity that it was worth his risk, and that risk could only be confirmed on his life; and with the belief of creating a successful future, Tojiro ensured it would cost him everything to do so, no matter the pain, no matter the regrets, and no matter the fault, he would assure that respect would spread amongst the people of humanity. The very same humanity that turned Tojiro into a monster. Yoko believed in one more ideal. The very selfish reason he went on through the Circles alone, is that Tojiro didn't care what humanity viewed him as, because he never cared? Yes, but that's not the true reason. The real truth and all reason above it, was for only one simple fact. **It was** **because he was heartless**.

The second round at Kingdom Stadium was ready to commence, and the stadium stands were once again filled with the prison's inmates. Yoko was sitting in the front row along with Mikuru, Yuki, Kyon, Joey, and Dominic.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be planning out our escape attempt, Dominic? You should know how obvious it's going to be to escape from here, right?" said Yoko.

"There's no need to worry about it, I assure you. If Kenji's the one who suggested this radical plan, I don't believe it shall be such a challenge, right?" replied Dominic in a figurative tone.

"I can't blame her if she's worried. Escaping here has been one of the very few things anyone ever considers." noted Kyon.

"Then I guess it's a good thing Kenji's attempted it the most, huh? If he was able to rattle Orion's cage more than a couple times, I'm pretty sure one massive breakout will cause him even more hell." Yoko responded.

"For whatever reason it must be, we have to be prepared, and to make sure everything goes as planned." Dominic explained.

"There's always someone to worry isn't there?" Joey stated lazily.

"Always." noted Yuki quietly.

"Nothing surprising there, I suppose." said the calm voiced high priest.

"So tell me this, what's the second round all about? Do these matches ever vary or something?" Yoko asked the old high priest.

"Normally, the first round is a one on one battle, the second usually concerns a type of change in the arena, and the third is always the hardest."

"In other words, it's either something really scary, or something really huge. You never know until the fight actually comes to that point." Joey explained.

"No one ever knows anything about goes on between the fights. Mostly because the good ol' Orion keeps an eye on everything that happens." Dominic responded with disturbance, with his arms crossed.

"Whatever the reason, you won't need to worry, Yoko." said Kyon, patting her shoulder.

"Why would I worry?" she said in confusion.

"You're obviously worried about Kenji. That's why." noted the smiling Joey.

"You're both being absurd!" Yoko snapped at them.

"Okay, okay. We'll behave." Kyon replied by waving his hands back and forth, still holding a grin on his face.

In the arena, the entire metal floor let out streams of steam from all sides. The whole metal arena floor began to retract down. "The arena's changing. I'm curious to what Orion has planned for the second round." said the old high priest.

"Something overdone, I bet. Orion's likes making all the competitors going through hell. Some of the competitors he doesn't even know, he still gives them the most difficult challenge!" replied Joey.

"That doesn't surprise anyone, Joey. If he gives other competitors hell, then what does that make Kenji?" said Dominic, questionable in his tone of voice.

"How should I know? Maybe Orion just likes to test Kenji's skills and give everyone else here something to talk about!" exclaimed Joey, waving his arms in the air.

"Or just to shut them up because violence somehow cures everything for _anyone_ in this prison." explained a serious Kyon.

Yoko set her eyes on the arena, seeing a whole another arena replace the plain old flat one. For this fight, there was a large set of metal walkways in a square pattern that went up for over forty feet high.

"It looks like some unfinished construction building, doesn't it?" said Kyon.

"Thin walkways, a deadly fall, what else could there be?" monitored Dominic.

"That?" Yoko pointed out.

In the very middle of the tall structure was a large circular bin.

"What is it this time? Giant piranhas?" said a bored Joey.

"No. There's no water in it. There's Chaos energy inside of it." answered the high priest.

Yoko surprisingly looked from Dominic up at the large bowl shaped container. There was a very small walkway just inches above the bowl. Yoko looked back at Dominic. The old priest looked stricken with some kind of grief, she could tell. It's as if whatever was coming from that bowl was truly disturbing.

"I don't mean to worry any of you kids, but that bowl there, is filled with **Chaos Fear**." Dominic finally answered.

Yoko's eyes widened by the two words. "Huh?" said the confused Joey.

"You're gonna' have to refresh our memories a bit, Dominic. There's chaos everything!" Kyon included.

"Chaos Fear…it's the most lethal type of Chaos energy in existence, right?" Yoko mumbled, turning her head to Dominic.

The group remained startled and quiet by her words.

"Indeed. It's not an easy technique to use….for many, many reasons." answered the old priest.

"Like what? What makes it so difficult to master?" Yoko asked desperately.

"Simply using it is highly forbidden. Many years ago, whoever would summon such a technique to get revenge or even use it to threaten others would result in that being purposely executed once discovered. People caught guilty for using this technique first had their hands amputated, then the feet, and then the eyes plucked." underwent the old priest.

Such a disturbing revelation could've made any of the group's stomachs roll, but they were all able to dismiss the sickening feeling. At one point, a metal gate in the arena wall opened up, and out walked Kenji, his Chaos Restraints changing from blue to red.

"And there…he…IS!" shouted Haruhi's voice over the many intercoms.

The whole crowd went wild with cheers and roars. A single lift of his head called upon the start of the second round.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

-A giant box shaped structure, with only but large metal beams being its pathways, and nothing but air and cheers all around, Kenji prepares for the second round.-

Silver: In this glorious second round, Kenji must ascend the tower, and make it to the top to continue on to his final victory round!

Haruhi: And with a tub of **Chaos Fear** hoisted amongst the inside center, Kenji must watch his step to avoid becoming completely erased! I really am excited for this challenge, but this whole setup looks like an incomplete building still under construction!

-Kenji falls off the edge, immediately flying back up to pierce through the chest of a large fish bowled robot, landing on the thin path to continue running his way forward.-

Yoko: Those chances are slim but...

Dominic: Somehow he will pull through, right?

-Kenji leaps over one side, and over the steaming bath of Chaos Fear, dismembering the heads of two airborne robot sentinel guards.-

-Orion watches steadily with a degree of anguish and anger fueling his eyes.-

Orion: Failure or not; he never seems to stay **dead**.

-In the events of Tojiro himself...-

-A city in Japan is caught in chaos by the Cloakmaster.-

-Tojiro is surrounded by hungering figures, their heads twitching, mouths smothered with blood.-

Tojiro: No peace for the dead, neither for the undead. I need to stay in hiding, and away from Orion if I'm to secure my goal.

-Tojiro bashes two heads of zombies together, swinging around the knock the head off another undead wanderer, preparing a fearsome Blade of Darkness in his right hand.-

-Alice Maresato is seen, eyes widening.-

-Tojiro stands before her, cutting down the undead.-

-Takashi Komuro and friends stand to run towards them.-

Tojiro: This city is screwed, and so are the rest of you if you DON'T trust me!

-Tojiro stares down his own Werehog form in a defiled and ruined street.-

-Within his Werehog form, Tojiro falls off a roof with Rika Minami holding onto him.

-Tojiro jumps forward with a storm of red Chaos energy blowing past him.-

-Tojiro leaps forward with two Rasengans, made out of Chaos energy.-

-The inner Werehog brought forth by Orion leaps forward with a feral storm of red Chaos Lightning.-

-The two clash with their ultimate rage, chaos unleashed within their battle zone.

NEXT TIME!

_**CHAPTER XXV: TO THE DEATH! BATTLE OF THE UNDYING! **_


	25. Chapter XXV

_**CHAPTER XXV: TO THE DEATH! BATTLE OF THE UNDYING!**_

__**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Kenji Haruki, Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Orion! They are my original characters and thus owned by Xx Senshi of AnkokuxX here on . All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

"Good lord, you'd think she would learn how to calm down just a bit." said Kyon, picking his ear.

"In the second round, Kenji must scale to the top of the structure, while avoiding dangerous traps, violent enemies, and the whole tub of Chaos Fear in the dead center! This round is easily going to a very promising one." Silver included.

Kenji stepped up to the first ramp, then stared up at the humongous structure he must scale. Appearing in front of him, were two black tonfas, studded with some small steel spikes; which he of course, graciously accepted.

"With each checkpoint, Kenji will be given a new weapon. There are three checkpoints in total! Make em' count Kenji!" cheered Haruhi excitedly.

"Haruhi, we can't cheer for one person, you know?" Silver noted.

"I don't care! Take those losers down, Kenji!" exclaimed the excited Haruhi.

"_Whatever he has planned, it better work. Other wise, he's going to be facing one hard time trying to get to the third round_." Yoko thought to herself.

Kenji prepared the tonfa weapons carefully in hand, and crossed them together, "Let the party begin." he said, letting his unrivaled determination and power flow through his anger filled veins.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Altered Dimension, City in Japan, 9:00 am <strong>_

A whirling white and black portal opened in the sky. Scoured in flames was the Cloakmaster; Tojiro. He was somehow thrown through a portal; a Chaos Rift portal. Another stunning fact is that he was in his mecha form The ten foot tall metal Werehog turned Tojiro still had his cloak cover his metal body. The hood was up, and his snout stuck out a few inches of his hood. His eyes were black, appearing as if he was shut off. Suddenly, they were full of orange, and glowing vibrantly. Tojiro saw several clouds of black smoke rising from the city he was headed for.

"Japan? What in the world happened to it?" he asked himself.

Tojiro's speed increased further and further. The flames that surrounded him intensified even further, and his speed increased greatly. Tojiro noticed he was coming towards the center of the city, towards a skyscraper.

"This won't hurt a bit." he assessed without a care, crossing his arms in front of his face.

The cloaked metal Werehog crashed through the building and smashed against another once he exited out the other side. Tojiro fell towards the street, landing on all fours. With his claws dug into the pavement, he removed them, then clenched them tightly. Tojiro stood straight up, looking down an empty and desolate street. He saw small flames on the ground, corpses, and abandoned cars. He could smell rotting flesh, dead flesh to be more specific. He walked down the lonely street, keeping his eyes open, but his ears kept more precise accord to his surroundings. He turned over a car with a bloodied inside, then found several corpses in front of him. Tojiro looked at them, clueless, even in this form of his.

It was an awful smell. The sight, however, was nothing to the Cloakmaster's eyes.

"The scene is desolate and decrepit. No life anywhere. This is almost good enough for me to laugh at."

Tojiro stepped over the mortified corpses, their bones snapping by his heavy girth. Tojiro stopped after passing over the corpses, turning around tiredly. From the pile of corpses stood one, but it wasn't alive. Tojiro turned fully around towards the human being, if that's what he could call it. A simple man in a suit. Affected by a not so simple viral infection, turning him into something mindless and dead. The man lifted his head up, blood all over his mouth, his skin was gray, and his eyes in the back of his head. He moaned and groaned uncontrollably, marching towards the Cloakmaster. The Demigod tilted his head, but sighed anyway.

"First off, this city is screwed. Second, I end up in the middle of it. And now, your kind; is what I must deal with. Awesome."

The zombie, a creature with only taste for flesh, grabbed hold of Tojiro's huge metal arm and bit on it; instead the zombie's teeth shattered.

"Never tasted metal before, huh?" Tojiro grunted. The zombie still gnawed without care and without pain.

Tojiro simply put one finger on the zombie's skull, lighting it on fire. He then flicked it with his finger, sending the smelted corpse rolling to its immediate death.

"The walking dead. That's good, now I won't feel lonely." he growled, looking up into the sky.

Tojiro turned back around, immediately seeing an out of control car coming towards him. He angrily smashed his fist down on it's hood, causing it to flip straight over his head and crash onto the ground upside down. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear over by the over turned car. He grabbed the door and tore it off with one of his large hands. The driver fell out, revealing it to be an armed woman. She rose up, looking at Tojiro with surprise.

"Excuse me but-" he began, but the woman already aimed her sniper rifle directly at Tojiro's face.

"Realistically, you don't want to do that." said Tojiro with calm.

"What the hell were you thinking? Just what are you, huh!" she exclaimed excessively.

Tojiro huffed, lowering his hood for a moment. The woman's eyes widened when looking at the face of the metal Werehog. Tojiro flipped the hood back over his head.

"Now, your name is?" he asked.

"I don't need to tell you anything, whatever you are, you better start backing off." she threatened.

"It's obvious that we both know that. Honestly, however, I don't see it as the right thing to do." stated Tojiro.

"I have no business with you. I'm looking for someone anyway. I don't need some ten foot hunk of robotics with me." she snapped at him.

"Technically, this isn't the real me. Besides, I'm sure in this city, you wouldn't last long. Yet if that is what you choose, then you may be on your way, and I shall be on mine." he explained.

"Good." she answered, lowering her rifle.

"What is your name anyway?" he asked.

"Rika Minami. Chief of the first squadron of the Special Assault Team." she stated, resting her rifle over her right shoulder.

"Then if you could please allow me Rika Minami, to simply turn around for me." he gestured.

Rika turned around, then quickly held up her weapon. A horde of zombies began to converge on down the street, towards the two.

"God, this can't be happening!" she exclaimed, firing her weapon spontaneously, hitting every zombie in the head.

"Tell me, are you still determined or have you changed your mind?" he asked cautiously, scratching his head.

"Just shut up and back up!" she ordered, continuing to fire at the mindless flesh eaters.

"Back up? Well, if that's what you think I should do." he said, grabbing hold of the overturned car Rika was in.

Tojiro tossed the vehicle down the street, letting it crush and obliterate through about fifteen of them. Rika turned her head over her shoulder with surprise.

"Leaving one to fight and die for no reason is an abominable mistake for me. You deserve to live, or do you believe yourself better off dead?" he questioned.

Rika gritted her teeth, turning her head back forward at the creatures that continued to converge, dying to satisfy their hunger. Tojiro turned his back to Rika.

"Get on." Tojiro growled.

Rika saw she had not many choices to pick from, and possibly with the help of this 'freak' she had met, she could find the person she was looking for. Rika put her rifle in her right hand and turned around and grabbed onto Tojiro's large back.

"You're not afraid of anything. That's good."

"There's nothing _to _fear. That's why." she replied.

"I like that confidence. Let us go!" barked the Demigod launching off the ground, towards the building to his right.

He dug his claws into the cemented section of it. Rika kept her left arm tied around Tojiro's neck so she could hold on. Tojiro swiftly climbed the building, not slowing up for even a second.

"_First I come and face these damn things, then I lose my ride, now I'm stuck with a freakish talking robot. But at least I got some help. I already lost my partner and I'm not going to lose her. Don't worry Shizuku, we're on our way_." Rika raced in deep thought.

As soon as Tojiro reached the top of the building, Rika slid off his back and ran over to the far edge, with Tojiro following slowly behind. She came to edge, and aimed her rifle, looking through the scope. Tojiro stopped by her side, crossing his arms, observing the chaos.

"If one of the things we have to find out, is exactly how this all started." said Rika.

"That'd be a waste." Tojiro answered with a stale reply.

"How would it be a waste? After I find my friend, getting to the bottom of this would be the next best thing." Rika rebelled with annoyance.

"What would your friend think then? I'm sure whoever it is, they wouldn't want to see you die. If your friend is with survivors, you'd want to follow them in suite and get the hell out of here instead of wasting time to find out how this so-called outbreak started." he explained, unfolding his arms. Rika lowered her rifle, staring down at the city below.

"I'm only saying that trying to find out what made a bunch or dead corpses come back to life is a rather pathetic way to die. Believe it or not, but there are reasons why we are born." he stated clearly.

"Is that so? Then tell me this, are their reasons why we die?" she asked, standing up, strapping her sniper rifle on her back. Tojiro turned his gaze from Rika and down to the suffering city.

"_What a good question_." the Cloakmaster thought to himself.

The two were forced to rooftop hopping. With Rika gripping onto his back, Tojiro went lower and lower when it came to buildings. He ended up landing on a helipad.

"See anything?" she asked.

"Nothing but rotting flesh and burning clouds. That sound new to you or anything?" he replied.

"Very wise smartass. Let's go down to ground level real quick." she suggested.

"Very well." he responded, walking off the side of the building.

"Are you crazy? What's wrong with you, you idiot!" she exclaimed.

"I'll stick the landing. No one will get hurt."

"Actually never mind." he included.

"What do you mean, never mind?" she said confusingly.

"I take back anyone getting hurt."

Rika looked below them, a large group of zombies.

"You idiot! You didn't need to jump off the damn roof!" she exclaimed again.

"Don't worry. My landing will knock every single one away."

The massive Werehog landed in the large group, crushing the ones he actually did land on. The quake of his landing launched all the other zombies far off, several were sent through windows on the building on the others side of the street. Still surrounded, Tojiro swung his claws, cutting the undead apart. With Rika on his back, she gave into the violence as well. With her sniper rifle, she fired all the bullets into the zombies head, and that was only her first clip. Tojiro grabbed two zombies, then used them as clubs to three, then mashing the two zombies together in a bloody mess. Their blood dripping from his hands, orange Chaos energy surrounded them.

"Back off you monsters." he mumbled through his crushing teeth.

He aimed his hands forward, immediately releasing a vast array of orange Chaos beams. The zombies were blown apart or reduced to nothing but mists of red. Tojiro finally lowered his hands, then he smashed them down on the ground. The earth exploded, releasing violent sprays of flames from under the feet of the remaining zombies. With the fire reflecting in his hatred filled eyes, Tojiro stood tall again. Rika had already ceased firing after witnessing Tojiro's extreme display of power she had never seen before.

"Now with that cleared up, we must continue."

"Tell me something metal guy, what did you just do to them?" Rika asked.

"You have your power in that rifle of yours. Mine is myself. We all have our own power that makes us strong. Instead of those who treat power as nothing more than a weapon, it should be used as a purpose." the Nightshade explained with honesty in his voice.

"I suppose you're right." she said, looking up at the sky.

Tojiro began running down the street on all fours, keeping his eyes open for anything that seemed to show interest.

"Do you even have a name?" asked Rika.

"Yeah. My name is Tojiro." he replied simply.

"So how'd you even end up here?" asked Rika.

"It was more simple than you think. Right now, this friend of yours is what matters most. Correct?" replied the Demigod.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you…Tojiro." she replied, hanging on tight as the Cloakmaster leaped over a wall of burning cars.

He landed on the other, swinging his large metal arms to bat away a few zombies. He then released a tremendous breath of fire from his mouth, incinerating the rest of the undead. He stood up straight, staring at what remained of the flesh eaters. Only the ash of some, and the increasingly burnt corpses were left behind as the Cloakmaster stepped through the carnage.

"You know, I really don't think I can trust you. I have a bad feeling of just what you'll do with that power of yours." said Rika, jumping off his back. Tojiro turned around, and simply sat down on the pavement, looking at her confusedly.

"Why are you sitting like that? Get up already!" she exclaimed.

"I'm curious to hear why you think it's better to survive in a screwed up world by yourself. So please…share. I like listening to stories, then critically point out their flaws afterwards." the Cloakmaster of Darkness humbly replied.

"Listen, I can easily tell how you're not afraid of these damn things because you're completely metal, but I still have things to do! And going around with a ten foot tall machine that shoots fire out of it's mouth is no way to do it!" Rika contemplated.

"Well, I can't argue with you there, but here's an idea." he said, standing up, letting an orange light surround him.

Rika covered her eyes for a moment with her arm, and lowered it once the light had dimmed. Standing before her was Tojiro in his human form. His hood was still up, but the darkness he created in front of his face, obscured his expression.

"Now, does this look human?"

Rika remained unsteady, glaring at him. Tojiro sighed heavily. He took off his cloak. The first thing Rika's eyes ventured to was his right arm, completely metal. Wearing a simple black t-shirt and baggy cargo pants with chains in the pockets, there was not much surprise to Tojiro while in his human form.

"The only other thing that may shock you are my legs. Everything else is perfectly normal. To me that is." he admitted, reaching down to pull up the pant legs to reveal a small portion of his cybernetic legs.

He then let go of the pant legs, and let them cup around his ankles again. Tojiro put his cloak back on, which covered his front body and back.

He kept the hood down, and looked at Rika for an answer.

"You may believe it's a better reason to go on alone, I'm sure of that. To be honest, however, you're not the type of person who could handle dying alone." he continued.

Rika looked away, unwilling and unable to give a straight answer.

"It's only worth dying alone when you realize you have nothing left to fight for. Such an act takes a lot consideration and bravery, but I'd doubt that would happen to me. So tell me Rika Minami, do you want to live or die?" he asked.

Rika took a sudden glare at the Cloakmaster, blinking a few times. Tojiro could tell she already had felt loss, mentioning such a thing wouldn't help this situation a bit.

"If that's what you think life is about…then…I guess I have no other choice." she said.

Tojiro's eyebrows raised an inch or so. Rika quickly readied her weapon and shot a quick bullet that aimed between his eyes. He suddenly vanished in a flash, appearing by Rika's side, now in his hedgehog form. Rika quickly swung her weapon at him, but he raised his right arm up to block it. He then grabbed the gun from her hands, then kicked her in the gut, throwing her across the ground. Rika rolled to a quick halt on the sidewalk, in front of a building's double doors. Tojiro tossed the gun over to her while she was still on the ground.

"I'd rather take the lives of hundreds of evil people than watch one deserving life go to waste for nothing. People who sacrifice themselves for others is one of the bravest things a human can do, but I'm not human. I'm a Nightshade. The last of my people, a _true_ descendant like a friend of mine. So, if I could acquiesce of you to please come here, it would be very convenient."

Rika got to her feet, holding her weapon in her hands. "That'll do." he whispered.

He stomped his right foot on the ground. The earth beneath Rika's feet shifted her across the street and caused her to come towards Tojiro. The Cloakmaster quickly leaned to the left, sticking his left hand out. The double doors of the building suddenly broke down, revealing a hungry crowd of flesh eaters. He fired a devastating blast of red Chaos energy, blowing up the good front section of the building.

Tojiro quickly leaned back to the right and caught Rika in his arms. With supersonic speed, the Demigod of Death took down the right road, his feet carrying him faster than the wind itself.

"Believe me or not Miss Minami, but every good life deserves at least one chance to make a comeback." said Tojiro, his blank white eyes looking at her.

Rika never seen such a being before, a black furred hedgehog running at the speed of sound, carrying through this hellish nightmare of a city, which may just get the hope it was needed. However, was it hope that made Rika still? She could have quickly bashed her rifle against Tojiro's face as soon as he caught her, however, it was something he said.

It was something he believed in, that made her want to believe that she might have a chance in finding those she cares about, and ensuring she protects them. Whether or not it be the best thing to speak of, Rika didn't contemplate it for once in her mind. She looked at the road they ran on, and the zombies they quickly passed. The ravaging chaos that had taken this city by storm, had just been turned into a maelstrom, with the arrival of the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

As desolate as a desert the suburbs were. Tojiro and Rika walked side by side, Rika on full alert with her finger on the trigger, and Tojiro with his sharp instincts and hands ready to unleash chaos at will.

"_This doesn't make sense. How in the world did I even get here? I must in that accursed mall with those kids, and now I'm here. This doesn't even look or feel a bit like the world I just left. Something's wrong." _thought the Cloakmaster to himself.

"Hey Tojiro, what's wrong? You look a bit lost."

Tojiro shook from his delusional thoughts, and kept his eyes glued forward on the path they walked.

"So, what's your story? How are you able to change into that thing?" Rika asked on intention.

"It's something someone like you shouldn't know. Right now, I'm worried about dealing with the problems at hand." he vaguely replied.

"Oh? So it seems you're pretty intent on helping a lady. How nice of you." she said, smiling.

"That doesn't matter. Once this hell bursts into an inferno, there won't be any room to smile or hope." said Tojiro.

"Why do you say that? I know I have a chance of getting to my friend, but you…you seem a bit hopeless. Why's that?" said Rika, looking over at him.

"Well, I do have my reasons." replied the Demigod, preparing a fire ball in both of his hands.

Rika looked forward, seeing a group of zombies ahead of them.

"Don't make any sound. They're attracted to it." Rika whispered.

"I'm not afraid of them…and plus I'd like to see them try and hear anything once I've reduced them to ashes." he said, marching forward.

"You must be stupid! I don't care what kind of freak you turn into! You can't face them!" Rika said, keeping her voice hushed.

"That may be true. But they've never seen someone like me before." motioned Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster pointed his hands forward, and released the two fire balls, which turned streams of tailed flames. The fiery death mopped through the horde of zombies, burning them all to a deadly crisp, and creating a thick fog of black smoke. Tojiro flapped his hands, causing the fire to dissipate. Rika huffed, hating Tojiro's level of insistence.

"See? Told you they were weak." he said, looking over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Bursting from the large black cloud in front of him was Tojiro's Werehog form. The monstrous beast forced the Cloakmaster onto the ground, ready to bite down on him. Tojiro stuck his left hand in the Werehogs' face, and blasted it into the sky with a golden Chaos Spear. Tojiro spun himself into the air, grabbing the Werehog by both its ankles, spinning the beast around in three full circles, then letting it go. The massive beast smashed down into one of the many houses in the suburb, completely leveling the household. Tojiro landed back on the ground, preparing his Chaos Rasengan in his left hand.<p>

"Don't tell me there's something you're not telling me! What the hell was that?" shouted a demanding Rika.

"A mirror image of my hate. You better go alone for now, I'll catch up once I put this bastard down." said the Demigod of Death, keeping his eyes locked on the house in front of him.

Out of the ground behind Rika, the Werehog speared up out of the concrete street. Rika hastily turned around in shock, the reflection of the Werehog swinging its claws appearing in her eyes. Tojiro came right over her head, delivering his Chaos Rasengan to the Werehogs' jugular. The beast smashed into the street, burrowing down the concrete and deep under the earth below it.

"Your friend…I sensed her about three blocks from here. You'd better get moving or else." said Tojiro, creating a sphere green Chaos energy, with bolts of green shocks being released from it.

"Are you sure?" she responded.

"Either you take my word or this thing takes your life. You decide." he said bluntly, leaping towards the Werehog, which just surfaced from the ground below.

Rika was forced to believe him, and quickly turned around, running down the street. The Werehog snarled and let saliva spill from its mouth and fangs.

"You're going to regret ever following me." muttered the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

The Werehog let out a ferocious roar, and instinctively charged at Tojiro. The Demigod did the same, but was able to duck under a sideways swing from the Werehogs' huge arms. The Cloakmaster punched the Werehog in the chest with the green sphere in his right. The impact launched the Werehog into the air. Tojiro quickly leaped up into the air, and delivered his left punch, using the green sphere to extend the agony. The Werehog crash landed through a house roof.

Tojiro aimed both his hands forward, diving directly toward the house, exploding the entire structure, and creating a plume of smoke to rise into the air. Tojiro came skidding back on his feet from the smoke cloud. Tojiro quickly bent his spine back to dodge a swift swing by the Werehogs' ridiculously sharp claws. The Werehog swung its claws left and right. Each and every time, Tojiro was able to jump, duck, or dodge. Finally the Werehogs' anger skyrocketed past its tolerance. The angry beast raised it's fists up, both surrounded in red Chaos energy. The Werehog swiftly smashed them into the ground.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness already jumped off the ground and was soaring into the air. The Werehog suddenly appeared behind Tojiro, delivering both of its large fists into his back. Shot off like a rocket, Tojiro painfully smashed back into the ground below. He clamped his hands onto the green grass he was standing on. Suddenly, shadows began to loom over him. He looked up, seeing more zombies. Tojiro reached his hand up, punching the zombie's head off, then turning to the left to fire a surge of cutting wind to completely slice three zombies in half from the waist. The loud sound of the Werehogs' feet landing behind him gave Tojiro a hint to turn around.

He quickly jumped back, leaving the Werehog to bash away the zombies as it continued marching towards it's real target. Tojiro finally stopped, grabbing a zombie, and thrusting it at the Werehog. The malevolent alter ego caught the zombie in its mouth. The Werehog simply crushed its jaws down, snapping the zombie in half, then spitting out the remainders.

"Of course." said Tojiro, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness.

The Werehog got on all fours, letting a violent curdle from it's mouth. It stepped off to the left, its eyes locked onto Tojiro.

"Smart little bastard. It acts on the same instincts that I would use." the Cloakmaster said to himself.

The Werehog lunged at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster lunged forward as well. Creating a heightened spurt of red Chaos energy from his sword, he smacked the Werehog out of his sight. The Werehog landed on it's chest, then as Tojiro charged at him, it angrily smacked the Demon Demigod with one hand. Tojiro crashed through the household behind him, ending up in the kitchen. Tojiro got back to his feet, quickly staring up at the ceiling afterwards. Tojiro formed a protective barrier of black Chaos energy around himself. The ceiling exploded and the Werehogs' fists smashed into Tojiro's barrier, shattering it. Tojiro quickly rolled forward, leaving the Werehog to land on the ground behind him. He turned around, slicing vertically across the Werehogs' chest, then driving it into the beast's shoulder. Tojiro's eyes filled with glowing red.

From the outside, the house exploded and a large red dome began to grew out, signaling a Chaos Blast. The Werehogs' corpse was thrown onto the street after the blast, immediately rising to its feet. A sudden hit to the back launched it forward, slamming through an overturned car. On the ground where the Werehog was previously laying, was the Blade of Darkness. Tojiro's hand reached and grabbed its handle, revealing him to be in his hedgehog form. The Werehog restlessly shook its head, but it immediately turned around. Tojiro was gone. The Werehog sniffed desperately. Tojiro came from in front, lunging forward with the Blade of Darkness. The Werehog angrily turned around, latching its right hand around Tojiro.

It angrily roared in his face, Tojiro got an unfortunate sniff of anything the Werehog ate recently. The Cloakmaster released a shocking burst of yellow Chaos energy from his body, forcing the Werehog to toss him away. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, then spun into ball form. Spurting an explosive aura of fiery red Chaos energy, Tojiro shot down at the Werehog like an out of control meteor. Tojiro hit Werehog straight in the chest, burrowing his true hateful form into the earth, resulting in a violent explosion of flames and black smoke. Tojiro flew out of the smoke, while a beam of orange Chaos energy was shooting out of the smoke cloud. He landed safely on the road, then quickly jumped behind a car, which another blast of orange Chaos energy passed by the car by mere inches. Tojiro got up, facing the car, then kicked it up into the air.

The blast of orange Chaos energy shot out of the smoke once again, blowing the car to pieces. Tojiro leaped up, grabbed the bumper that was blown off the car, then lunged towards the center of the smoke cloud. Tojiro smacked the bumper across the back of the Werehogs' forcing it out of the smoke cover. Tojiro came out of the smoke, beating the Werehog on the back of the head with it. Reluctantly, the beast had enough.

Luckily, the Werehog turned its head and grabbed the bumper in its mouth.

"Damn." muttered the Cloakmaster.

The Werehog swung its head forward, launching Tojiro across the air. The Werehog created spurs of fiery orange Chaos energy in its fists and stretched them far out to punch Tojiro, just before he could fly out of the Werehogs' range. Tojiro smashed through a crowd of zombies, then barreled his way into another car. Tojiro got up, but widened his eyes in the process. The Werehog was flying straight for Tojiro, ramming through the zombies like they were made of cardboard. Tojiro reached over his shoulder, grabbed the car, and smashed it directly down on the Werehog where there were only inches between them.

Tojiro quickly performed a quick leap, landing a few feet away from the threat. The car exploded into flames, revealing the fearsome Werehog in the center of the chaos. It released a sudden blast of spinning orange Chaos energy from its mouth. Tojiro spun himself into a ball and shot directly under the blast. He quickly exited his ball form, coming towards the Werehog with his foot extended. The Werehog was easily able to manage a violent Chaos Punch to Tojiro, launching him back down the street. The Cloakmaster slid to a halt on his back, opening his full red eyes. Once staring up at the sky, he saw the Werehogs' silhouette coming down at him. Tojiro jumped to his feet, preparing his Chaos Rasengan.

The Werehog wielded both of its large red glowing fists over the back of its head. Tojiro launched up at his nightmarish foe. Tojiro was able to spin past the Werehog, and deliver his Chaos Rasengan directly to the Werehogs' spine, tearing through the fur and flesh, making it to the bone. The Werehog shot back towards the ground, smashing into the concrete street, making a large enough hole to match the power of Tojiro's Chaos Rasengan if taken to a very serious extent. Tojiro used Chaos Control to send himself onto the ground behind the Werehog. Tojiro reverted to his human form, reaching into his clock pocket. The Werehogs' angrily spread wide open, filled with blistering fury of red. Tojiro pulled out his black headband with the Japanese symbol for death on it. He strapped it onto his forehead, tightening it on so it would remain on.

"_Thrown into another dimension, attacked by this freakish annoyance of a creature, and I have no idea how I even got here. Sounds like my life no matter how I rearrange the words_." he thought to himself.

The Werehog quickly turned around, releasing spinning beams of crimson red Chaos energy from its hands. An immediate barrier of yellow Chaos energy stood and protected Tojiro. The minute it lowered, Tojiro charged forward at this imminent threat, releasing a series of quick and violent fire blasts from his fists. The Werehog charged, but was forced to step back once one of Tojiro's fire blasts hit in it's left shoulder, then the right, followed by a damaging one to the chest. Tojiro prepared his Chaos Rasengan once again and set out on a fierce charge.

The Werehog looked up, seeing the Chaos Rasengan coming straight for its face. The Werehog maneuvered to the left, and clobbered Tojiro with both it's fists, launching off the ground. The angry beast stretched its right arm out, grabbing Tojiro and smashing him down into the house that was below Tojiro. The Werehog retracted it's right metal arm, then prepared a sphere of black Chaos energy in both its hands.

"You may look a lot like me…you may hold the same hate as I do…but it's NOTHING once you compare it to my POWER!" roared Tojiro.

The house exploded into a furious red aura, revealing Tojiro in the middle of the wreckage.

A blood red aura surrounded his body, and his eyes were replaced with the same identical symbol on his forehead; this was his Tsukikagegan. The Cloakmaster may be completely unaware of this, but once those appear, the Dragon inside of him is lending its power to the Demon Demigod. The Werehog released a single thick blast of whirling black Chaos energy once combining its power together. Tojiro shot off like a bullet, splitting the Werehogs' blast up the middle and delivering a vile Chaos Punch to the Werehogs' throat. The beast was thrown across the ground, but dug its claws into the ground to stop. Tojiro flanged himself into the air, and drop kicked the Werehog, creating a fierce plume of ground and smoke to exploded into the air. Tojiro grabbed the Werehog by both sides of it's head, then tossed the Werehog around, tossing the malevolent beast of nightmarish legend over onto the street.

The Werehog once again was able to manage its foothold. It released a stream of red flames from its mouth. Tojiro clapped his hands together, creating a wave of air to immediately extinguish the ballistic flames of chaos. Tojiro sprinted towards the Werehog. The Werehog stuck it's foot out, kicking Tojiro in the gut, immediately bringing him to a stop. The Werehog angrily roared, swinging it's right hand of claws. Tojiro ducked, and was able to grab onto the Werehogs' arm. The angry beast bit into Tojiro's back, causing Tojiro to groan and agonize in pain. Tojiro clenched his fists as tightly as he could. The aura around him began to turn yellow.

"LIGHTNING SHROUD!" he roared.

The yellow aura around him turned into a fearsome electrocution that violently jolted through both Tojiro's and the Werehogs' veins and body. The two were blasted apart from each other, slamming into opposite houses on both sides of the street. The aura of yellow had already vanished from around Tojiro. Small bolts appeared and lighted off from around his body.

"God…I'm always in pain when I have to get out of a tight spot." he muttered, knocking the debris off his chest and body.

He rose up, immediately seeing the Werehog lunge into the house and deliver an insane Chaos Punch uppercut. The impact of the hit shot Tojiro through the ceiling and high into the sky above it. Tojiro looked down, seeing a large golden beam following up after him. Tojiro swiftly created a large sphere of red Chaos energy over his head, and shot it down towards the oncoming blast of hurt. The two forces collide with intentional power and overload, sparking a mad explosion in the sky. Tojiro hovered in mid-air, looking over his shoulder, then looking up.

"Okay…so where the hell is he this time?" said Tojiro to himself. The roar of the Werehog suddenly came from below. The Werehogs' outstretched arm was clearly visible as it came up and hit Tojiro, causing him to fly farther up into the air, with the Werehog flying up after it's persistent prey.

The Werehog prepared a monstrous amount of brightened red Chaos energy in both of it's hands. Tojiro smashed both his fists down on the cranium of the Werehogs' head, refusing to give it a slight chance of winning this brawl.

"SPEAR…STORM…CHAOS!" roared Tojiro's voice, holding his hands up.

A humongous swarm of sharp spiked Chaos Spears shot directly down at the Werehog. Each and every one swiftly sliced across the Werehogs' skin and flesh, each one worst than the last and so on. Tojiro finally came towards the Werehog, delivering a ruby red Chaos Spear to the Werehogs' chest, launching it straight down to the ground, ending with a large explosion, blowing concrete all over the immediate area. The Nightshade of Darkness landed on the ground, his hands clamped to the ground. He slowly rose up, keeping his arms by his side. Tojiro blinked several times, feeling no life.

"Quiet and stillness. This is the Werehog I'm talking about…it's a symbol of death and anger. I don't sense anything because that's how this beast acts; lifelessness." said the arrogant Cloakmaster of Darkness.

The ground at his feet opened up, and out came the Werehogs' left fist. The attack hit Tojiro dead on, throwing him into a backwards flip. Once he was right side up, he launched a swift stream of purple Chaos energy wrapped in furious lightning. The blast went into the hole, immediately lighting up a momentous explosion, and the Werehogs' body was flying out of the ground along with many pieces of debris along with it. Tojiro landed back on the ground, then prepared a fearsome barrage of fire blasts from both his fists and feet.

The Werehog swung its arms in circular pattern, which caused each blast of fiery reign to dissipate by the swinging of its arms. Tojiro was forced to revert to his Darkrai form, knowing that this fight would have a serious affair in the sky. He shot off the ground, releasing streams of blue lightning from his hands. The Werehog was shocked by the stunning shocking pain, kept in mid-air. Tojiro delivered a fistful of hurt to the Werehogs' face, shooting the monster in a diagonal pattern towards the earth below. Tojiro created a lightning aura around himself, fully encasing himself in it like a cocoon. Tojiro immediately shot towards the Werehog with haste, knowing it would be able to retaliate with its powerful Chaos energy stored inside every corner of its monstrous body.

"SPEAR LIGHTNING CHAOS!" Tojiro quickly yelled, impacting the Werehog head on.

The Werehog was being angrily drilled and tormented as Tojiro's take on over imagined offense was taking to the highest limit. The Werehog slowly reached it's hands forward, grabbing both sides of the lightning shaped Chaos Spear that covered Tojiro. The hands of the Werehog glowed with red auras, and suddenly exploded into a cloud of glowing red; another Chaos Blast. This time, Tojiro was sent falling through the sky, plummeting. The Cloakmaster was suddenly grabbed once the Werehog came down from above, and tackled Tojiro into a car, causing an immediate explosion of flames. Tojiro struck the Werehog in the side of the head, which shocked the Werehogs' nervous system.

Tojiro swiftly backed away from the Werehog, then dashed back towards the Werehog to deliver a blast of purple energy that exploded on impact. The Werehog was thrown back across the concrete road until Tojiro appeared to dive bomb the Werehog further into the ground from the sky. Tojiro grabbed the Werehog by its shoulders and flew straight towards the front door of a house. Obviously, Tojiro took down more than the front door. Tojiro popped out of the end, and continued flying forward to push the Werehog through the back of another, out its front, into the back of another, and finally went through five more houses.

Tojiro came through the front of a house, still holding the Werehog by its shoulders. Deciding _not _to stop, once Tojiro came out of the last house, he spun himself around and tossed the Werehog into a car. Tojiro then fired Dark Void, exploding the car into a cloud of flames.

Tojiro's turquoise eye blinked and formed into an angry glare, feeling the Werehogs' power still emanating gradually from within the fog. The smoke obscured whatever the Werehog was planning, whether or not it was something on a less positive side or a more negative side. Either side, Tojiro would have to sacrifice more of his effort and anger to this alter ego of the true hatred that exists within his mind and spirit, or spirits. Tojiro does have more than one inside him of course, due to having five different faces and bodies to fight with. The Werehogs' arms stretched out of the smoke. The Cloakmaster crossed his arms like an X.

A group of three large rocks came out of the gravel and stood as a protective barrier to which the Werehogs' fists smashed into. Tojiro could feel the Werehogs' retract back. Tojiro stuck his arms out to the left and right, causing the stones leave him. Immediately after the removal of his protection, Tojiro's first sight was the Werehog coming straight toward Tojiro like a drill. Its claws cut and violently slashed against the Darkrai turned Cloakmaster. The painful effort of the Werehog sent a shocking message to Tojiro, throwing his body backwards and sending his body to the curb, the back of his head hitting it violently and slapping blood across the air. It triggered a sudden flash in his mind, a distant voice of a woman was heard.

"I know we can be friends…_no matter how much you hated what I've done_. That's why I think it's better if we go our separate ways. You deserve your own path in this world. **Mine only brings you pain and anger**."

The Werehog strolled over to the unconscious Darkrai, not seeing a single inch of the Cloakmaster move even the smallest inch. Tojiro's turquoise eye slowly opened up. The vicious Werehog that loomed over him grabbed Tojiro off the ground with it's right hand, and roared into the face of the dazed Cloakmaster.

"Yo-Y-Yoko….." mumbled the hindering Tojiro.

The Werehog opened up its mouth, preparing to feast its fangs into Tojiro. Tojiro's eye formed into a single anger filled glare of rage. Tojiro stuck his mouth inside the Werehog, and streamed a shocking dosage of lightning throughout the Werehogs' body, violently hurting the beast's innards and organs. The beast dropped Tojiro, stepping back and holding its chest in pain. Tojiro's body was surrounded a shining cyan aura, while his fists were coated in dark crimson auras. Tojiro made a ferocious and direct charge towards the Werehog that still stood in quaking pain.

The Demon Demigod punched the Werehog directly in the face, launching the Werehog into the air. Tojiro's aura exploded with power, and he shot up after his evil nemesis. Ready to attack again, this time with both his adrenaline surged fists, Tojiro came closer and closer to his target. The Werehog was able to use its large hands to block Tojiro from attacking, creating a sparkling white light on contact.

The Werehog split itself away from Tojiro by swinging its arms opposite ways, leaving the Werehog into a simple back flip. Tojiro then released a fearsome swarm and red Chaos Spheres from his crimson glowing fists simply by punching forward. The Werehog opened its large mouth, shooting a massive blast of black Chaos energy with a thick red lining all the way through it. Tojiro created a shining cyan sphere around himself. The blast from the Werehog resulted in a massive mid-air explosion. The Werehog landed on its feet on the top of a house, looking up at the drifting ball of smoke in the sky. The Werehog tilted its head once, snarling with vengeance. Up in the air, Tojiro remained still and intact, he had the glare to prove it. Resorting to his human form, Tojiro swiftly charged down through the air, preparing his Chaos Rasengan in both of his hands. The whirling balls of chakra were becoming infused with his Chaos powers.

The entire ball of fast spinning energy slowly turned black, and inside both grew an electrifying sphere of red Chaos energy. The Werehog stuck its arms out to the left and right. In its left hand grew a fearsome sparkle of red lightning, in the right hand was a sphere of red and orange Chaos energy. Tojiro's Tsukikagegan, the same mark on his forehead kept powering his two Chaos Rasengans, knowing that this attack would have to do its worst against his evil side; the Werehog. The Werehog launched the sphere of Chaos energy out of its right hand.

Tojiro shot the Chaos Rasengan out of his left hand to collide with the impact. This also caused Tojiro to front flip through the large cloud of smoke, landing a few feet behind the Werehog. The two foes turned towards each other with hate and rage. They gave themselves only five seconds to delve any remaining Chaos energy into their powers. Tojiro with his Chaos Rasengan…the Werehog with its Chaos Lightning. The two then launched themselves off the ground, and towards each other. The two smashed their power together. A fierce and sparkling white force was created between the impact. Rays and swirls of black mixed with red was spinning past Tojiro. While rays of red and orange mixed in spinning patterns past the Werehog. Finally, the combined power of Chaos energy was shattered.

Their combined power on collision suddenly erupted into a large dome of red light. The fearsome dome blew through houses, ripping them into pieces and rubble. The very ground was eaten away and eroded by the very dome, and all that could be said was: True Chaos had been unleashed.

The turmoil of the sudden hell, a group of silhouettes arrived onto the scene. "Takashi! Hold on!" called a female's voice.

Walking forward into the smoke was a high school student named Takashi Komuro. He took a drastic step towards the steep crater created from Tojiro and the Werehogs' collision of chaos. A hand reached out and grabbed Takashi's arm, pulling him back and onto the ground. He shook his head, and looked over his shoulder to see Rei Miyamoto.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the save, Rei." he said, getting back to his feet.<p>

"Don't thank me! I told you it was a bad idea to come this way. You know how sound extracts them!" she replied deceptively.

"All right, I hear you. Stop your stupid screaming first." he advised.

The high school girl huffed, turning away. Takashi smiled, then turned back to the crater with a serious face.

"What in the world could have done this? Has our world truly fell _this_ far?" he narrated, squatting down. From a bird's eye view, the crater was over a hundred feet wide.

"We better get going Takashi. You know how valuable time is these days." said Rei.

"Yeah, let's go." he said, turning around and leaving the ominous scene.

A forceful grip found it's way onto Rei's ankle, shocking her. She was suddenly pulled to the dirt and dragged backwards through it.

"Takashi! Takashi!" she screamed, trying to use her fingers as a way to stop herself from being dragged any further.

The high school boy quickly reached out and grabbed hold of her hand.

"Komuro-kun! What's going on in there?" called a voice from outside.

Unable to take his mind off Rei, Takashi couldn't answer. Suddenly, rising out of the hole was the ten foot tall Werehog. Takashi's eyes widened in shock, Rei's with fear. The beast attempted to grab down on Rei's leg with it's mouth, but a metal hand reached over and onto the Werehogs' top jaw.

"You damn bastard, come here! My fight with you is FAR from over!" yelled Tojiro's voice, hanging onto the Werehogs' back.

The hungry monster was being pulled back from Rei by Tojiro's hand, but much like the Cloakmaster himself, the Werehog kept stretching its hunger filled mouth forward. Finally, Tojiro took Black Death out of his holster and continuously shot the thick rounds into the Werehogs' back. The angry beast finally let go of Rei's leg and Takashi pulled her to safety. The Werehog turned to Tojiro, tackling him down into the steep crater. Tojiro pointed Black Death directly into the Werehogs' chest, blasting it up and out of the crater with a single shot. Tojiro put his gun back in the holster and leaped out of the crater, and right over Takashi and Rei. He landed outside the smoke, which had barely started to clear. Appearing before him, he saw other humans.

One purple Saeko Busujima, president of the kendo club from her club. Kohta Hirano, an individual you could dub as an 'gun otaku'. The genius Saya Takagi, with an attitude as thick as her stubbornness. Shizuka Marikawa, the rather busty and ditz of the school's former nurse, and then Alice Maresato, the cheerful and passive seven year old girl who was saved by Takashi, along with her little pet dog Zeke, which she held in her arms.

"_God. All teenagers, plus a child and a mutt. The damn Werehogs' adrenaline is definitely going to rise once it sees them_." thought the Cloakmaster, turning himself back to the cloud.

Rei and Takashi were coming out of the smoke, with Takashi helping Rei. Tojiro looked at the leg the Werehog grabbed her by, seeing it riddled with scratch marks.

"Saeko-san…who you think that guy is? Is he a stalker or something?" asked Hirano.

"Not sure….but I don't like what I'm looking at it." she responded, gripping the handle of her sheathed katana.

Tojiro lifted an eyebrow, then quickly unsheathed the Blade of Darkness to block Saeko's katana from slicing through his head. Tojiro then forcefully blasted a current of wind to knock Saeko back, ending up at Hirano's feet.

"You're a fool to do that. Shall I try the same? I can promise that _I_ won't miss." threatened the Cloakmaster, lowering the blade.

"_He definitely knows how to handle a sword. He's skilled, maybe too skilled_." thought Takagi.

As Takashi and Rei approached the group, the Werehog erupted from the clearing fog. Tojiro's eyes twitched. He quickly turned around and pointed his left hand forward, then retracted it back. The ground underneath Takashi and Rei pushed them down to the ground. Tojiro then lunged forward, creating a blistering red aura around his sword, using it to smack the Werehog to the far right, sending it smashing through a house.

"What was that thing?" exclaimed Hirano.

"Something that's out of your league. You fools better stick to killing those walking corpses." Tojiro noted, sheathing the Blade of Darkness.

Tojiro watched Rei and Takashi pass him, already feeling some distrust among the group.

"Takashi, you're okay, right?" asked Rei.

"Don't worry. You're the one injured, so you're the one who needs to worry."

Rei looked down at her bleeding leg. Tojiro quickly looked to the right, seeing the Werehog rise from the rubble of the house it crashed through. Tojiro transformed into his hedgehog form, his hood lowering in the process.

"He's…he doesn't even look human!" spouted Takagi.

Tojiro's eyes filled with red, his Tsukikagegan remained as well. He charged the Chaos energy up in his body, the surge of energy gathering in his head. The Werehog violently charged towards the group with deep hunger in its eyes. Tojiro released ring shaped beams of red Chaos energy from both his eyes. The Werehog smacked several away, but was ultimately blasted through the concrete street, giving Tojiro the sign to charge, which also left the group behind him stunned.

His metals legs carrying him with extreme swiftness, Tojiro readied his right fist back. The Werehog rose up, immediately smashing the ground with both it's fists. Several spots of earth on the ground, under them were streams of orange Chaos energy. Tojiro leaped up onto one of the flying rocks, then jumped back, spin dashing into it to launch the ball of earth down at the Werehog below. The Werehog stretched its arms outward, punching the rock into nothing but mere pieces.

Tojiro landed on another flying rock, then jumped down to another which just shot out of the ground. Using both of his feet, he kicked the upcoming stone back down towards the Werehog below, absolutely smashing the Werehog on impact. The Demon of Death landed back on the ground, staring over at the spot where the rock impacted the Werehog.

Tojiro raised his fists, sparks of yellow Chaos energy sporadically appeared around his tightly clenched hands. The Werehog was appeared to still standing. It tilted its head to the left, snapping a bone, then tilting it to the right, the same sound following.

"_The confident fool. If this is how long I could last in my Werehog form, I'm surprised I haven't used it yet. But_…" he thought, looking at his left hand, where the holy lock was wrapped around.

He turned his head back towards the Werehog, it was gone from sight.

"Behind you!" called out Takagi.

The Cloakmaster turned around, seeing not the Werehog, but yet another zombie, with a whole horde behind it. Tojiro punched the zombie across the jaw, killing it immediately. He then stepped forth, grabbing two zombies by their shirts and smashing their skulls together. Tojiro went on to smack away three zombies each with the two corpses before dropping them to the ground. He quickly tore the arm off another, then turned to a zombie behind him, cramming the dismembered arm down the creature's throat. Tojiro turned back around, releasing two streams of fire to scorch through the main slew of gathering zombies.

"U-Un-Unbelievable." muttered Rei.

Tojiro tripped a zombie to the ground then stopped down on its skull, creating a bloody mess. He reached over his shoulder to grab a zombie by both sides of its head and tossed it over his own head, then firing several explosive green Chaos Spears. The projectiles exploded the flying corpse, and released hundreds of small shiny green needles once each exploded. All the needles sprayed everywhere, some going straight through the zombies heads, some through the eyes, through the brain, and some were even torn to pieces. Staring down the street to his right, he spotted thirty more of the flesh eaters. Preparing himself in a sprinting position, the ebony hedgehog dashed forwards the monsters. He then leaped into the air above them and performed a perfect dive kick.

The impact pushed the zombies back, leaving him enough room to be surrounded. Tojiro then began running in furious circles with super speed. A sudden tornado of golden Chaos energy began to create itself as Tojiro began running in circles faster and faster. The golden tornado of Chaos energy stood fifteen feet tall, and began picking all the zombies up of their feet. On mere impact with this power of nature, the zombies were immediately ripped and torn to shreds. A wave of blood and dismembered body parts sprayed everywhere. Finally, the tornado vanished in small lights, revealing Tojiro in the middle, standing in a creative stance. The Tsukikagegan in his eyes finally vanished, and his eyes returned to blank filled white. He dropped to knee, coughing horrendously.

Glowing red Chaos energy spilled from his mouth; it was discharge from within his system. Old corroded energy that has no use to him has to come out some way, doesn't it? He spat and coughed the glowing red and white energy, cursing to himself at the same time. He stared up, feeling his ears twitch nervously. The Werehog exploded from the ground a few feet up ahead of Tojiro, and charged for the group of Takashi and co. Zeke jumped down, barking madly at the oncoming Werehog.

"Zeke! Get back here!" called Alice, running after him.

"Alice! Don't!" shouted Hirano.

Tojiro quickly stood up, auras of red formed around his legs. Under the black cargo pants that he wore, the inside machinery of his legs were fused with Chaos energy, which needed the power to give him the ability to run so fast. Tojiro sprinted off in a mad dash. Tojiro quickly sprinted around the angry Werehog, drifting around the ten foot tall malevolent monster of violence. Tojiro drifted across the ground on his feet, literally burning up the concrete road.

The Werehog lunged for Alice, it's large claws extended forward. Alice ran to kneel down and grab the still barking Zeke, and screamed. Tojiro ended up hoisting Alice into his right arm, then shot a furious blast of red rings into the Werehogs' face, shooting it miles down the street, banging and bucking through the hard concrete road. Alice and Zeke opened their eyes, looking at the hedgehog turned Tojiro. His head turned towards them. He carefully put the two down, his head quickly turning to the Takashi and company running over to them.

"Alice! Please tell me you're alright?" asked the concerned Rei, kneeling down in front of her.

"Of course, Rei-chan!" replied the joyfully Alice.

Rei then hugged the little girl happily, while Zeke ran around the two, wishing for a hug as well. Tojiro turned his head back down the street, seeing dust and silence. He removed his hand from taking out Black Death, keeping his hands lowered by his side.

"Gone. What a surprise that is." said the Cloakmaster, turning around.

The barrel of a riot shotgun was pointed to his face. On the other end of it was Hirano.

"You may not realize this _yet_, but I can actually take a bullet, or _bullets_." said Tojiro, observing the shotgun.

"Uhh, Hirano? How'd you get my gun so easily?" asked Takashi.

"Eh? Well, you weren't holding it." he replied in an embarrassed tone.

"You shouldn't worry. He helped us from _them_, and even saved Alice from that thing. You can give me the gun." said Takashi, walking up to Hirano.

At first there was hesitance, but Hirano turned around to hand the riot shotgun back to Takashi, which he kept _lowered_ from Tojiro's face.

"It's good to know that someone hasn't given up hope. How long have you been on your own?" asked Takashi.

"Technically, just for a half hour. Realistically, there's no point. What happened here?" responded the Demon Demigod.

"We don't even know. One day the world is perfect and now it's hell." replied Takashi.

"Well, I guess I can't blame anyone for not getting a straight answer." said Tojiro, turning back around.

Rei walked up by Takashi's side, looking at the cloaked hedgehog the opposite Takashi was; with doubt.

"By the way, did any of you happen to see a woman with a sniper run past you at all?" asked Tojiro, looking over his shoulder at them.

"No. Why?" responded Takashi.

"Did this woman look like she was from the military?" asked Shizuka, bending over and asking the Cloakmaster.

Takashi's guilty eyes attempted not to look, so Rei was forced to cover his eyes.

"Military? Well, she definitely had some kind of advanced sniper rifle, and a military attitude. Yes. Her name was Rika."

"Really? You know where she is?" asked the dependent Shizuka.

"Yeah. Over there." said Tojiro, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

"Shizuka! Shizuka! Is that you?" called Rika, making her way over to them. Shizuka gasped with amazement.

"Thank you so much, hedgehog-san! I'm truly grateful!" said the happy Shizuka, squeezing Tojiro into a hug, his face lost in her chest.

Shizuka finally broke from the hug and ran towards Rika with great excitement.

"Hedgehog?" said a confused Hirano.

"Interesting. So this is what they look like." said Saeko, stepping next to Takashi.

Tojiro was straightening his headband and cloak after Shizuka's forceful embrace, "In some way, I would guess so." responded Tojiro, crossing his arms.

"Then would you agree to join our group?" asked Saeko.

"Why? You seem to have everything you need on your own."

"How come you say that?" said Hirano.

"Well, for starters, you all have your skills. I don't see why adding me to your group of undead slayers would make any difference, but it may improve your chances of leaving this city of course."

"Leave the city? You can get us out of here?" asked a swift Hirano.

"Forget I even said that. If I were to fix this problem, it wouldn't be so difficult, and besides I'd rather not waste the energy." he explained.

"Why's that?" asked Rei.

"Everyone! Everyone! I'd like you to meet Rika Minami! She's the friend I was speaking of a while back." Shizuka said happily, walking up to the group with Rika by her side.

"Rika, this is Takashi Komuro, Rei Miyamoto, Saya Takagi, Saeko Busujima, Kohta Hirano, and Alice Maresato." Shizuku introduced the gang to her.

"Aren't you a little cutie?" said Rika, ruffling Alice's hair, who was smiling and blushing with embarrassment.

"I'm glad to finally able to meet you all. I hope Shizuka hasn't gave any of you trouble." said Rika.

"No way. She's been helpful along the whole way." Takashi implied.

"We couldn't have made it this far without her. We all carry our own purpose to help each other." explained Saeko.

"You've made some great friends while I was away, haven't you?" said a smiling Rika.

"I never knew I would come this far either. It'll be so much better now that you're with us." answered Shizuka.

Rika smiled in response, then noticed Tojiro who was sitting off to the side on the sidewalk, his eyes shut. Everyone turned their heads to the same person.

"Say Rika, he mentioned your name. Did you two happen to run into each other?" Rei asked with curiosity in mind.

"Actually we did. In fact he helped me, sort of." said Rika, staring off to the side.

"He helped you too? Same here! He would really make a good addition to the group." said the excited Alice, holding Zeke in her arms.

"He did fight _them_ off using only his hands. I've never seen anything like it. It's not even human." said Takashi.

"If you haven't noticed, there aren't many humans left. So should he join or not?" Saya implied.

The group remained silent. Saya gave Takashi a glare, then pulled a hair out of his head.

"What the hell! What was that for?" exclaimed Takashi.

"I happened to be talking to you, stupid. Should he join or not?" Saya repeated carelessly.

"He sure knows how to fight, and whatever that thing he fought off was, he knew how to take care of it." Takashi put into a deciding statement.

"I can prove he doesn't care about any situation that comes his way. No matter what it is." said Rika.

"Huh? What are you saying, Rika?" said a confused Shizuka.

The elite sniper removed her rifle from her back and aimed directly at Tojiro's side.

"Rika! Stop it!" Shizuka said in concern.

Rika fired a single shot, straight towards between Tojiro's closed eyes. The Cloakmaster quickly unsheathed the Blade of Darkness, deflecting the bullet, with his eyes still sealed shut.

His blank white eyes stared out at the group in the middle of the street, he held the Blade of Darkness in a backwards manner, then sheathed it.

"For what exact purpose…was that for?" he asked.

Rika strapped her rifle back onto her back, and walked forward a bit.

Rika looked back at the others behind her, "So? Did he make the cut or what?" she asked with a smile on her face.

After many hours and many bodies of undead to slay, the group found their way to a much more industrial part of town. Tojiro was in the back, his sleeves linked into one another as he walked, and his hood over his head. Saya looked back at him, seeing nothing in his hood, due to the fact that the Cloakmaster created his veil of darkness to hide his expression from the others. Saya, being the last before Tojiro, stepped towards him, and decided to walk right next to him. Tojiro's body language didn't change at all.

"What kind of person are you?" Saya asked abruptly.

Tojiro looked up at the sky, "Sunset." he mumbled.

"What?" Saya replied confusedly.

"It's almost sunset. You can tell how the light in the sky on one side is slowly beginning to diminish while on the other darkness arrives." said a meaningful Tojiro.

Saya looked up, seeing that he was correct. Tojiro lowered his arm, then kept his gaze forward.

"So tell me how long you've all been doing this? You all seem pretty skilled at killing these things, and keeping your sanity at the same time." he asked, keeping his curiosity at its lowest level.

"What does it matter to you? You sure don't appear to be the type who would show concern for others."

"You're the first one to realize that. I commend you for that." said Tojiro.

Saya looked down at the Cloakmaster with drastic surprise in her eyes. She pushed her glasses up a bit, then looked turned her head forwards.

"Should it even matter what people do these days, especially in this world you all live in? All of you came together for your own special reason, right? Well, I've done the exact same thing, except I didn't have friends. There are only five things that I have…and that's all I'll need to do what I must." said the Demon Demigod.

"You sound too upset about it. So tell me, what is it in this world that makes you suffer so?" responded a cold Saya.

"I have one demented past. Two parents that I was forced to murder. Three reasons why I shouldn't live. Four unpredictable titles that label my mistakes. Then five different faces which I use to bring violence to those who must suffer. Is that the answer you wanted?" he asked, glaring up at her. In some way, Saya couldn't appear to impressed.

"Well, whatever your problem is, you need to get over it. That was the past and this is now, isn't it? You shouldn't foolishly dwell on the past. It's the past. It's not going to come back and haunt you day in and day out." said Saya, not noticing she was walking alone.

Saya opened her eyes, seeing Tojiro had vanished. She looked back, seeing nothing either. Saya turned forward again, shocked to see Tojiro right in front of her.

"You have no idea what chaos is. This city…is only a small fraction of chaos that continues to consume the rest of the world. I killed my mother the same night I was given this image…and I didn't even know it was her. I killed everyone else in the town I grew up in…all for the sake that I couldn't remember nothing else but one word; **kill**. So…just be glad my sword isn't halfway through your sternum, or your arms haven't been torn off, or possibly why I haven't ripped you in half just by using my thoughts. Don't you dare threaten my past you incompetent girl…you're a mere high school student who lets her mouth overload her insanely pathetic logic. Once you feel real chaos…threaten me _then_. Don't you dare do it now." threatened the grudged Tojiro vanishing with Chaos Control.

Takagi's eyes were shaking with something she never thought she would feel again; _fear_. Takagi looked over her shoulder, seeing Tojiro in the back once again.

"Takagi-neesan?" spoke up Alice.

Takagi flinched a bit, looking down at the seven year old girl, with Zeke by her side. Takagi took in a nervous breath and walked forward, past Alice. Zeke tilted and sat down on it's rear, watching her walk up with the rest of the group. Alice turned her head towards Tojiro, who just passed by.

"Tojiro-niisan! Hold on!" called the innocent Alice, following after him.

"What is it?" he asked with a disturbed tone in his voice.

"I needed to thank you! You saved me like Takashi did!" said Alice, walking next to him.

"I see. I'm glad I was there then." he said in response.

"This is Zeke by the way! Takashi helped rescues him too!" said Alice, picking the little dog up and showing him to Tojiro.

Tojiro remained unanswered and silent.

"Say hi!" said a smiling Alice.

Tojiro growled to himself, "Greetings…Zeke." he grumbled, looking at the dog.

Zeke suddenly jumped onto Tojiro's head, and laid down in a lazy position.

"Look! Look! He likes you already!" cheered Alice, clapping and giggling at the same time.

"Yeah. The feelings are mutual. Is my head suppose to be a washboard? Seriously, what the hell." said Tojiro, several sweat drops appearing on the back of his head.

"I think it's cute, Tojiro-niisan!" said the happy Alice, holding Tojiro's right hand.

His eyebrows raised in surprise, grumbling and staring off to side with fierce annoyance.

"Take a look, everybody. Isn't it adorable?" Shizuka admired the scene.

"Huh? What the?" exclaimed the gun enthusiast, Hirano.

"Alice sure knows a good person when she sees one, right Takashi?" said Rei.

"Definitely. I guess Tojiro really did make a good addition to the group. Don't you think so Rei?" replied Komuro.

"Yes! He's not so bad after all!" replied Rei, giggling at the pair.

With Alice happily skipping and holding Tojiro's hand, and Zeke nesting on Tojiro's head, the Cloakmaster could've easily released his anger, but he knew it was wrong. Tojiro strived to make others happy with themselves and the world around them, hence why he believes in protecting the lives of people who deserve peace. He could tell how Alice's happy expression showed her gentle and kind spirit, and that she wasn't afraid of anything. Tojiro could sense that as long as she had someone like Takashi, Rei, Hirano, or any other member of the group, she could always manage to find a smile.

It was a feeling of security, that Alice would know everything would be alright, and Tojiro could see this truth as easily as finding the sun. Tojiro kept his gaze up at the sky, his mind lost in the thoughts of the morals that this world once had; and now lost in the chaos of this famine outbreak. Maybe there was no reason to judge the morals if they were long gone, but perhaps new morals could be born out of the ashes in the coming morning. For whatever reason he sought, Alice's joyfulness reminded him of Kasumi.

Tojiro could easily tell that if he was there by Kasumi's side, nothing would hurt her, because she believes in Tojiro, and nothing will ever change that. Much like this world he walks through, everyone depends on themselves, treating each other as one group of friends, even sensing love amongst the group.

Either way, Tojiro looked down at the joyous expression on Alice's face, then turned his head back forward. Alice kept a tight warm grip to Tojiro's cold metal hand, but in just a few seconds, Tojiro held her hand tightly as well, returning the mutual kindness that Alice had given him so dearly.

After another half hour, Tojiro was in front of everyone else, alone. He took his steps slowly, as if he was prepared for something. Tojiro finally, turning around to Saeko standing behind him. He turned his head back forward, "So, which question do you have first? Why am I so quiet? How come I'm so small? Or how come I don't care who lives or dies? Each one has the same answer."

"Not really. It just seems that someone like you has their own pride to protect. That's all." she responded her usual cool tone.

"I believe in respect before pride. What's the point in believing in something trivial like your own confidence when you can't even hold faith in your allies? I don't need pride, because I was born without it. Next question." he replied coldly.

Saeko was slightly impressed by his attitude, but worried on the lesser side of what he had left of his sanity.

"I take it then that you always stood on your own. Is that really what you believe is the right thing to do?"

"It's good to stand on my own ground for one good reason, and in true fact; a lot of people fear that reason. It's because of the simple telling of it sounds impossible." Tojiro responded to Saeko's question.

"Really? And that would be?" she asked.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." he replied, stopping in his tracks once more.

Up ahead, a group of undead construction workers stood. There were only seven. Tojiro gripped the handle of the Blade of Darkness.

"Facing them attracts more. Fighting isn't the best thing to do. You'll first find yourself fighting two or three, but then that changes to fifteen and over." Saeko explained.

"What's going on, Saeko-san?" asked Takashi.

"Them. There's a group of them up ahead." Saeko answered, turning halfway to Takashi.

"So, this is what you're all afraid of? The only thing I can propose is that you show them that your fear is hate. Watch." said Tojiro, stepping towards the zombies.

"Is he crazy?" said Takagi.

"I'm afraid not." answered Rei.

Tojiro stopped in front of the seven clueless zombies.

"_Well, they were right. Their senses are dead, all but they're hearing remains. Very well then_!" thought Tojiro, clapping his hands together once.

Takashi and co. widened their eyes. The zombies turned towards Tojiro.

"It's a shame. Your senses are dead, and you won't feel pain. Well, then I'll just prescribe my hate instead." Tojiro said, clenching his fists and crossing his arms across one another.

The first zombie lunged for him. The Cloakmaster grabbed the zombie by it's jaw with his right hand, and tore it straight off, then kicked the flesh eater straight off to the side. The next, Tojiro smashed his fists together on the zombie's skull, showering it's head into bloody chunks. Letting the body fall down, Tojiro reverted to his human form, and grabbed two lunging zombies by their throats. He lifted them off the ground. The zombies, being known to tear down doors, were unable to free themselves from Tojiro's grip.

A zombie from in front lunged for Tojiro's neck. Tojiro swiftly drove his right foot forward, impaling it through the zombie. Tojiro then quickly pressed all his force into the two zombies he was holding up, completely rupturing their necks, then dropping their officially dead corpses. With the zombie impaled onto his leg, Tojiro pulled his leg out of the zombie's chest, then punched the zombie's head clean off.

The next zombie grabbed onto Tojiro's left arm, ready to chomp down on his flesh. The very second Tojiro felt the zombie grab his arm, Tojiro drove his right fist into the left side of the zombie's skull, completely smashing it inward. He tossed the body off to the side, and wiped his hands clean, noticing no more that opposed him. Tojiro flipped his hood over his head, then turned back to the group, walking towards them.

"He only used his hands. Strangely impressive." Rika stated admirably.

"He's clearly on drugs." Takagi responded oppressively.

Tojiro stopped in front of Saeko. "Numbers never matter." he stated to her.

Saeko smiled, "I can believe that, _now_."

"Good. That also means you should be prepared for surprises as well." he inspired.

Saeko's eyes widened a bit. From a drape to the left, the seventh zombie came out, coming towards Saeko. Tojiro quickly turned his head to it, his eyes flashing white. Saeko opened her eyes from the flash, seeing the zombie was frozen in ice. Tojiro walked up to it.

"How did he? How did that just happen?" said the flabbergasted Rei.

Tojiro scratched the back of his head, walking up the right side of the frozen zombie.

"You'll be surprised with how far fear can travel. It doesn't stop at your head, nor your very mind or imagination. No matter how brainless a foe may be, fear can still be instilled." he said, punching the ice.

The very force caused the zombie inside to shatter like a mess of jigsaw pieces.

"After all, it's like I said; **respect before pride…and fear before hate**." Tojiro said to them all, taking the previous path the group was taking before they stopped.

"I really don't know what to call it. I better not be the only one thinking this." said Rika.

"No point in worrying right? What's done is done." said Takashi, looking at Tojiro who was already a few feet ahead of the group.

He turned his head back to the shattered body parts of the zombie. Takashi then walked past the group, following Tojiro's path, everyone else doing the same.

"_On a day when the world had to end, we ran into him. It was obvious that his actions were his own…and his methods were the same way. The only thing that worries me now is; what more can happen…that hasn't happened already_?" narrated Takashi's thoughts.

In the dead of night, the group were just leaving the industrial district of the city.

"So you think reaching the police station is the next best thing?" Hirano asked Takashi.

"Doubt it. We've been taking detours for the past few days now, I'm not even sure what will happen next." he responded.

"Mostly because of…_him_?" said Hirano, referring to the Cloakmaster up ahead.

"Yeah. I guess so. _I've never seen anything like what he's done. He may be worse than all of us combined. He kills with no thoughts in his mind, and when he fights, nothing else matters to him. I was able to recognize all that in just the first day of us meeting him_." Takashi thought to himself.

"Busujima seems impressed with him though. If he's as skilled with a sword as much as she is." said Hirano.

"Well, I can easily tell how much he proved himself. It seems likely that we may have no regrets after all." Takashi explained, half hearted in his explanation.

Up ahead, Tojiro immediately looked up, spotting a black hawk helicopter pass over their heads upon the sky.

"Someone's in a hurry….but; what if they're running scared?" said Tojiro to himself.

"Everyone should keep moving forward. I'm heading up to get a better view of where that helicopter was going." he answered, turning to the building on his right.

He leaped onto it, and swiftly scaled it by using his hands. Reaching the top, three more black hawk helicopters passed right over him, flying towards the coast.

"Something can't be right. Well, that's obvious, but their haste is too strange."

Tojiro's eyes widened suddenly. He spun his arms around, creating a black sphere shaped barrier around himself, blocking a blast of silver energy. He quickly turned around, lowering the his barrier at the same time, spotting Orion hovering in mid-air.

"You refuse to let your foolishness get ahead of you, don't you realize that?" suggested the Cloakmaster, reverting to his hedgehog form with drastic haste.

"Your violent methods never cease to surprise on how you transfigure that side of your being into a protective manner. These kids are already dealing with the destruction of their lives and moral codes with every passing second, hour, and day. I have come to rid you from their lives." said Orion.

"Morality never takes part in chaos. There's no point of having morality when you have to face the sad truth that your world is actually coming to an end." stated Tojiro mercilessly.

"And yet you're presence has brought me here. One stray shot of yours or my very own Chaos energy…could easily kill one of them. Would you truly want that kind of fact on your hands?" Orion questioned.

"Another dead soul added to my body count won't matter. I have plenty of room for people's blood to be spilled on my hands. It's their fault if those kids get in my way." said Tojiro, preparing spheres of red Chaos energy, with black bolts of electricity shocking from them.

The bounty hunter huffed at Tojiro's answer, knowing he should've expected such an abusive reason.

"I guess for this once I am the fool. You've already murdered your family and friends once you were given the title of Nightshade; and over the years millions more fell to your hands. That record, however, ENDS TODAY! CLOAKMASTER ANKOKU!" roared Orion, unsheathing his blade, Silver Wind.

He pointed it straight down at the Cloakmaster, releasing a thick, and massive sized blast of silver Chaos energy towards Tojiro, and those he was now forced to protect.

**NEXT CHAPTER**** PREVIEW**

-A storm of Silver Chaos Spears rains down upon Takashi and the group.- "The Infamous Hunter of the Moon, Orion, finds Tojiro in the altered world corrupt with chaos, challenging him once again."

-Tojiro leaps over a thrown steel girder in a construction yard, only to be smacked by one head by Orion. "Like their pasts, rage explodes and scars their battleground, forcing Tojiro into another predicament where he must save those who he barely knows."

"Even as their battle rages on, Orion questions Tojiro's ability to wield the Nightmare Scythe." -Tojiro stands still, watching Orion taunt him as blood leaks from his mouth.-

-A Chaos Portal appears by Orion's hand.- -The two strangle, kick and blast each other with negative and positive Chaos energy. "Orion soon finds his strategy dissolving, bringing himself and Tojiro to present day Earth, and in the presence of a large mansion and a assuaged girl, Tojiro contends to his will; a will that begins to doubt.

-Orion roars out in rage, doubting Tojiro, and in favor of Akuma; promises him that the Cloakmaster of Fear has more power over the Negative half of the Chaos Force, than that of the world's most despised being. "Tojiro fights to protect the mansion and its hypothetically confused tenants, knowing full well that he must protect them from the maddened Orion.

"Tojiro begins to see the darkness; as fighting Orion continues to rage on outside and within the mansion's area, Orion spouts his ability to deny Tojiro's vile view of hope."

-Tojiro stands before a white haired girl with eyes as orange as his, blocking a wall of Chaos Water with his body.-

-An explosion conquers the mansion's roof.-

-A girl with short blue hair and an eyepatch dressed in a butler's outfit screams out.-

-Tojiro's head raises as the Tsukikagegan takes over in his eyes.-

"Orion promises Tojiro of failure, failure in mastering the Nightmare Scythe in time to defeat Akuma Kyofu. And in his denial, Tojiro begins to believe...he is right."

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS CHAPTER XXVI: **_

___**POWER STRUGGLE**_


	26. Chapter XXVI

_**CHAPTER XXVI: POWER STRUGGLE**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Orion, Malcolm Nikushima and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

Tojiro stuck his hands forward, shooting the two spheres into one large red beam with a stream of black that went through the entire middle. The two forces collided in a mighty explosion. Orion charged through the smoke, elbowing Tojiro directly in the jaw, then punching him directly in the face with his left fist, throwing him off the building. Orion flew on after his demented foe. Orion swung his blade several times, Tojiro was forced to spin and duck as he was stuck in this dreaded free fall. Sick and angered by Tojiro's wonderful show of persistence, Orion released two large blue beams of positive Chaos energy from his eyes.

The blast scorched against Tojiro's body, plummeting the ebony cloaked hedgehog down through three steam pipes, ending smashing his back onto a stack of six steel girders, absolutely smashing them and bending them inward. Orion sheathed Silver Wind, formed into a ball and spin dashed straight for Tojiro, a fierce blue aura surrounding him. The Cloakmaster hastily flipped himself backwards off the girders, leaving Orion to smash into them. Orion swiftly came out of the smoke. Tojiro blocked a kick from Orion with his left arm, then smacked away a right fist thrust, then ducked from both of Orion's Chaos Punches.

Straight after Orion's fatal miss, Tojiro deliberately swung his left foot right up Orion's chin, throwing him high into the air, and smacking his head into a metal ceiling. Tojiro landed back on the ground, noticing they were under an unfinished construction building. Orion used Chaos Control, causing a whole stack of girders to be launched at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster of Darkness swiftly ran forward, taking the challenge head on.

He first leaped to the left, landing on a steel girder, running across to the very end to leap off the right, landing on one that was flinging sideways. He quickly launched himself off it, then quickly jumped up to dodge a series of silver Chaos Spears shot from the bounty hunter himself. Tojiro landed on a vertical flying girder, then lunged down to another, grabbing onto it. He easily sprung to the left, dodging another Chaos Spear shot by Orion. This caused the girder he was on to spin violently, coming towards Orion. Tojiro then grabbed onto the girder, and jumped up, holding the entire steel girder with his hands. Tojiro then shot it down at Orion with one swing.

Orion unsheathed Silver Wind again, slicing it completely in half, then quickly witnessing the Demigod of Death to land right in front of him, and deliver both his fist ready Chaos Punches to Orion's chest, shooting him through a fenced wall, and into another building area under the very building. In the darkness, Orion rolled across the dirt until he came to a halt. Tojiro came through the hole in the fence, shooting beam after beam of orange Chaos energy. Orion was able to prepare a protective silver barrier around himself to stop the blasts of volatile Chaos energy.

Preparing a sphere of red lightning in his hands, Tojiro charged towards the barrier with anger. Orion was finally back on his feet, and quickly leaped out of the barrier, knowing of Tojiro's insane ability to amplify his Chaos energy ten fold. Tojiro blasted the barrier apart with the red lightning in his right hand, but then leaped up through the smoke to deliver the second half of the pain straight into Orion's face. The bounty hunter was sent flying up through the flower of the unfinished building, plowing through a stack of metal girders at the same time. Tojiro reappeared on the same floor with a simple use of Chaos Control. Orion stabbed Silver Wind into the ground, using it as leverage to help himself back to his feet. He glared forward at the Cloakmaster that stood apart from him.

"You've always shown doubt, but even I've noticed you changed Tojiro. Be surprised or careless, neither matters in how you respond…you fool." Orion contemplated to the Demon Demigod of Death.

"Last time I checked, other peoples opinions don't matter to me.

Once my mind changes to something, I do it, no one else is responsible for what goes through my nightmare filled mind. And you…I have noticed you deliberately come to face me any chance you get…deliberately being defeated, or deliberately retreating. What makes you so adamant to face me?" questioned the demon.

"Because I know how much you're alone. You have no one to stand by. Even the girl that gave you that necklace." said Orion, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Tojiro's head lowered, looking at the necklace.

"What makes you so determined? Do you really think wielding the Nightmare Scythe will really give you the chance to defeat Akuma? You can't defeat the master of Hell with just your brutish usual methods! Akuma has his own deadly weapon, the very twin…of the Nightmare Scythe." Orion explained, smirking.

Tojiro quickly looked back at Orion with anger.

"That's right. Just like you two being blood brothers…there are two weapons…that were once one, but split to create order in the realm of Hell. You don't stand a chance Tojiro. In the end, you'll only destroy yourself!" exclaimed Orion, preparing Silver Wind by gripping the handle with both his hands.

"So then, I take it…it was _you_ who threw me into the Chaos Rift portal." Tojiro denounced, his eyes appearing angered.

"No, of course not. That's your own problem to figure out." said Orion.

Tojiro was surprised by the startling news. If that was the case; then Tojiro knew who sent him through the Chaos Rift.

"Kuro. She did it." said the still standing Cloakmaster.

"Seeing that I'm feeling generous; I'll take this fight elsewhere." said Orion, shooting the warp tunnel of Chaos Control energy at Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster quickly ran forward, sliding under it, but the portal opened widely, and sucked him in straight in, with the bounty hunter jumping in after him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present Timeline, Kuonji Family Mansion, 10:30 pm<strong>_

Over a large, richly built mansion, the blue portal re-opened, a large red blast shooting out of it, with Orion on the other end, being blasted into the ground below, landing into a fountain in front of the house. Tojiro spin dashed out of the portal, which quickly sealed itself afterwards. Orion quickly rose to his feet once more, preparing them to block a Chaos Punch, sparking a red and silver surge of light between the two rivals. Orion spread his arms out wide, knocking Tojiro back. The Cloakmaster of Darkness landed a few feet away from the former bounty hunter. Tojiro quickly looked over his shoulder, spotting nothing but a lightened city behind far off in the distance.

"Back in the present. That's good."

"NOT FOR LONG!" yelled Orion, releasing slit shaped blasts of silver and blue Chaos energy by swinging the unsheathed Silver Wind in several different patterns.

Tojiro was cut across the shoulder, and merely scratched across his right arm, damaging the metal pieces of it. Tojiro then was forced to roll up into a ball, while all the slits of Chaos energy passed straight over him. Orion growled, sheathing Silver Wind, then immediately firing silver Chaos Spears out of his clenched fists which he pointed forward. Like a wild heavy machine gun, the Chaos Spears were wildly firing at the rolled up Tojiro. Empowering an aura of red Chaos energy around himself, Tojiro fired off towards Orion with intense speed and power. Orion continued firing, turning his fists to the right, seeing that Tojiro was going left.

Tojiro quickly shot up into the air, then exited his ball form, releasing red Chaos energized beams out of his eyes. Orion leaped up off to the left, dodging their explosive power with ease. Orion released several blade shaped projectiles of silver Chaos energy that appeared out thin air. He fired the storm of sharpened pain up at the Cloakmaster. The heartless demon was horribly cut, his flesh sharply skewered by the thin, yet intensely quick projectiles. Tojiro landed back on the, holding his right shoulder in pain.

"Pathetic. Nothing that I've seen could be more pathetic than you…Tojiro Neo Ankoku. You have no chance of defeating Akuma, more or less going through the Nine Circles themselves to reach him!" Orion announced in a superstitious tone.

Tojiro growled, lowering his head as he attempted to stand back up.

"Akuma has mastered all known arts of the negative side that is the Chaos Force; Tojiro. He knows how you cowardly come to the aid of those who you perpetuate as _fit to live_. You can't bring them protection if you continue to guard them. Akuma knows this weakness well, and once you leave the side of those you encounter, he shall use them against you. Whether it's killing them or weakening your spirit. It's an obvious fact to him and the rest of the Hell Gods! You're fate is better fit to be decided by ME!" shouted Orion firing a sadistic beam of spinning silver and blue mixed blast of Chaos energy.

Tojiro quickly waved his left arm up, creating a wall of earth. The blast sent by Orion easily and utterly destroyed the wall of earth, leaving only dust to roam amongst the air. Orion stepped forth five steps, seeing Tojiro, nowhere to be found.

"If only his damn disappearances would symbolize his death, instead he just has another plan after the other." mumbled Orion through his anger strained voice.

Tojiro suddenly shot out of the very ground behind Orion. Orion quickly turned around, reeling his right fist back, but was suddenly stopped, his eyes opened wide. Orion looked down, seeing a whirling ball of Chaos energy infused into chakra.

"Chaos Rasengan!" roared the ferocious Tojiro.

The blast shot Orion over the fountain, smashing and bouncing across the ground with pain. Tojiro quickly ran forward, dismissing his earlier accounts of pain. Tojiro leaped over the fountain and landed in front of the former bounty hunter who had just risen to his feet. Once in front of Orion, Tojiro drove his right fist straight into Orion's chest, delivering it as an agonizing Chaos Kick. Orion was sent crashing through the front gates, breaking them off, and dashing across the ground with even more pain. Taking a step forward, Tojiro painfully dropped onto one knee, holding his right arm again.

He took a much more better look at it, spotting that one of Orion's blade shaped projectiles was able to tear through the blue circular button in the middle of his right hand's palm, as well some wires in the inner functions of his metallic arm, which helped transfer Chaos energy into the arm so he would be able to have power at every second.

"This is pathetic…and unfortunate at the same time. It's like fighting with a hand tied behind my back, and being blindfolded at the same time." he said, slowly rising back up.

Tojiro knew his right arm was the most important part of his system that kept him alive, especially his sanity and mind. Mostly notably because of the fact that the seven shards from his mother's Necklace of Remembrance were in slots that surrounded the blue button, and once pressed, it would trigger his Dragon transformation. Nightmares and distasteful thoughts would flood his mind while in his Dragon form, but with all that anger and hate, all the power that usually channels through his body would greatly increase tenfold. Tojiro shook his head, preparing auras of red and black Chaos energy around both his hands.

"_I don't care what blood vessel pops, I don't care what seizure will come, I'm going to keep standing…no matter what….I must succeed." he thought with rising hope_.

"Excuse me…you there!" called a female voice.

Tojiro turned his head to the right, one eyebrow lifted in annoyance. It was a girl in a white and blue school uniform. She had white hair, cold orange eyes, and an X crossed mark on her forehead.

"Are you some kind of new bodyguard at Kuonji's place?" she asked.

Tojiro turned his head back forward, and charged.

"I see. Disrespect, huh? That Kuonji knows how to pick her butlers." complained the stale girl, her arms crossed, observing Tojiro as he ran.

Orion, back on his feet, released blue static covered beams of blue Chaos energy from both his eyes. Tojiro swung his red and black energized fists to smack against the beams, dissipating them. Tojiro then fired a red beam from his right hand and a black beam from his left hand. Orion released several yellow disc shaped projectiles from his hands, which cut through the beams, but that didn't stop them from exploding into the ground behind and in front of Orion. The discs came at Tojiro like a swarm of hornets. He narrowly ducked under one just by bending himself backwards, then swiftly spinning to the right, dodging three consecutive ones.

Tojiro anxiously landed on all fours, staring forward at Orion, who had revealed himself in his spin dash form. Tojiro quickly did the same, knowing a defensive move would require too much Chaos energy. The two collided, both bouncing off in random directions. In just minutes, flashes of white signaled their intense speed, and the force how they continued colliding with one another over and over in their spin dash forms. Finally, the two grinded against each other. A furious red aura formed around Tojiro and a gleaming blue aura formed around Orion. The girl with white hair stood in front of the broken down gates, watching the infamous power of red and blue gleam shock together several times in the night.

"Just what is this?" she said, holding her arm up to cover her eyes from the intensifying bright light that continued to shine.

Suddenly, the two shot off into opposite directions. Orion was sent flying the farthest, however. Tojiro was sent burrowing through the earth on his, coming to a stop at the white haired girl's feet.

"Do you mind moving? I can see plenty _too much _from my view." said Tojiro aloofly, slowly placing his right hand over his eyes.

The girl's eyes widened, and looked at what he meant.

"You're a sick little pervert, aren't you?" replied the girl, in the same tone Tojiro used.

Tojiro quickly rolled backwards standing next to the girl, also dodging a few silver needles shot from Orion.

"You idiotic degenerate! STAY STILL!" roared the angry gray hedgehog, charging by flying towards the two with swiftness.

"You may might want to move." said Tojiro, pointing his right hand out.

"No one orders me around. I have my own issues and lines to follow." she steamed.

"Then you can add this issue to your list." said Tojiro, pushing her out of the way, and creating a black barrier around himself.

The white haired girl was knocked to the ground by the Cloakmaster's immediate shove. She angrily stared back at where he stood, seeing a powerful white beam hit his ebony barrier that circled around him. Orion landed back on the ground, readying his katana; Silver Wind. Tojiro immediately lowered his barrier, readying his black ninjato; The Blade of Darkness.

The two cloaked hedgehogs, with no disregard for simple violence, took it to the next level. Delving their powers into their blades, the two foes immediately dashed towards each other at super speed. Tojiro clashed his fiery red aura surrounded blade against Orion's blistering blue covered one, sparking a fierce force of white and lightning to shock outwards from the grinding of their swords together.

Finally, the two leaped backwards. Orion landed on the roof of a house, pointing Silver Wind directly at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster skidded up next to the girl. She got to her feet, storming up the cloaked hedgehog.

"Before you _do_ slap me, will you-"

Too late for him.

The girl had already angrily slapped Tojiro across the face. He shook his head very quickly to free himself of the dizziness.

"You're a fool." he mumbled discretely.

"My name is Ageha Kuki! How dare you give me _any_ orders! This is _your_ threat, so take it somewhere so it won't cause problems!" she exclaimed in defense.

"Then I'll just refuse and keep your obnoxious self alive." he said, sliding over to Ageha, wrapping an arm around her waist, then quickly leaping into the air.

Orion growled through his gritted teeth, firing several high voltage blue Chaos Spears up at the pair.

"You wanna' hold on or kiss the pavement?" asked Tojiro awkwardly.

The two stopped in mid-air, then began falling.

"Can't you do something, you fool? Stop us from falling!" she screamed.

"The impact will end up with your body rolling around until the back of your thick skull finally cracks under the force of the pavement. Are you going to listen? Refuse? Or die trying?" he questioned.

As much as she tried to tell herself this would sicken her, Ageha tightly wrapped her arms around Tojiro's neck. Tojiro finally let out a concentrated blast of jet fumes from under his metal feet, launching himself back into the sky. Finally lowering his sword, Orion crouched down. With a mighty burst of force and power surging through his legs and feet, the renegade bounty hunter shot off into the night air, aiming for Tojiro and the unfortunate bystander which he was holding with one arm.

"Of course. And he tells me I'M the persistent one." said the irritated demon, pointing the Blade of Darkness in a diagonal angle, the same angle at which Orion was approaching them.

Tojiro summoned a large portion of his Chaos energy out of the blade's tip, resulting in a large black ball of evil Chaos energy with a circulating red core inside of it. Orion spin dashed through it with a blue aura around himself. Quickly exiting the ball form, Orion swung his blade directly at the two.

Tojiro reluctantly pointed his feet forward, firing a blast of flames to knock Orion back, as well as himself. Tojiro was flying backwards through the sky, Ageha very eager to hang onto the Cloakmaster's neck. Tojiro was looking over his shoulder as he tensely passed over the mansion roof. Suddenly, Orion appeared in his backwards flight path.

"You must trust me Ageha." said Tojiro, his blank white hedgehog eyes completely being filled with crimson red.

"What? I thought you said to hold OOONNNNN!" she cried loudly, as Tojiro tossed her straight into the air.

Fully turning himself around, Tojiro struck his blade with Orion, resulting in a forceful shove backwards from the strength of force. Tojiro flew back an inch then lunged forward, punching Orion across the face, then kicking him in the waist his left leg, but was soon blasted back once Orion fired a pair of deadly blue beams from both of his eyes. The blast rendered Tojiro to be sent flying backwards. As this happened, he noticed Ageha fly straight down past him, still screaming at the top of her lungs. Tojiro's eyes formed into his classic evil stare. He pointed himself downward and released a fierce amount of thrust from his feet, flying down in after the falling Ageha. Orion desperately followed after the Cloakmaster of Darkness, intent to murder and dominate over the Demon Demigod. Tojiro was in a vertical dive, nearing Ageha inch by inch.

The two were flying straight towards the fountain in front of Kuonji mansion. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, and lunged forward with one final boost. He reached out with all he had, grabbing Ageha by the wrists of her hands. He pulled the girl forward, and grabbed her in his arms, holding her bridal style. Tojiro quickly pulled up, just missing the fountain my mere inches, but instead; there was a new target this time; the front door!

Tojiro quickly blew a blast of wind from his mouth, which opened the doors right open. He flew in, and turned his back to the large staircase he was headed for, smacking against with great, painful force. Ageha sat up, noticing the awfully groaning hedgehog she was sitting on. She quickly scooted off of him. He lowered his hood, revealing his face.

"What? You're not even a human! Just what are you?" she exclaimed with demand.

Tojiro quickly rose up, nudging her away. He quickly created a slanted barrier of black Chaos energy in front of himself, blocking a series of razor sharp silver needles from skewering him. Tojiro lowered the shield, immediately firing a breath of fire from his mouth. Orion leaped through the open doors, then quickly unsheathed Silver Wind.

The renegade bounty hunter leaped towards the flames, spinning like a top, completely distinguishing the fires with silver streaks of light. Landing on his feet, Orion released a large sphere of silver Chaos energy, with a shining blue core in the middle of it. Tojiro angrily released a single green Chaos Spear. It zipped straight through Orion's sphere and hit the bounty hunter with deadly accuracy and momentum. The blast violently tossed him back outside. Tojiro walked down the stairs, leaving Ageha to sit and gaze in wonderment. Tojiro stormed out the open doors, spin dashing straight into Orion's gut, knocking him against the fountain out in front of the house. Tojiro clapped his hands with great power, releasing an onslaught of green Chaos Spears upon Orion.

The bounty hunter raised his cloak over himself, creating a glowing silver white to cover his entire wrapped up body. The Chaos Spears violently pillaged and destroyed everything that surrounded his foe, nearly uprooting the entire ground around him. Tojiro quickly sprung to the left to dodge an outstretched silver beam, which quickly retracted itself into the cloud of smoke. Tojiro then quickly spun himself into the air, then fired five red Chaos Spears. They exploded immediately on impact, but Orion was already flying up and out of the smoke cloud, delivering a direct Chaos Punch across Tojiro's jaw.

Tojiro soared down through the night sky, smashing onto the rooftop of the Kuonji Mansion. Orion created a spiral shaped aura of silver Chaos energy around his body, and dove directly down at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster was painfully hit by the force, and blown through the roof, and back down into the main hall where Ageha was. Tojiro's back ruptured the floor with a strain of cracks. Orion was standing over Tojiro's body then grabbed his throat, and continued to deliver several painful punches to Tojiro's head.

"What gives you any right to know what's best for _anyone_! WELL? TELL ME YOU FILTHY DEGENERATE!" roared the rage filled bounty hunter, continuing to punch Tojiro in the face.

Orion stopped again, "No one deserves your protection…no one even deserves your mere presence. It brings everyone solemn horror and fatigue to people's lives. You don't protect their lives! YOU RUIN THEM!" Orion continued to rant violently, as well as punching Tojiro in the face over and over.

Ageha was left in shock. More and more blood spilled from Tojiro's face, it was even gathering on Orion's right fist as he was using it to angrily beat it into Tojiro's head, one after the other and so on: Orion finally let go of the horrendously bleeding hedgehog. Orion stepped back, looking at his right fist, as it was ripe with Tojiro's bad blood. Orion cleansed it by enforcing some of his Chaos energy to make it evaporate. Tojiro's right hand began to stir, and rise up slowly with pain coursing through every vain in his body.

"Degenerate? I…don't…think so." said Tojiro, anger rising in his voice.

* * *

><p>Orion glared down at Tojiro, then prepared Silver Wind, and dove the blade straight for where Tojiro's heart <em>would<em> be. The Cloakmaster knocked the blade away, reaching up to grab Orion by the throat of his neck, then shocking him violently with red lightning, amplified by his very own Chaos powers. The blast of pain was powerful enough to throw Orion back across the floor, painfully ending up outside once again. Tojiro stepped forward, not caring or aware of the blood that was spilling from his forehead and face. Ageha looked down at where he previously laid, a pool of his evil blood sat still on the ground.

"If there's anyone in this house, you may wish to aware them that they're going to have a rude wake up call." said Tojiro, before running through the front doors.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness leaped off the stairs and smacked his foot directly across the side of Orion's head, knocking him down to the ground. Tojiro gripped Orion by the quills on his head and repeatedly smashed his face into the ground, about ten times. Finally, Tojiro swung him around, and tossed straight through a window on the upper floor of the Kuonji Mansion. Orion ended up smashing through the glass, and hitting the ceiling of the room he ended up in.

Orion fell onto the floor of the room, quickly getting up to his feet. Tojiro appeared in the broken window sill out of Chaos Control. Orion fired a beam of blue Chaos energy directly into Tojiro's face, blowing him out of the window. Orion hurried over to the shattered window and leaped out. However, a persistent Cloakmaster quickly came back, tackling him through the window, and taking much more of the wall with it as well.

The two crashed through the door that led into the room. Tojiro smashed Orion's skull against the hallway wall, but the angered Orion grabbed the Cloakmaster by his shoulders and tossed him straight down the hall.

The Cloakmaster ended up smashing through some staircase railing, but quickly grabbed on to stop himself from falling. Orion used Chaos Control to appear at the spot, seeing that Tojiro had vanished. Suddenly, his ears twitched. Orion turned around and held his arms crossed to halt a powerful spin dash from Tojiro. Orion released a steady amount of green shocking Chaos energy from his body, which knocked Tojiro down the hall, and by that time he was grabbed by the quills on the back of his head, and tossed further down the hall by the vengeful bounty hunter. Tojiro smashed into the wall at the other end then looked up to see Orion speeding towards him with Silver Wind pointed forward.

Knowing that the blade was perfectly lined up between his eyes, Tojiro swiftly ducked down, leaving the sword to impale the wall behind him. Tojiro directly gave an uppercut to Orion's chin, then grabbed Orion by this throat and cloak to smash him into the wall on the left, then smashed him into the right, then the floor and finally, Tojiro pointed Orion to the ceiling and fired a pair red beams directly out of his hands.

Orion crashed through several floors of the house and crashed straight out of the roof, the beam still pushing him higher and higher into the night time sky of stars. The Cloakmaster dropped to his knees, his right arm shocking and giving him more pain than before. His full glowing red eyes went back to white. He stood up, and looked down the hall, seeing a girl with raven black hair. Her eyes appeared surprise by his appearance. Black…and…white.

Tojiro couldn't stop the blood that spilled from his face. It made his face look even more hellish. The girl with the raven colored hair was in her pink pajamas, three buttons clearly unchecked and revealing a bit of her upper chest. Tojiro grabbed hold of Black Death's handle, watching the girl walk towards him. He growled, not in any kind of sympathetic mood to let anyone near him.

"No need to show eagerness for violence." she said, slowly approaching the demon.

"Trust me. You wouldn't know the half of it." he said, pointing Black Death at her.

She suddenly stopped. Tojiro stepped forth, his ears twitching for one moment. He quickly charged at her. The girl gasped. Tojiro quickly put Black Death back in his holster and grabbed the girl, holding her in his arms. Sprinting forward, Tojiro just saved the girl from a devastating blue beam of Chaos energy shooting down from above. Tojiro quickly headed for the stairs and jumped off of them, ending up in the main hall once again.

"Shinra! Are you truly responsible for this _thing_ being here?" questioned Ageha, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

Tojiro placed Shinra down on the stairs then quickly looked back to the door, seeing Orion charge at full force towards him. Tojiro quickly unsheathed the Blade of Darkness and firing a large red beam of Chaos energy out of the blade's very tip. The blast overwhelmed the bounty hunter and forced him to be sent flying straight outside of the house once again.

"You both stay here. Or else." Tojiro ordered, charging threw the door.

Ending up back outside, Tojiro swung his sword against Orion's Silver Wind, blocking the attack of course. "You're wasting your time you idiotic monster!" said Orion, pushing Tojiro back.

A vertical swing from Orion forced Tojiro to hold the blade straight up and let Orion's sword grind against his. Tojiro quickly jumped back from a forward jab. Orion quickly sprinted forward, and lunged his blade forward at Tojiro, who's feet hadn't even touched back on the ground yet. Tojiro took the painful stab, but then Tojiro was angered enough by the pain to return the favor. Tojiro stabbed Orion in the lower chest, then shocked his body from within.

Orion was sent flying backwards across the air, smacking against the ground multiple times until he finally rolled to a stop. Tojiro released several streams of fire from his sword, simply by gracefully swinging it into different patterns.

Orion created a barrier of silver Chaos energy to shield himself from the flames. Tojiro charged towards the barrier, preparing his Chaos Rasengan in his left hand. Tojiro raised it back and smashed it through the barrier. Orion quickly leapt backwards, leaving Tojiro to miss his target. Orion swung his sword several times left and right. Each swing released a relentless cut shaped surge of blue Chaos energy. Tojiro quickly jumped into the air, then pointed his left hand down, firing the Chaos Rasengan out of his hands. As it plummeted towards Orion, it's size and power grew more and more. Orion quickly held his sword up; "SILVER REFLECTION!" he shouted.

Silver Wind glowed with a blue brightened aura, creating a large white wall of Chaos energy. The huge Chaos Rasengan went into the mirror wall, then reflected itself, and shot back at Tojiro. Tojiro carefully pointed the Blade of Darkness, making sure that his blade was lined up with the core of the Chaos Rasengan. "Chaos…LIGHTNING!" he summoned with unquenchable rage.

A large purple ray of lightning shot out of Tojiro's blade, blasting it's way into the Chaos Rasengan's core resulting in a magnificent explosion of flames, along with sparks of red and purple mixed in with it. Tojiro remained hovering in mid-air, his eyes formed into a tight glare once he saw Orion charging up towards him.

Tojiro shot multiple beams of red Chaos energy that appeared around his body. Orion flew to the left, then quickly spun himself upwards, releasing a ray of ringed blue circles. Tojiro covered his body with his cloak. The rings of blue ruptured and exploded once hitting Tojiro, resulting in an explosion of blue flames and white light. Orion was surprised to see a slew of red swords flying out of the smoke. Orion quickly spin dashed through the storm, but out of the smoke came Tojiro! With his Chaos Rasengan in both of his hands, he raised them back and drove them straight into the rolled up Orion. The impact sent Orion spiraling towards the ground, smashing straight through the cement and earth, creating a vast crater sized hole in the ground. Smoke drifting off from his body, Tojiro landed on his feet, back on solid ground.

He placed the Blade of Darkness back into its sheath, his eyes looking forward, seeing Orion come directly at him, impaling Tojiro in the chest with Silver Wind. Tojiro's blank white eyes widened with grieving agony, slowly turning full of glowing red.

"DON'T…YOU…DARE!" roared the renegade bounty hunter, further deepening his blade into Tojiro's chest.

Tojiro bled from the mouth, but he raised his right hand to clear it away.

"You dare still move? DROP TO YOUR KNEES!" shouted Orion, Silver Wind forming an sporadic blue aura around it.

Tojiro lowered his arm, refusing to drop back down. The pain didn't matter. It never did. It probably never will. Pain and suffering won't stop his spirit from getting the revenge he wants, and revenge is eternal, just like the Cloakmaster himself. His nightmares never stopped in the past, and that's what made him strong.

"_Why…why should I give up now_?" he exclaimed in his mind.

Tojiro gripped both sides of the blade, his hands covered in red glowing auras. "Chaos…" he mumbled in the voice of horrifying pain.

"SILENCE YOUR TONGUE!" exclaimed the vengeful bounty hunter, driving the blade further, straight through Tojiro's back.

The Cloakmaster's Tsukikagegan appeared in his eyes.

"Chaos…" he said again.

Tojiro gripped both sides of Orion's head, his eyes appearing shocked.

"CHAOS SHOCK!" roared the hateful Cloakmaster.

At the risk of his own security, the green rays of electricity not only shocked Orion, but Tojiro as well. He was risking himself…to free himself from pain. The blast finally forced Orion's Silver Wind to come out of Tojiro's belly, throwing him into the fountain. The Cloakmaster tiredly dropped to the ground, placing his left hand over his wound, attempting to regenerate it _manually_.

Orion rose out of the water, growling angrily. He stepped out of the fountain, gripping Silver Wind tightly by his side. Tojiro's mouth was left open, his eyes hardly open.

Orion smirked, "I thought I'd never see it; you're actually going to die!" he laughed.

Tojiro glared forward, the power of his Dragon spirit was all that was keeping him alive at this point. Orion looked off to the side, smirking and shaking his head with disappointment.

"If not true, you could never comprehend the powers and curses you hold within yourself. Do you realize that, Tojiro? _Do you_?" questioned the hedgehog, pointing his blade forward.

Tojiro spit blood from his mouth, falling forward, but he extended his right hand to stop himself from dropping.

"You always were a miserable being. I truly can't believe how your mother and father were able to handle your birth. Your father, indeed, was a humble man. You're nothing like him. He had the respect you lack. He knew the strength of his powers and kept them in control." Orion argued, lowering his sword.

"You…know nothing of my father, nor do you even know me." mumbled Tojiro, controlling the pain he had.

"Oh, I beg to differ. Your father was willing enough to sacrifice himself in order to make sure you lived. Before you were even born, I visited him and your mother. I knew _you_ were the one to become the final Nightshade. The only Nightshade to bear the symbol of your people on your forehead. Your father believed me, but your mother…hehehe…she didn't want to." laughed the bounty hunter.

"Leave my family…out of this."

"Or _what_? What will this dying HellShade have me do? Silence your life _now_? Sure. I _shall_ do that." said Orion, wearing a smile as he walked his way over to the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Tonight…your reign ends. It ends here!" yelled Orion, running towards the Cloakmaster.

A sudden wall of orange lightning appeared and blasted Orion back across the ground. The bounty hunter got back to his feet in the middle of his slide.

"Who dares to interrupt me?" he yelled, his head turning left and right.

"So much…_**ANGER**_! It is truly a fascinating fact to see between these two fated rivals. It is indeed." said a malevolent man's voice. It was a cold and bitter tone, as if his throat has been severely damaged from an extensive amount of yelling.

"Show yourself you coward!" exclaimed the angry Orion.

To Tojiro's left and to Orion's right, a pool of bubbling lava appeared on the ground. Surfacing out of it was a man drenched in lava. The lava suddenly vanished from his body just by shaking himself wildly. Tojiro's eyes widened. The man was wearing a familiar cloak to Tojiro's. On the back was the symbol of the Great Shade Empire, embroidered in white just like Tojiro's cloak. It was another one of the Nine Hell Gods. The man lowered his hood, revealing his face. His hair brown and messy, a gray and dismal left eye stared forward: While a scar down his right eye, leaving it sealed.

"My name is Malcolm Nikushima. The Fifth Hell God, and ruler over the Circle of Anger. Now, to finish what this lonesome fool started…" said Malcolm, his hands coming out of his cloak sleeves.

Around the wrists of his hands were thick black bracelets with three ruby red gems around them. In two small flashes, they changed into Malcolm's famed weapon; The Dragon Guardian Cestus. Two large black steel dragon heads with glowing red eyes. He punched the mighty weapons together.

"This…is your time. Cloakmaster of Darkness." said Malcolm with a malevolent smirk.

"The Nightshade is mine. Go back to Hell from whence you came!" Orion angrily shouted.

"You persistent little bug…I know you gained the favor of needing Akuma's help. Now, however, I believe your backing away from our claims. I shall kill you…as well." said Malcolm, turning his attention back to Tojiro.

"The true famed…Cloakmaster. At first, I expected you would have taken your own life by now, but…I guess I was foolish to believe that foolhardy lie. It is indeed an honor to finally meet such an amazing warrior. You should be even more proud that you fight alone. I'm sure your pride will greatly increase since I shall be the one to silence. Tis' a noble death, eh?" said Malcolm, pointing the Dragon Guardian Cestus directly at Tojiro.

"Born to live alone from the world…and now…you shall die the same; ALONE!" laughed Malcolm.

Firing out of the Dragon Guardian Cestus' mouths were two red beams with a silver lining straight across the inside of both. The two beams combined together and started spinning together.

"GOOD THING HE HAS ME!" shouted the voice of the bravest soul Tojiro has set eyes upon.

Tojiro looked up, seeing the figure land in front of him, creating a massive wall of blue Chaos energy. Malcolm's blast hit dead on, resulting in the power of his combined beams to spray upwards amongst the protective barrier. The barrier finally lowered.

"The Shade Priestess? Heh. So…she is real." mumbled the sly Malcolm, lowering his arms.

Standing in protection for the Cloakmaster was Kasumi Moriko, the last priestess from the Great Shade Empire. Kasumi looked over her shoulder, her determined look changing to worry.

"Are you all right, Tojiro? And don't lie either!"

Tojiro was still flabbergasted, a rare sight indeed.

"Another person from the Great Shade Empire lives? And I only thought it was Tojiro, me, and the other Hell Gods. How perfect." said Malcolm with a sadistic smile.

Kasumi turned back to Malcolm, standing ready to fight.

"Oh? How sympathetic of you! Protecting the one man who deems this world a failure. Tell me, what makes you so determined to believe that Tojiro; the self acclaimed master of hate and darkness, would _ever_ try and save this world? Hmmm?" Malcolm enacted with confidence.

"You're a fool to believe in such words! Tojiro won't save the world; **he's going to protect it**! That is his way! And it shall be mine too!" conjured the valiant Kasumi.

The injured ebony hedgehog surprisingly looked up at Kasumi, in awe…in awe at a child with so much belief in him; one willing, so strong, to fight by Tojiro's side.

"So kind of you to stand by his belief. His irritated so-called belief, that is. He doesn't have the power to defeat us; the Nine Hell Gods. All former Nightshades sought refuge in the birthplace of evil; true evil that never knows sleep! That is why he shall lose!" exclaimed Malcolm with violence in his voice.

"HE WILL NOT!" she screamed in anger.

Malcolm reeled his head back, surprised by her sudden anger. "When I first met Tojiro, my heart was so filled with joy. I couldn't believe I would ever find myself meeting him. I could tell, that from him; he never gives up on what he believes in. No matter how good or evil it is." she continued, her head lowered.

"Kasumi." mumbled the wavering Cloakmaster.

She raised her head, and with tears in her eyes, she bravely stated; "I know Tojiro will win! He believes in a kind of righteousness that no one else would fight for! **Whatever he believes in…he fights for that cause! And so…I will fight for my own belief! The belief that I believe in Tojiro with all my heart!**"

Malcolm, Orion, and Tojiro were all left with blank, awe shocked faces.

"_This girl…her power is great…as is her reason. I must deal with her quickly_." thought Malcolm without a hint of shielding mercy.

The Cloakmaster of Anger vanished out of Chaos Control. He reappeared, driving the right Cestus straight towards Kasumi. Suddenly Tojiro rose up, blasting a ferocious beam of red Chaos energy into Malcolm's face. He was pummeled and beaten, rolling across the floor until he came to a stop.

"Tojiro! You are all right!" exclaimed Kasumi.

Tojiro removed his left hand from Orion's dreaded stab wound, revealing it was fully regenerated.

"And you healed yourself! Great job, Cloakmaster!" she said, with a graceful expression.

"No, Kasumi. It was _you_ who healed me. Your words were greatly honorable, and honestly, I couldn't have said it any better." said the enigmatic Tojiro.

Kasumi's eyes were in a surprised expression. She quickly rubbed her eyes, and smiled. "You're welcome! Cloakmaster Tojiro!" Kasumi replied happily.

A bustling orange aura of Chaos energy exploded from around Malcolm's body. Tojiro and Kasumi quickly turned their heads to where he began to rose from.

"You are all…_idiots_. No one can defeat ME! The power of ANGER!" Malcolm roared to the heavens, the aura around him becoming more vibrant with power.

"The Cloakmaster's life shall be ended by me! No one else! NO EXCEPTIONS!" exclaimed the angered bounty hunter, unsheathing Silver Wind and gripping it with both hands.

"Let's take care of them Tojiro! Their odds can't beat ours!" said Kasumi, preparing auras of blue Chaos energy around both of her hands.

"Indeed…" Tojiro began, preparing red auras of Chaos energy around his hands. "Let us show them the power of a true descendant; of the Great! Shade! EMPIRE!" shouted Tojiro, charging forward with Kasumi by his side.

"This…is definitely going to be exciting!" exclaimed the crazy smiling face of Malcolm, charging in as well.

"All of you shall suffer for your foolishness!" yelled Orion, charging headway into the brawl; destinies and wills burning, seeking to overwhelm the others with raw determination.

**NEXT CHAPTER** **PREVIEW**

"Kenji continues his ascent in the third and final round in Kingdom Stadium."

-Kenji leaps and cuts through several Manta Drones, his arms scorching with Chaos energy.-

"As his ultimate success only leaves with scars and bruises, something his past has always done; Kenji returns to his cell a quiet and less motivated warrior, as forever."

-The bandage wrapped Kenji, in his cell looks over his right shoulder and sees Yoko.-

-Yoko is seen rummaging through one of Kenji's bags, revealing several books, including a journal that once depicted Kenji's freedom.'

"In his absence, the two speak on equal terms of Tojiro's life...and his journey through the Nine Circles. What secrets lie behind the Cloakmaster's reason of leaving Earth to face Akuma..._alone_?"

-Yoko stands before Kenji, fright with tears as he begins to unwrap the bandages around his head.-

"In his time of life, Tojiro was but a Grim Reaper...stealing the reward of life from those who disrespected it."

-Yoko leaves Kenji's cell, bearing an irreversible pain in her chest.-

"A vestige from the past...in a shattered new world."

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

_**CHAPTER XXVII: THE BROKEN FUTURE**_


	27. Chapter XXVII

_**CHAPTER XXVII: THE BROKEN FUTURE**_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Dominic, Kenj Haruki, Orion and Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. They are my original characters/names and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respectful creators/owners.  
><strong>

_**Kingdom Stadium, 11:15 am **_

With Kenji knocking away armored drones with automatic laser pulse rifles, Kenji was on about the fourth level of eight leveled structure. Bashing his spiked tonfas across the face of an armored drone, caused a crimson liquid to squirt out. Another armored flier came in, holding a spear, with the blade section dripping with unstable positive Chaos energy. The drone luckily protruded the weapon into Kenji's back, giving him great pain. He dropped to his knees, losing his tonfas in the process.

He quickly released a shocking yellow surge of Chaos empowered electricity from his body, which made its way up the drone and blasted it to pieces. Kenji rose back to his feet, grabbed the spear in his back and removed it painfully.

"Losing the tonfas on the fourth level! What do you think, Silver? Think Kenji has what it takes to make it to the top with just that spear?" said Haruhi over the intercom.

"Well, most likely, he shoul-"

"OF COURSE HE WILL!" yelled the excited Haruhi.

Silver was left heaving his head and smacking it onto the announcers desk.

"So, Silver! What was your opinion anyway, huh?" asked Haruhi.

"Just forget about it." his muffled voice said, waving his right hand back and forth at her.

In the stands, Yoko kept her eyes as Kenji angrily killed and tore away the flying drones that continued coming at him from every corner.

"You know this is the first time I've seen this match in such a long time! It doesn't surprise me, however, that Kenji could keep hold of those tonfas all the way to the fourth floor." said a respectable Dominic.

"He could have easily taken that huge spiked mallet once he got to the third floor! Why didn't he?" responded a confused Yoko.

"Technically, it's not against the rules to just leave one weapon. You can still keep the first one you're given. More or so, other competitors are just more comfortable with taking the weapon waiting form them every three floors." explained Dominic adamantly.

"Well, that's Kenji for you. He thinks more advantages come out of things that most people would underestimate." replied Mikuru.

"He can't be fooled." noted Yuki silently.

Kenji ducked from several laser shots that came out from a large robotic flying manta ray that was flying its way around the large structure. Hastily, he ran forward across the thin metal lane, then turned left to take the rise up to level five of the structure. Already arriving out of Chaos Control, were ten armored drones standing in his way, armed with laser weaponry that shoot rounds of positive Chaos energy embedded projectiles.

Pointing the spear forward to create a curved barrier of gold, Kenji protected himself from severity of the drones weaponry they held, and weren't afraid to use. Kenji quickly lowered his barrier and sped forward, pointing the spear out in front. He impaled the first five drones on his spear, then stomped the spear down on the footing he ran on to release a surge of yellow Chaos energy to rid their corpse from the weapon. He then jammed the spear forward, dismantling the first two drones.

Kenji stared off to the right, seeing the mechanized manta ray coming towards him. In its mouth was a Gatling gun, which immediately fired wildly. Kenji quickly came up with a plan, that he hated. Kenji tossed the spear with the two impaled bots on them, directly in the face of manta ray, resulting in a furious explosion of flames. Turning back forward, came that part he knew he would hate. Kenji was painfully shot by the remaining three drones.

Five shots hit his chest, three in left leg, and one in both shoulders. His body steaming from the intense heat that the shots had, Kenji had no time to sit and squander with his good friend, pain. He charged forward, bashing his fists together on a drone's head, then grabbing it's corpse and smacking its other two comrades away into scrap metal.

Kenji tossed the useless corpse away, but was suddenly shot in the back by several painful bullets. He jumped to his feet, turning around to see another large mechanized manta ray tackle him with its head. Having no choice, he gripped his fingers into the hull of the flying creature. The manta had several bits of weaponry, and Kenji was ill prepared to learn that truth the hard way.

On its back, a fusion cannon came out, about fifteen inches long with six barrels. "Dammit." he said, kicking both his feet upward into the manta ray's underside.

The manta ray bucked, and its fusion cannon shot six streams of purple and white Chaos energy towards the stands in the audience, some were even blown away, killed, or were lucky enough to just lose some hair of the top of their heads.

"You can't tell that's right. Right?" asked Yoko, turning her head to Dominic.

"Feh. It's entertainment. You know how entertainment can be these days. Everybody wants it at least once a day at their own expense."

"Expense? How is getting blown apart or becoming permanently bald their fault?" questioned Kyon instinctively, a hand to his chin.

"Let's see, maybe it's because where they decided on sitting. You know how dreadfully unlucky some people can be when it comes to seating arrangements." Dominic explained inquisitively, crossing his arms at the end.

"Yeah. Sure. Keep rambling on, I'm sure at least _one_ of us gets your logic." said a confused Joey.

"More like _somehow_ gets his logic." responded Lina in assurance, making the old high priest grow several angry marks on the back of his head.

Yoko smiled at the group then turned her head back to the desperate Kenji, as he was still uncontrollably _riding_ shotgun on the metal manta ray's face. The annoyed manta swung it's head left and right, even up and down several times. Kenji was able to punch his right fist into the manta's face, which damaged the metal surface on its face somewhat. Kenji looked up, the fusion cannon fired directly at his head. He quickly ducked back down, letting the blast fire towards a group of hoarding drones that were gathering on the structure's seventh level. Kenji grabbed the two metal points that came out of the manta's face. He then pulled himself back, his feet directly on the manta's face. With one forceful tug, he pulled the manta ray into a dive bomb, heading towards the structure's second level.

Kenji quickly looked over his shoulder. He took a dangerous risk by letting go and by using his feet, he boosted himself away from the manta ray, grabbing hold onto one of the many metal walkways that made up the structure. The crowd cheered and was filled with roars, especially once the mechanized manta ray smashed head first into the metal walkway on the second floor, exploding into purple flames, bits of metal and shrapnel flying in every direction. Kenji hoisted himself up, tightly hanging on so he wouldn't take another unfortunate fall that he definitely wouldn't need at such a time.

Kenji stood up on the thin walkway, finding himself on the fourth level. Kenji set his sights forward, immediately ducking from a surge of needle shaped shots. He stood back up, seeing a bulked drone with large titanium arms. Two covers on it's metallic body opened up, revealing a missile pack. Two rows, with five missile holders in each. To the massive bot's left and right were three hovering combat drones, armed with spears, their spear points covered in stinging positive Chaos energy. Two drones from both sides charged directly towards the masked warrior of chaos. Kenji leaped forward, flinging himself into a front flip. At the point of him being upside down, he grabbed the two drones by their heads. He landed back on the ground and smashed their heads together.

The 'guardian' drone fired all shots from the missile pack in its chest. Kenji grabbed the two spears. Instead of the blue Chaos energy on the spears' blades, it changed to green. Using the power of the wind element of the Chaos Force, Kenji's legs were surrounded with green Chaos energy. He charged forward, through the rockets, causing them all to explode. He finally spun towards the guardian drone. Kenji first sliced in half the two remaining drones and landed behind the guardian drone. He quickly turned around and threw the two spears.

They tore straight through the titanium armor, and the drone exploded into red and yellow flames, mixed with green light that was inside of the explosion. Kenji turned around, taking an immediate left turn to run up to the second section of level four. He immediately knocked off three drones, then spun forward, tearing through the chassis of another guardian drone, and continuing his way forward. Clapping his hands together, a curved barrier of golden Chaos energy appeared on his left and right. Two manta's appeared, firing their Gatling guns. The bullets bounced and deflected off of Kenji's shields. He took another left, making it to level three of the fourth floor. On the inside of his curved barriers, formed a handle. Taking the two barriers and holding them like shields, Kenji turned to the right, and swung the barrier out of his right hand in a vertical form.

The shield sliced straight through the mechanized manta ray, causing both if it's halves to explode into purple scorching flames of chaos. He turned forward, taking a series of Gatling gun bullets to his chest, being knocked onto his back, his left hand hanging over the edge, holding the other sharpened barrier shield. From behind, two of the bulked up guardian drones began to steadily walk across the walkway.

Kenji slowly got up, trying his best _not_ to fall off and land on his face. His senses suddenly alarmed him. He turned around, using his protective barrier to shield himself from the explosions shot by the guardian drones. He quickly launched the barrier shield towards the guardian drone. It sliced itself straight into the drone's face, and all the way to it's lower gut. The guardian drone behind it smacked the soon to be scrap metal comrade off the edge, and fired it's missile pack at Kenji. Kenji fired a single stream of purple Chaos energy. It went straight through the rockets and shocked the guardian drone, causing sparks of purple voltage to circulate around the drone. Kenji slowly maneuvered his hands to the left, the drone doing the same.

"Interesting. Using the power of the purple Chaos energy to manipulate a electrical powered opponent. Kenji definitely knows his Chaos energy." Dominic commended with a smile.

The masked warrior raised his head up, then looked behind him, seeing a group of six armed drones coming down from the ramp that leads up to the fifth level. Kenji turned around, and stuck his arms out, the guardian drone that was under his control did the same. He then waved his hands around, then clenched them tightly. The guardian drone released all ten of it's missiles, all aimed for the helpless drones. The combined explosives created a forceful blast of wind, which Kenji gripped the metal walkway tightly with his right hand. The remaining parts of the drones flew off the structure, or were sent flying towards the stands. Strangely, the crowd saw the dismembered arms, legs, and heads as souvenirs!

"They all act like barbarians." Yoko noted discretely.

"I'm telling you, that's entertainment." shrugged a smiling Dominic, while Yoko gave him a glare out of the corner of her eyes.

Kenji was on the fifth floor, facing a seven foot tall drone with a grey cloak. It held a staffed weapon. On both ends were curved spear blades with vibrant surges of shocking green Chaos energy on both ends.

"Elite Bodyguards! They guard the extreme patients section of the prison. Orion must definitely be thirsty for entertainment. Because this the first time I've seen their debut!" commented Silver.

"CoooRECT! Having such mastered the right technology, Orion created these drones and infused every inch of their limbic systems with the toughest kind of Chaos energy he could get!" responded Haruhi.

"However, Kenji has bested enough drones and burdens on the first four levels. Starting on the fifth, much more infamous foes may retaliate to stop him from continuing any further! Let's see what the famed masked warrior has in plan for the final five levels!" commented Silver, finally able to get some excitement up in his system.

Kenji charged forward, readying a Chaos Punch. The drone guard quickly rammed its weapon forward. Kenji reluctantly planned this. He spun past the drone's outstretched body and sent his Chaos Punch towards the drone's face. The glowing orange eyes of the drone lightened up. It somehow was able to knee Kenji in the gut with its right leg, knocking Kenji back across the walkway. Kenji looked up to see the elite drone lunge its spear towards his chest.

Kenji rolled himself backwards, kicking the drone's weapon out of its hands at the same time, lodging it into the metal walkway above them. The elite drone immediately jumped up for it, but Kenji punched his fist through the drone's chest, and forced the drone to land back on the walkway. Kenji continued to smash his fist into the elite drone's chest. The eyes of the drone flared up. It looked at Kenji, firing a compulsive ringed beam of orange Chaos energy to knock Kenji through the air. The elite jumped off the ground, lunging for its spear staff. Passing right by it, Kenji swiftly grabbed it, then smacked the weapon down on the drone's back.

Kenji landed on his feet, ending up with a painful expression on his face. Behind him, stood another elite drone. The elite drone up ahead firing another ringed orange beam. Kenji quickly ran forward, and jumped right over. The beam hit the other elite drone, shattering all of its body into mere pieces. Kenji landed in front of the elite drone, driving the glowing spear blade into the elite drone's neck, then decapitating it.

He then immediately blasted a ray of yellow Chaos energy to blow its body into chunks of metal. Kenji kept the spear staff in his left hand, holding it back as he continued on to the fifth level. He immediately slid under a swipe from one elite drone, then got back to his feet, and spin around another elite drone from impaling him into the ground, the third he jumped right over its head and ended up on the other end. He turned around and lunged the spear straight. The spear hooked all three elite drones onto it, and finally exploded on impact once the shish kabob of drones hit the corner steel girder. Kenji eagerly made his way to the sixth level.

However, he stopped on the middle of the ramp, facing a group of drones that immediately shot their laser rifles at him. Preparing a protective red barrier in front of himself, Kenji charged up the ramp. Once he made it to the top, he swung the shield of Chaos energy around in circles, cutting all the drones in half from the waist down. He made the shield vanish, turning to the left to face a row of five elite drones, and off to the right, flying into the stadium were two large silver flying skiffs, with one guardian drone on both, and two smaller drones armed with laser rifles that fired concussive rounds embedded with positive Chaos energy.

"First and foremost. I always say." mumbled the masked warrior, preparing razor sharp discs of green Chaos energy in both of his hands.

He charged forward, swinging himself into an upside down position. He cut off the head of the first elite drone, then kicked it towards the silver skiff on the left, knocking off the left sniper drone. Kenji was forced into a crouched stance once two elite drones attempted to stab and skewer him. Kenji then released multiple green Chaos Needles from his body. The two elite drones stepped away, dropping their weapons due to having hundreds of the little green needles in their face. Kenji then quickly turned to right, spotting the guardian drone on the right silver skiff, already firing all of the ordinance in its chest. Kenji quickly swung the two spiked discs of green Chaos energy out to the left and right.

The two discs went further out then came towards each other. The real catch was that in-between these violent discs, were the two silver skiffs. The two discs completely tore through them, and once the discs collided with each other, it resulted in a powerful explosion of green Chaos Spheres that blew apart the remaining elite drones that stood in Kenji's path. The two halves of the two silver skiffs smashed into the lower levels of the massive structure.

Kenji made it to level seven, only one more to go. He took a sudden gaze to the left, noticing the chilling container that was filled with Chaos Fear. He gave it a disgusted look, then focused forward. That focus, however, forced the masked chaos warrior to halt in his tracks.

Up ahead came five elite drones, and flying in from the right were four mechanized manta rays, with drones armed with small fusion cannons. The crowd went insane with excitement. Kenji lunged forward to dodge a six barreled blast of yellow Chaos energy, then did the same thing two more times to dodge shots from the other two drones. The mantas fired their Gatling guns. Kenji grabbed two of the elite drones and chucked them at all the riveting pain that tore their bodies to shreds. Kenji kicked the elite drone to his left to the ground, then smashed his left foot on it's face.

He quickly raised his right hand up to grab the staff part of the elite drone on the right. Kenji turned his head down to the left, stretching his hand out to grab the staff spear. He quickly turned his head back to the elite drone he was keeping back, but instead, he looked forward to see the last elite drone impaled its spear staff into Kenji's chest. He growled angrily, restrain back overwhelm his body. The three flying mechanized manta rays stayed hovering mid-air. The drones one the mantas' backs aimed their fusion cannons.

"_Kill your own comrades to rid the threat. Now that I think about it…these damn drones don't care about being blown up either_." he thought bitterly with focus above all else.

The drones fired their fusion cannons. The blasts gathered up as one huge explosive beam of gold. Kenji then quickly forcefully stretched his left arm down to grab the spear staff. He then drove decapitated the head of the drone that stabbed him, then shoved the other drone off the edge. Kenji tossed the spear away, facing the large golden beam.

"_I won't have enough energy to protect myself. Curse these Chaos Restraints_." thought Kenji.

The masked warrior of chaos quickly dashed off to the left. The beam's width was still long enough to catch Kenji in it. Kenji was unable to empower the wind element of Chaos energy into his legs. Kenji took every drastic step, treating every single one as if it was his last. The whole crowd was on its feet. Kenji then sprung himself forward at the last moment, his last ray of hope. The huge beam collided with the metal structure, blowing half of the entire middle of it away. The crowd insanely went mad with cheers and roars. Yoko and the gang coughed from the large cloud of smoke that filled the entire stadium.

Finally, on all the screens that were set up around the top of Kingdom Stadium showed the eighth floor. A large rectangular metal platform. Two hands climbed up; and up came the fearless Kenji. The crowd went mad, including Yoko and friends.

"I cannot believe it! Just seconds, no! Milliseconds! Kenji wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for that daring lunge. Now at the top, the brave warrior has one more task to complete!" commentated Silver.

Kenji rose to his feet, facing what stood in front of him. There was a silver control panel with a red button on its center. To complete the challenge, Kenji must reach it. Only one complication; he has to fight the horde of drones that are protecting it. Six mechanized manta rays were hovering in the air, ten guardian drones, thirty laser armed drones, and fifteen elite drones. Kenji clapped his hands together, his eyes shut behind the toils of black bandage around his whole head.

The army of drones charged at Kenji, the manta rays fired their Gatling guns, all the guardian drones fired their missiles into the air. With all the hell coming towards him, Kenji's eyes opened back up. He split his hands apart, causing a blue and white aura to surround both of his hands.

"This is the wrath I hold." he whispered to himself, hidden rage locked within.

Kenji shot several of the same colored Chaos Spears at the mantas, completely obliterating them hit one hit. Their wrecked bodies crashed down onto several of the guardian drones, at least six of them. Their bodies all exploded into purple flames, causing all of the standard drones to be blown apart into bits and pieces of scrap. Kenji charged into the fiery chaos, heading straight for the panel button.

A guardian drone stepped towards him, attempting to grab Kenji. He lunged towards it, delving his right fist into the drone's chest. He then shot off like a bullet, picking up two staff spears. He swung around like a tornado, the blades on the spears the same kind of color as the auras that surrounded his hands. He finally dropped the weapons, driving his knee straight to the chin of an elite drone. Landing on top of it, Kenji rolled forward, between the legs of a guardian drone. He snapped his fingers, causing it to explode into blue and white light.

Kenji tore the head off one elite drone, then bashed it into the head of another, then fiercely tossing the severed head which tore through the center armor of the last standing guardian demon. He then ducked down, leaving two elite drones to stab each other. He walked backwards, ducking his head under them.

He grabbed the staff part of the weapons and ran forward, spinning them around and round, smacking and utterly obliterating any drone that neared too close to his swinging chaos. He finally let out a burst of fiery blue Chaos energy, blowing through the final ten elite drones. He lunged himself through the flames, landing in front of the panel, smashing his fist down on the button.

"And that's game." passed down the masked murderer.

The console panel then shrunk, broken due to Kenji overdoing it by smashing his fist onto it.

The crowd went insane! Mad! Some even cheerful? Oh well! The excitement rippled amongst the audience like a typhoon. Kenji stared around the stadium people around him, crossing his arms as he continued to listen to their extreme overdose of applause.

"Well, I never thought I'd see that side of him…but…he did it!" exclaimed Dominic, standing up, clapping to Kenji's success.

"Wait to go Kenji!" called Yoko, standing up as well.

The others stood up as well, giving him a standing ovation. The sudden cheers were reduced to a full applause by audience, mixed with cheers of 'way to go!', 'you rock!', and even the chanting of his name; KENJI! KENJI! KENJI! KENJI!

Kenji unfolded his arms, feeling as if this was some sort of blessing from above, but in honesty, he just felt proud to give these people something to think about, maybe even hope for. Yoko graciously admired the crowd, knowing that Kenji's type of being would _at least_ feel some type of temperament from such an enduring moment of gratitude and respect. Knowing Kenji thus far, Yoko could tell that he's got enough respect for this ferocious fight, he's definitely going to need it for the intense final third round.

"You think he's happy?" asked Yoko over the loudness.

"Kenji? Oh, well…seeing the way he stands and moves, I can definitely assure he's got what it takes to inspire others!" replied Dominic.

Yoko looked back, seeing Kenji on one of the large screens.

"_Inspire others, huh? If only you were here_…**Tojiro**." Yoko thought heartily to herself.

* * *

><p>After the showdown of challenging expectations that greatly impressed the whole crowd, all the inmates were given another <em>break<em> for them to walk around the detention center before it was time to return to their cells. Yoko was walking in the medical section. It was needed for many reasons, but two obvious reasons were there to stand out. One; the violent fights that frantically happen around the prison. And Two; the aftermath of what competitor suffers the most pain during matches at Kingdom Stadium. It even has a morgue too! Yoko walked into a lightened silver room, seeing several doctors and surgeons in it.

"He _has_ to be here. Especially after that fight." she said, walking further into the room.

At the other end of the room, two sliding doors opened, and three surgeons were helplessly flying out of it. Yoko watched them fly past her and smack into wall at the other side of the room.

"He's definitely here." she repeated, smiling at the same time.

Yoko headed for the open doors, finding Kenji in the room. His hands were inserted into two pods the same shape of his arms.

"Hey, excuse me? Excuse me! Kenji!" she exclaimed.

Kenji quickly removed his hands from the ports, turning to face Yoko.

"Yes? What is it that you need?" he asked directly.

"That was pretty impressive out there. How'd you learn all those techniques?" she asked quickly.

"If you're attempting to find a loop hole in any of my responses and treat it as one small fact that you're trying to prove me as Tojiro; you're wrong." Kenji quickly instigated.

Yoko was tremendously breathless. Attempting to play it off, she shook her head free of her _plan_ and put on a cool and calm expression. "I just came to see what you were up. That's all. Nothing else too important, you know?" she implied, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Very well then. Now that you know I'm okay, will you leave now? Or possibly next winter?" he said, turning back to the arm shaped ports, sticking his hands back in them.

Open slit shaped vents on both sides of the ports glowed a vibrant red. Kenji growled and kept himself concentrated.

"Say, what is that you're doing?" asked Yoko, walking up next to him.

"Nothing too important." he answered.

"_Definitely has Tojiro's smart attitude. I'll give him that_." Yoko thought in offense, giving him a slight glare at the same time.

Kenji removed his arms, the Chaos Restraints were back to glowing blue. Yoko looked a bit surprised at the sight, and curious as well.

"They're called Chaos Inhibitors. Whenever running low on Chaos energy, people like me come here and regenerate lost Chaos energy. Mainly, once you drain yourself of most of it, there's not enough spare energy to create more. Chaos energy needs a certain amount to automatically regenerate itself inside a person's body. If that number is miniscule, the person in mind will either get terribly ill or maybe even die. Though, I don't think it's true." explained the masked man, walking away.

"I wouldn't believe it either. Come on, dying from not enough Chaos energy? I doubt it." Yoko agreed, following after Kenji, walking by his side.

"Actually, getting ill is the part I don't believe. Death is much more common than simply catching a cold." he replied coldly.

Yoko laughed nervously from his sudden response, turning her head away. Ending up somewhere in the detention facility walkways that stretched far and wide, Kenji and Yoko walked side by side. "So, where did you learn your powers from? Did you have a master to learn them from?" asked Yoko with a peculiar face.

"On many accounts can one individual learn about the nature and power the Chaos Force holds. Having a teacher doesn't help you _master it_; **you're truly meant to learn it.** Chaos energy varies from many different beings. Emotion. Thoughts. Dreams. Nightmares. Desires. Whatever it is, Chaos energy can be any lethal force to any type of being that comes to learn to it. I, myself have no idea how I've come to learn it, and I'm afraid I'll never be able to comprehend chaos. No one ever has." he stated truthfully.

"Then does that make you against it?"

"It only enacts the belief that I can come to realize how dangerous chaos can really be. The Chaos Force was created by those Chaos Mages for a special reason. That reason alone isn't something anyone can go out and find around the first corner they turn. I'm sure even you realized what kind of shapes and forms Chaos energy can transform itself into. Have you not?" responded the masked man of chaos.

Yoko looked away, having plenty enough of experience to see what Chaos energy really is, and can become.

"There are over a million ways Chaos energy can be manipulated. To control time and space. To control the thin line between life and death itself. Its power is infinite, as is its rule. If Chaos energy was created by one single person; he'd definitely deserve the credit for giving this world reason to be afraid of it. I'm surprised you haven't responded the same as I. What's the matter this time?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Is it true?"

Kenji appeared confused as he continued to stare at the side of her head. Yoko turned her head towards Kenji, her eyes appearing in a cold and lifeless gaze.

"Is it true that you don't believe in him being alive? Is that what everyone here believes? **Can Tojiro truly be dead**?" she questioned with importance.

Kenji slowly turned his head back forward, sighing deeply to himself.

Yoko's eyes widened up a bit, "Kenji?" she said his name.

"For the idiots who do believe in the fact, they end up getting executed. First off, if the crime in the first place is trying to spread the word of Tojiro's existence to the populace in Kamina City, they obviously end up in here. If they try spreading the word _here_, the punishment is an immediate death. Orion personally makes sure to commit all the executions himself. I don't know if you're aware or not, but that Orion fellow disliked Tojiro the most." explained Kenji instructively.

"No wonder. Orion takes every chance he gets to try and kill him." said Yoko, turning her head forward.

"Exactly. It's because of that very hate Orion carried that made his Chaos energy so damn strong. Tojiro, hating to admit it, knew Orion was as unpredictable danger as he saw himself. His sole reason of living back then was to hunt and murder Tojiro in cold blood. That's what sparked their hatred filled rivalry between one another. Nearly everyone in this prison knows the story, mainly because Dominic was the one to tell it. The crazy old loon."

"I see. It sure does fit their styles, I guess." said the red haired sharpshooter.

"It should. The day Orion found out that Tojiro had died after killing Akuma, he didn't snap or go mad; he was overly proud and excited. It truly didn't matter to him how the Cloakmaster suffered. All he cared about was the simple fact that Tojiro got the fate Orion believed he deserved; **death**. Simple, yet an irreversible fate that couldn't be tampered with." Kenji continued on.

"Do you believe…Tojiro deserved it? After all, you're the closest kind of guy that can be compared to him." Yoko replied with a rightful and honest tone.

"Please. If anyone, no one can be compared to what Tojiro did to humanity and history itself. He left a permanent scar that continued to bleed on through time. As time continued, his scar continued to grow into one single lining of hatred. Hatred by those who believe him to be an irritable and vengeful spirit who righteously deserves his own spot in Hell itself. That's what I think. Sure sounds like the best thing, doesn't it?" explained the masked warrior of chaos.

"Even if what you say can be based on opinions, I still trusted him. I…I even believed in him." she said, a smile coming to her face. Kenji raised an eyebrow at her sudden _heartwarming_ change of voice, if that's what you _could _call it at least.

"For the time being, or just multiple times, did you believe in him?" responded Kenji, shrugging his arms.

"For the first time, I didn't know what he tried to accomplish. Someone like Tojiro can't come twice. I don't even think it'd be right for his type of person to be reborn into another individual. Tojiro is his own kind darkness…his own slice of evil. Regardless of how the world treated him, feared him, and despised him, he…he just refused to care about the world! I just suppose that hate of his gave birth to his own belief. He lost the closest people in his life to believe in the fact that the death of one _good person_ was something he saw as disrespect," she began, smiling and yet acting upon sorrow.

"He then began protecting me, Simon, and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren because of that belief. It's unbelievable, you know? It took the death of his mother, father, and the single person he fell in love with…to actually believe in that. He was forced to suffer, letting his pain…overcome him! In some strange way, he went insane. His sanity forced him to believe in something." Yoko thoroughly and emotionally explained with deep detail.

"That something was?" responded Kenji.

"He lost his people and everyone around him do to this curse he was given. So many burdens forced themselves onto his shoulders. He wouldn't let his suffering control him, he never did. The only thing he had to grip onto in this world…**was hope**." she answered.

Kenji blinked several times from under the black bandages, appearing interested by Yoko's free will and logic.

"That hope of his made him believe. Having losing everything close to him, he decided to create something he would never let go. **His belief**. A belief that for those who disrespect the lives of others…don't deserve their own. He became his own type of killing machine. Murdering those he deemed weak and unable to control their own lives. He especially despised those who mistreated others lives', and those people he would define as cold and heartless, would end up dead, cold, and soulless. Being a Nightshade, he was heartless and cold himself. The same kind of condition he would turn other people into once he had killed them. I'll never understand what went through Tojiro's head the day he left this world to begin that idiotic descent of his! Never!" she suddenly exclaimed at the end of her emotional telling.

Kenji turned his head back forward, leaving Yoko to control her emotional state. The two, after a while long walk, ended up in front of Kenji's cell. He opened it up, and walked inside, rummaging through the large black duffle bag on his bed. Yoko stood silently in front of his cell, her eyes peering off to the side. Her eyes formed into a silent and meaningless gaze.

"You know you're the type of person who inspires." motivated Kenji.

Yoko quickly shifted her gaze forward into Kenji's cell. He was standing up straight, keeping still.

"You're some kind of person, Yoko. Yoko's your name, right?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." she responded awkwardly.

"Tell me, after all that you've said about him, and in his name…" he suddenly trailed off.

Yoko gaped her mouth an inch or so open, her eyes appearing shimmering.

"**Do you truly love the Cloakmaster or not?** I've never seen anyone so pretentiously defend Tojiro ever in my life."

Yoko closed her mouth, lowering her head in response. Kenji took a gaze off to the side for a moment, nodding his head up and down at a slow pace.

"Would you mind watching my stuff for a moment?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh? Sure. Sure." she replied dimly.

Kenji walked out of the cell, and went down the left walkway. Yoko watched him until he turned the corner at the far end. She turned her head back into his cell. It was like a sign from the heavens above. She could easily imagine of pack of signs pointing at his bag, telling her to take a peek, or at least rummage through the entire thing as fast as she could. Taking this immediate initiative into her hands, Yoko stepped into the cell. A cold chill wiped over her shoulders as she stepped in.

Yoko easily ignored the rampant feeling and searched through the bag with the utmost of importance. She found nothing in it; but only one item in the very front pocket of the duffle bag. She held it in both of her hands, turning it over. It was an all black book. She opened it to the first page. On the in-cover of the book, read these words; _Forget not the past…take hold of the present…control your future_.

She flipped to the first page, her eyes absolutely widening with shock. Her golden eyes shimmered with nervousness, and even awe. On the first two pages, were pictures from seven years ago. She found pictures of her and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren. Happy expressions on all their faces. On the second page were pictures of Team Dai-Gurren on the beach, their first moment on the beach was something Yoko treasured. Turning the page, her heart took a flip. The third and fourth pages were all pictures of Yoko and…..**Tojiro**.

"H-ho-how? I don't even remember…I don't…" she stammered nervously.

There was a picture of Yoko being held in Tojiro's arms as he was running across the water, like it was an aerial shot from above. Another picture showed Yoko dozing on Tojiro the night he was in his Werehog form. Several other pictures were Yoko alone, her face full of joy and happiness.

"I…I don't even remember this happening!" she exclaimed.

"That's because you're from another timeline." said Kenji's voice.

She quickly dropped the book, it landing on the duffle bag. Yoko turned to face Kenji who was standing outside of the cell, with his arms crossed.

"This is an altered timeline, Yoko. What you remember on the days at the beach are completely different from the moments shared there seven years ago in _this _timeline. The things that happened were completely set in their own motion. Tojiro's death, Akuma's death, the very demise of Hell itself. Orion taking part in the construction of Kamina City. Everything here is completely different from what you remember. Here, life and death have no meaning. Only one man rules over those forces, and chaos isn't the one." he explained.

Yoko's eyes welled up with tears.

"Then tell me…are you and Tojiro…really two different people?" she asked tearfully.

Kenji remained still and quiet.

"Is Tojiro dead or not! Tell me now!" she suddenly screamed, tears flying off from her eyes during her angry rant.

Kenji remained frozen like an icy statue.

"You and Tojiro…say the same things. So then tell me, am I lying? Are you and Tojiro…truly two different people?" she asked sadly, her voice drastically changing solemnly.

Kenji unfolded his arms. "If all that this world has tried to do, death will never leave it…" he said, reaching his hands on the back of his head. Yoko looked up, keeping her mouth only inches agape.

"…I never respected those who can't understand the fine line between justice and insecurity. That's why, as the Grim Reaper, I silence those kind of people." he continued on, unwrapping the black bandages around his head.

"Grim…Reaper?" she stuttered through her tears.

"On a typical basis, a human never learns chaos. True chaos comes from the enforcement of death itself. That's why I exist. And forever exist…**I shall**." said Kenji, readying to unwrap the final set of bandages that covered his mouth and face.

Yoko remained frozen like a statue, unable to let her limbs to move a single inch.

"After years of eternal suffering that would never leave me…I actually thought I would end up in this rotten hellhole until my metal parts rusted, and I would become oblivion." he continued, revealing his mouth. The anxiety continued to reach higher and higher within Yoko's body.

"But for once, I felt that one wrinkled emotion I crumbled up and tossed out of my life. I took that foolish little emotion and remembered what it meant…**to be a Nightshade. A true Cloakmaster.**" said the man, removing the bandages from his eyes. Yoko remained stricken with shock and amazement.

"I'm glad you're determination is still there, Yoko Littner. But remember; don't be so foolish." said the future version of Tojiro Ankoku, the Cloakmaster of Darkness of himself.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

"In one moment, Yoko is left with all the hope she would need to return back to the current timeline."

-Yoko stands bewildered as the altered future Tojiro discusses properties of the Nightmare Scythe.-

"In this altered timeline, Tojiro has become Death incarnate: The Grim Reaper."

-An angry Yoko slaps the Cloakmaster.-

-She screams angrily with eyes full of tears.-

"He speaks of his mission of defeating his brother, his journey through the Nine Circles of Hell; only to push his curiosity to question Yoko how she ended up in a world that never should exist."

-Cheering hordes of the Silver Sanctum Prison inmates prepare for the third and final round in Kingdom Stadium.-

-Tojiro, still under the identity of Kenji watches a smoky platform rise from underground on the other side.-

"In an instant he deduces the reasoning behind his true versions self of using Chaos Rift: Space Time Control, and why Yoko has ended up in this world."

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

_**CHAPTER XXVIII: THE REAPER'S TALE**_


	28. Chapter XXVIII

_**CHAPTER XXVIII: THE REAPER'S TALE**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Dominic, the names Kenji Haruki and Akuma Kyofu, and Orion. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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His hair black, spiked and messy. His grim face was stern and stone cold. His orange eyes blinked several times.

"You…you…" she stammered unwillingly.

"Death…is my power. And no matter of chaos can steal that from me. No one ever shall."

"To-T-T-Tojiro. It's…it really is…" she sniffled uncontrollably.

Tojiro tilted his head, "Yoko…don't be so foolish." he stated his classic phrase.

Yoko then lowered her head, lifted it back up, running in tears to embrace the scarred man of legend; Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku.

"Everyone! Everyone kept saying that you died! Died in your journey through Hell! I can't believe you actually lived!" she cried.

Tojiro rested his left hand on her head, and held her closely, being far taller than she was.

"I know. I refused to reveal myself because I knew it would discern your feelings. I wouldn't allow yourself to be worried about me. I deeply apologize…Yoko." he said, his eyes staring forward, not showing any hint of emotion.

Yoko hugged him dearly and lovingly, her head buried against his chest, letting all her empty tears flow, knowing this sudden revelation has greatly changed her person, and forever it shall keep her as the person she deserves to be, the person Tojiro knows she can become.

Yoko finally broke from the warm embrace, Tojiro's hands on her shoulders.

"Why? Why were you so determined to keep your identity a secret from me?" she questioned.

"Because it was the right thing to do. You know how I am. I already suspected your fate from the very moment your arrived here. I had act to out on my own suspicions and preferences, not yours. There's a lot of nonsense that surrounds the truth, but once you reach it, it actually makes sense." explained the Cloakmaster.

"Yet, you acted like a whole another person! Why?" she questioned yet again.

Tojiro snapped his fingers, the black bandages swirled up and covered his entire head again, masking his identity.

"I kept myself a secret because I knew the risks of it becoming a truth. I'm not going to let all these other scum bags happy knowing that I can take this whole place down with a single thought."

"What about everyone else? Haruhi! Kyon! Simon! Rossiu! Yuki! Dominic! Who knows how many people! They all still care about you, Tojiro! Including…myself." she said in a nervous tone at the end, lowering her head.

"My existence doesn't brings others hope now, Yoko. I'm the Grim Reaper. Death in a single form." he cringed.

"What? You can't be serious. Is that even true?" she said in confusion.

"In this timeline, seven years ago, the day I left you all, I didn't immediately go to the Nine Circles. Whoever told you otherwise obviously doesn't know what my thinking is capable of. It took the first two years of my departure to master and find the Nightmare Scythe, which was with simple ease. In this timeline, Akuma didn't have the time to bring back the other Hell Gods because Ryu told me of Akuma's existence at a more earlier point. The Tojiro in the present hadn't been told this until Akuma had brought back the other Hell Gods. That's why the present Tojiro is having a difficult time in trying to deal with them, and the location of the Scythe. Here, it was a simple task and I got it done." Tojiro explained well enough.

"Then…it took you five years to get through all the Nine Circles?" she exclaimed with surprise.

"Indeed it did. Akuma Kyofu summoned up millions of demons and defenses. Through all Nine Circles, I can't tell you how many beings and creatures I've murdered. My psyche was brutally tested through each and every Circle, reminders of my faraway past sent me nightmares, attempting to stop me at any cost. My own life…wanted me dead. I wouldn't do it though. I refused to. I had a purpose and I took it. I was bloody, beaten, burned, poisoned, stabbed, and left for dead, but the true moral of it all was; **I kept on walking**,"

"If I had gone through challenges of life above the surface…I knew I would be able to make it through the challenges of death below it. Having the Nightmare Scythe, I literally was given the title _**DEATH REAPER**_ on my way through the First Circle of Hell. Some spiritual being came to me once and said; _you'd personify death in a way that no one else could_. Simple as that, my powers strengthened and I was able to make my way down through the Circles, fighting its nightmares. _My nightmares_. and anything else that came my way."

"Then how did you return to the surface so easily? How did Orion even find you?" asked Yoko.

"After the seven years that had passed, I broke up through the surface of Akuma's Ultima Portal in the Ninth Circle. I returned to the surface with only my weapons, my broken body, and nothing more. I found myself on the outskirts of Kamina City. I raised my head to see the bustling metropolis far in the distance. Once I got up, I was immediately rendered unconscious…by one of those damned sentinel bodyguards. Once I was taken back to the city, I awakened in Orion's office. He spat on how I shouldn't even be existing at the moment, questioned how I managed to hold the Nightmare Scythe's power and a bunch of other useless questions that I gave no answers to. To make sure he wouldn't get his hands on it, I locked the Nightmare Scythe away…inside a special little place inside my head. To summon the Nightmare Scythe, requires a Chaos Control."

"And just by saying Chaos Control, the Scythe would appear in your hands?" suggested Yoko.

"Yes. If I had sealed it inside an invisible barrier anywhere else, it surely would have been found by Orion's bodyguards. So I stuck its nightmarish powers inside myself. Now, with these accursed Chaos Restraints, I'm not even powerful enough to summon a Chaos Control." he contemplated, staring at his hands.

"I'm still at awe. How come Orion let you live?" she asked.

"He either thought I'd take my life or rot for eternity in this place. I'd rather rot. Less painful." he responded.

Yoko giggled at his answer, "You sure know how to speak your mind, Tojiro. You definitely changed, appearance wise at least." she said, blushing mildly.

"I don't feel any difference." he said, looking at his body.

"Well, how old have you gotten?" she asked curiously.

"Biologically, I'm in my mid thirties."

"Damn, you've gotten pretty old!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"Well pardon me for not keeping count. I didn't have any time to keep records on my way through the Nine Circles. Give me a break." he barked in defiance.

"I'm just glad you're alive. Well, exist that is." she continued.

"I suppose that would be the positive fact for the day. Some assumptions are better off discovered than left empty. That didn't stop you, didn't it?" said the Reaper.

"At first, the way you fought reminded me so much of the Tojiro in the present. You really didn't show mercy against your foes, no matter _who_ or _what_ they were." she explained in a relaxed tone.

"I see."

"But after you said all those things about how yourself, I actually saw you as a different person entirely. I actually saw you as Kenji Haruki. You sure know how to slander your own name." Yoko said, smiling at the end.

"I did it for the purpose not to bring you worry or foolishness. I had to co-exist with these filthy inmates long enough to realize my own existence; to the world it wasn't anything important. That is until you came along and forced me to reveal myself."

"I think you're the foolish one. I didn't force you!" she exclaimed, holding her smile in place.

"Fine. You convinced me. Does that sound less degrading? Or must I give you more credit?" he answered, crossing his arms.

"No, no. That's good enough." she laughed.

"It's really good to see you again…Yoko." he suddenly said.

Yoko looked at him with her bright gold eyes. She quickly stared off to the corner, blushing with pink. "Great to see you again…Tojiro." she responded, looking back at him with a loving stare.

The two left the cell, Tojiro closing his cell door behind him.

"So you're pretty stuck at having this persona known as Kenji Haruki, huh?" she asked.

"That'd be right. The black bandages that surround my entire head is a bit of his character. In fact, in the middle of Orion's rants the day I returned and was brought here, I just created these black bandages around my head just so I wouldn't have to look at him." said the Cloakmaster.

"Can you even see through them?" pondered the red head.

"Of course. I just decided to myself that these would be best to mask my appearance to the world, and the prison. No other way would've have been better than the idea of masking myself. I'm the Reaper after all. Seeing Death isn't a typical thing anyone would simply admire." he explained.

"I guess so. So are you sure on the plan?"

"The plan to escape? Hopefully. Knowing that in the present timeline that one Chaos Mage still exists is better of a fact. You have to make sure the present Tojiro gets the Nightmare Scythe at the right time." explained the Cloakmaster.

"Why can't you just summon the Scythe after we breakout and get rid of those restraints in your arms? That'd be way easier wouldn't it?" she suggested openly.

"The Nightmare Scythe can _**only**_ be wielded by a being of singular evil and hatred. The wielder must witness true pain, loss, and hatred to wield it. If you tried to take it back to the present with you, the moment I exchange it to you would result in imminent death." he said sternly.

"Wow. That really sucks." she stated.

"Indeed. No loopholes about it either." he added.

"In other interests of mine, how did you end up in this altered dimension anyway? I highly doubt it was on accident." asked Tojiro.

"It's…a pretty long story, actually. I rather not…talk about it really."

"Then I might not feel like escaping out of this prison, and let Dominic's plan fail. Tell me." responded the Reaper.

Yoko sighed, knowing the story still shook at the reins of her emotions.

"In the present, Tojiro and I got in a fight…of some sorts. _You_ argued on how foolish I was about putting my feelings before other people."

"And that's true." he implied.

"You can't be serious." mumbled a blank Yoko.

"Whatever went on between you and the present version of myself, I'm sure _I _had good reason for telling you where to stand. Please…go on."

"What makes you so uptight about my feelings? I wanted to go back to the night Kamina died, and stop it from happening! I wanted to prove Tojiro wrong, and show him that our world would exist in better peace if Kamina still lived. How is that wrong?" she exclaimed at the Cloakmaster. "Many things actually. No wonder the Tojiro from the present doesn't like talking to you about such things. You give him good reason to hate the logic of people's overbearing feelings, and how desperate they are to save someone they cared about. No matter how pathetic the moment you and Kamina shared, you're both fools." said Tojiro, walking on forward, not noticing an obvious reminder.

He turned around, noticing Yoko had stopped.

"It really doesn't matter, you know? You never knew Kamina the way we did!" she exclaimed in anger at the Cloakmaster.

"I don't need to personally meet anyone to understand how their temptations get the best of them. Honor and bravery made him a legend, sure. It also made him a fool, and died a fool at that. The more determined and powerful you believe yourself to be, death will reach you the quickest." stated Tojiro.

Yoko angrily charged at Tojiro, fed up with his threats against Kamina. She threw her fist directly towards his face, but he stopped it, however, Yoko quickly swung her right leg up, but Tojiro blocked that too, and knocked Yoko to the ground.

"Tell me this one simple thing, Yoko. Before you and the present version of Tojiro went back in time to perform this idiotic mission, what did he tell you? Be specific. I can tell if you're lying." he asked.

"None of it mattered! It failed didn't it? Are you happy now? Happy Kamina's dead?" she screamed.

"The deaths of others don't matter to the Reaper. That's how it is. I do things differently, believe it. Now, what was it that Tojiro told you?" he asked, bending down forward.

Yoko slapped Tojiro across the face out of hatred. Tojiro stood back up, still awaiting her answer.

"What?" she barked.

"Still waiting." he replied.

Yoko quickly got up, giving Tojiro a decent glare of hers that practically spelled out _I hate you_.

"All he said was that the impossible couldn't be stopped. I couldn't believe him. We've made it that far, so how could impossible not be broken? Kamina believed in it, the rest of Team Dai-Gurren believed in it. How is that even plausible to Kamina's death then?" she answered in various changes of emotion her voice.

"It's hauntingly obvious. Once again, you'd rather see Kamina alive than anything. **Anything**. Your Team Dai-Gurren are a bunch of humans who had no dreams and hopes for the world they lived in due to oppression from the foes on the surface. Once your team formed, however, that oppression changed. It actually became a beam of hope and bliss. I can scan through your mind and noticed all the small details, Yoko. The way you looked at him, the way you always seemed excited and full of joy, but doubt lingered in the midst of it. That doubt, wasn't for Kamina, wasn't it? You held doubt because of Simon." Tojiro explained in a thorough explanation.

"Simon. What…what does Simon have to with this?" she replied, crossing her arms, keeping the discrete glare on her face.

"Just about everything."

"That can't be. You're honestly blaming Simon?" Yoko stormed.

"Wrong. I'm blaming the people **around** him. You and Kamina specifically. That's why the present version of Tojiro warned you of the consequences of trying to avoid the impossible." said the Grim Cloakmaster.

"What impossible? What is with all this crap? Nothing would've happened if Tojiro hadn't created that huge dome of-"

"Chaos Rift." Tojiro interrupted her.

"Huh? Chaos Rift?" said the confused Yoko.

"He created it because he know he would fail. The present version of Tojiro selflessly believed that one life wouldn't sum up to the loss of another. He created the Chaos Rift to reset the events in that time to make them go correctly. Everything was set back to normal, including the outcome of Kamina's fate."

"Then…how come I was sent here?" she asked blankly.

"A Chaos Rift technique, once created, spans out and literally winds back time and space itself. Those who have been exposed to a large amount of Chaos energy in the past, will instead be sent forward in time. Either to the real future or an altered dimension. That's what happened with you."

"So that Tojiro created the portal to save himself? Why?" exclaimed the sharpshooter.

"Still haven't gotten it, huh? How foolish. Yoko, the present version Tojiro created the portal to save someone from dying that night. He wanted to stop the impossible." said the Grim Reaper.

"He saved Kamina! What else did he…" she suddenly stopped, finally figuring out the truth.

"In your words I'd believe you would say; sucks doesn't it? The present version of Tojiro switched places with Kamina to take the attack from the Beast General Thylimph's Glaive impalement but, it was then that Tojiro realized that fate couldn't be stopped, nor controlled. Another way, Tojiro would have simply pushed Kamina's Gurren out of the way, so he wouldn't be harmed. He chose to replace Kamina with himself by using Chaos Control because he needed power. Pain is what gives someone like me power. And a Chaos Rift technique takes a large amount of Chaos energy. If the battle had went on, instead of Kamina; **Thylimph would have killed Simon in the same way Kamina was to die**," the Grim Reaper announced.

Yoko was left wide eyed, fear overcoming every nerve in her body.

"Lagann would have been immediately torn apart, and Simon's body would be reduced to ribbons. I can picture the whole event in my mind right now. Sure, Kamina and your forces would be able to push back the Beastmen forces, but Simon's death would've been on **your** hands, Yoko. You and your pathetic little lovebird were too worried about each other on that mountain top to realize Simon was watching you two embrace and kiss each other. You broke Simon's spirit that night, he was weak and frail, not even strong enough to fight off a _**flea**_,"

"With Lagann destroyed, the Core Drill that Simon possessed would be destroyed as well… and in the next few days would've resulted in your complete defeat. Simon would have never met Nia, thanks to the night he died: With a broken soul. I'm truly glad we've met Yoko…it gives me high hopes to question how invaluable humans are to this world. So much for love, eh?" Tojiro finished his angrily described story.

Yoko had dropped to her knees, staring at the ground. "I-I-it can't…it can't be true." she stuttered in fear.

"That is what Tojiro meant by stopping the impossible, you fool. It was destined that one person fall that night. If fate couldn't have Kamina, then it would've done the next best thing and take Simon instead. You wasted all your anger, frustration, and time on a puzzle that was already put together. You're just lucky that Tojiro from the present found it in himself to keep the world you knew and grew up from being reduced to utter turmoil. Believe it or not Yoko, but human feelings are shrewd and indecent. They disrespect the natural form of peace. You would have had Kamina that night, but in the coming days, you would have lost your entire world. No other opinion is more absolute than fate…destiny…and **death**." he said, pointing his thumb to himself at the end, acknowledging his _occupation_.

Yoko's eyes were left blank and lifeless. Such a revelation left her soulless. Tojiro grumbled, shaking his head with disappointment. Tojiro grabbed Yoko by her shoulders and put her to her feet, causing her trance to cease. She stared into the face of the black bandaged head of Tojiro. The bandage that covered his eyes flipped open, his cold orange eyes glaring into her soft golden ones.

Lowering his hands from her shoulders, "It's the most unwise and foolish thing to do. Never put yourself before others, Yoko. Sometimes, your heart doesn't mean more than someone else's. Back in the present, I'm sure _that_ version of myself rather see others joyful and proud than himself. In that time, Tojiro fights for a belief that no one else is powerful enough to hold within themselves. He fights because he wants other to enjoy life, not to simply sit by and watch the chaos enwrap them all into its deadly grip. **With the smallest ounce of belief, use that as your own weapon. Because once you put your spirit to it; you're unbeatable. If you believe in a vision of true peace, you can do anything.**" Tojiro finished his last words, then making the black bandage cover up his eyes.

Yoko stared forward. Tojiro turned away from her and slowly made his way down the walkway.

"The third round shall be starting soon! Dominic already told me the plan, you'd better get to the stadium." Tojiro called as he left Yoko to stand alone in her quiet, solemn, stance.

The third and final round at Kingdom Stadium was ready to commence. Every seat in the entire stadium was filled with the prison's inmates, excitedly waiting for the match to begin. Dominic was in the same seat as the first two rounds, but he was alone. He suddenly heard a bundle enough of commotion erupting from behind him, he even heard some whistling. Dominic looked over his shoulder, his eyes becoming wide.

Yoko was walking down the steps, back in her _proper outfit_. Her flame bikini, long white boots, crimson leather jacket with the Team Dai-Gurren symbol on the back, and something about all the prisoners around her would call, _black short shorts_. Yoko sat down in the available seat to Dominic's left. Her face looked still and quiet, her eyes weren't even completely open.

"_Something dreadful must have happened to her. But…what_?" Dominic asked in his thoughts, turning his head back forward, yet his eyes staring at the lonely expression on her face.

"WELCOME EVERYBODY! To the last and extremely exciting final round here at: KINGDOM STADIUM!" announced the overly excited Haruhi.

"Excitement is definitely in the air, Haruhi! Last time, the famed Kenji Haruki made past the first deadly rounds. Before these have even started, it was in the previous set matches that Kenji escaped, is that right Haruhi?" said Silver.

"Correct! Kenji made a brave escape attempt during the second round not many days ago." she responded with hype.

"So far, Kenji hasn't made any attempts at escaping, and seeing that this is the third round, something just might happen. Orion's Moon Guard and combat drones are already set up all over the stadium walls, preparing for whatever the masked man of chaos just may attempt. Now, down to the stadium, and let us begin the final round!" exclaimed Silver excitedly.

In the stadium floor, the entire area was a setting of sand. "Just like famous gladiators would have fought, this epic final fight will be battled out on the same type of terrain that the classic gladiators fought on! But be warned fair viewers, this arena has many tricks up it's sleeve. And here comes Kenji Haruki out of the north gate!" reported Haruhi with ecstatic excitement.

Yoko looked upon the field to spot the head bandaged Tojiro walk onto the field. Out of this whole crowd, she knew it was the Cloakmaster. Out all these desperate inmates who wish to grasp freedom with every intent, they all believe Tojiro to be alive, but keep it to themselves, hoping for one single moment in life; that he would return. Yoko and Orion were the only ones in this whole world that knew it was the Cloakmaster of Darkness himself. Not a single thought passed over anyone else's minds or thoughts.

They all believed that Tojiro is simply lost, lost in a world that refuses to forgive him for his crimes, and even his existence. Tojiro and the very force of humanity could be viewed as shades of black and white, true opposites, both hating the other with all their might and power. No forgiveness was spared, no life was able to prosper in this land.

Yoko could stand up right now, and officially announce that the so-called Kenji Haruki is truly Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. Yet, it was something that he told her earlier, something that made the thought slowly dissipate away into oblivion. Would it even make sense? Would it even be right to reveal to the world that the Grim Reaper himself has been staying at this very prison? Rotting, suffering, and a hatred with nowhere else to explode from, but this very stadium.

Whatever foe he would face, Yoko could tell no chance was affordable. No one is as heartless as Tojiro, especially in a prison. The gates on the other end slowly began to open. Tojiro stood ready in the middle of the arena floor. He looked all around the stadium with his eyes. He lived in a world where these people saw him as Kenji Haruki, but two individuals. A massive shadow stepped out of the gate, revealing it's elbows and shoulders to be locked with cybernetic silver armor.

A large silver helmet matched the foes' head, yet that's where everyone looked. Tojiro stood utterly shocked, who knew death would be surprised by anything? Standing in front of the closing gate, was a faint memory of his past. A beast that's lived up to this time as part of Tojiro's horrifying visage of evil. Tojiro was staring at his last and final competitor he would ever fight at this stadium before the great escape from this nether hell; **His Werehog form**.

Yoko's eyes actually grew wide, Dominic noticed this. "That's…that's the beast from within Tojiro, isn't it?" she questioned.

"You seem to know something. What is it?" responded Dominic.

"In the present timeline, Tojiro told me Akuma used some kind of mirror to literally reflect his Werehog form into it's own being. This must be it!" raced an awe filled Yoko.

"Then I highly doubt Orion was aware of this being existing in the present. He definitely didn't go to the present to get this beast here. Some years back, Orion was able to capture this Werehog. And now look what he's done with it. I can't believe he's even held this beast for so long." said the baffled high priest.

The armored monster, the last of its kind, stepped forth, standing on all fours. Its large angry eyes were blank white, staring at it's target.

"_Orion…you're definitely still a fool. This breakout attempt won't be as hard as I thought it would be, knowing that this thing is my opponent_." thought the Cloakmaster, getting himself into a figurative offensive stance. The Werehog's mouth turned into a ravenous growl of hunger and hatred.

"Orion must be desperate to put Kenji into this much pain. That Werehog is the last of its kind…however, I highly doubt it cares. The only thing that runs through the mind of a Werehog is visions of bloodshed, turmoil, and utter hell. Kenji must be extremely careful during this match…or else…the price will be heavy." explained the high priest.

The Werehog let out its famous roar, putting any brave man's soul to utter shame and fear. Tojiro stood still, listening to the roar that was as fearsome as a lion, and as monstrous as a dragon.

Tojiro charged towards the ferocious beast. The Werehog smashed the ground with its fists, then charged on all fours. The two foes lunged towards each other, and evilly smashed into each other. The two rolled across the ground, angrily exchanging fists to the face and knocks to the chest. Finally, Tojiro was the one to sent both his feet into the Werehog's chest, launching it high into the air. Tojiro then released several small shuriken made out of green Chaos energy. The projectiles easily tore through the Werehog's flesh, and for those that hit the Werehog's chest, it completely went through. The Werehog, in a fit of pain, released a massive blast of dark purple Chaos energy from it's eyes.

"Ahhh, hell!" exclaimed the masked Tojiro, leaping out to the far right.

The blast impacted the sandy floor, in a marvelous explosion. Tojiro slid to a halt on the arena floor, quickly turning his head to the right, staring up. The Werehog came diving in, it's hands and claws wrapped in black Chaos energy. Tojiro punched his fists together, creating a fissure of golden Chaos energy. Tojiro began punching the sandy ground, which casted meteor shaped blasts of golden Chaos energy to shoot out of the ground in front of him. All the blast converged onto the diving Werehog, all hitting their target, resulting in one singular explosion of flames and golden light.

Tojiro lifted his fists from the ground, keeping his eyes glued on the large cloud of grey smoke that continued to drift on and on in the air. Tojiro, knowing the Chaos Restraints restricted him of free use with his Chaos powers, would definitely cause him great grief in this battle. If this fight is to be fair, Tojiro must somehow hold the Werehog off long enough to get rid of the Chaos Restraints. The Werehog landed down on the ground, releasing beams of sharpened orange Chaos energy from all its fingers.

Tojiro was hit by six and thrown to the ground, leaving the others to pass over his head. Tojiro sat up, seeing the Werehog lunge down at him with it's acute claws. Tojiro flipped himself backwards across the floor, dodging the impact of the Werehog's anger. Tojiro rolled onto his back, then quickly rolled to the left to dodge another strike, and then jumped himself into the Werehog's face, grabbing the beast and forcing it into the sand.

Tojiro then repeatedly beat the Werehog's face into the ground over ten furious times. Tojiro then picked the Werehog up by two of the quills of it's silver helmet. Tojiro tossed the beast into the air, then quickly used Chaos Control to pound both his feet into the Werehog's face, shooting it straight back into the ground below.

"Chaos Storm Technique: Rain Tempest FEAR!" shouted Tojiro, pointing his hands down.

Several hundred red and orange streams of Chaos energy shot out of Tojiro's hands, going left and right in the quickest of pace. The Werehog lunged to the left, ran forward, then quickly jumped diagonal to the left, then charged up, creating a spiral like surge of red Chaos energy that surrounded its body. Tojiro growled, honoring the Werehog's persistence. Until the Cloakmaster decided to release a vile blast of black and red Chaos energy from his eyes. The Werehog collided with the blasts, it's power against Tojiro's, fiercely ripping into one another.

Finally, Tojiro clapped his hands together, "Chaos Implosion!" he summoned loudly.

The blasts that were firing into the Werehog, suddenly exploded into flames and a bright white light. Tojiro was suddenly grabbed by the Werehog's outstretched hands. Tojiro was pulled down through the cloud of smoke, and took a painful Chaos Punch to his face. Tojiro was launched to the other end of the stadium wall, smashing into it with extreme force, putting a massive dent in it. The Werehog angrily roared and smashed the ground with its fist.

Tojiro fell forward from the damaged wall, falling on all fours on the sandy terrain. The Werehog charged at Tojiro with deadly intent. The second Tojiro was on his feet, he was immediately pinned against the wall, and the Werehog began punching its right fist into Tojiro's chest. Tojiro took the pain, took it like every other problem he had ever faced in his life. The Werehog let out an annoyed roar, sensing no fear in Tojiro's corpse.

The Cloakmaster released a stinging blast of green Chaos energy from his body, sending the Werehog flying back across the arena floor in drastic agony. Tojiro quickly charged straight across the arena floor, delivering both his feet to the Werehog's chest, forwarding surges of Chaos energy into the Werehog's body, knocking it back across the floor, and slamming into the wall at the other end of the stadium. Tojiro then released a dark beam of spinning Chaos energy. He then shot a straight red beam of Chaos energy through the circling black beam he first fired.

The Werehog rose up, taking the full force of the blast, delving it further into the wall it was lodged into, creating a fierce explosion of smoke and flames. Tojiro quickly stepped back, avoiding the presence of the Werehog appearing out of Chaos Control. He quickly lunged towards the monster, driving his fist towards it, but the Werehog was able to deliver a Chaos Punch with both of its fists.

The combined force knocked Tojiro across the floor, but then the Werehog stretched its right arm forward, grabbing Tojiro and pulling him back. The Werehog then punched Tojiro in the face again with another Chaos Punch, flinging him forward, but this time the Werehog kept a tight grip onto Tojiro. Like a ping pong paddle and Tojiro being the ball attached, the Werehog continuously pulled Tojiro back to deliver one painful Chaos Punch after another.

Refusing to allow this annoyance to continue any further, at the point Tojiro was being reeled back in to the Werehog, he smashed his forehead into the Werehog's, causing the beast to drop Tojiro, and step back in a dizzying gaze. Tojiro stood back up, not feeling any pain from it.

"Looks like that thick head of his finally came in handy…_for once_." Yoko noted mentally.

Tojiro lunged forward, dodging to the left from a random swing by the Werehog. Tojiro again used his arms to block another swipe, then grabbed the Werehog by the wrist and flipped the beast over his head and into the ground. There, Tojiro delivered a Chaos Kick straight to the crown of the Werehog's head, treating its corpse like it was a soccer ball. Tojiro quickly raised his arms up in the air, creating an electrifying red Chaos Sphere.

The Werehog then rose to its feet, releasing a large amount of orange Chaos energy from its mouth. Tojiro quickly leaped into the air, continuing to put his power into the Chaos Sphere. The Werehog viciously lashed out with an awesome array of long cut shaped surges of yellow Chaos energy. Tojiro used Chaos Control to make himself disappear.

The Werehog lowered its arms, turning its head in every direction. Suddenly, Tojiro reappeared in the air and smashed the Chaos Sphere straight into the Werehog's face, creating a monstrous explosion of red Chaos energy, mixed in with blistering orange flames.

The blast knocked most of the inmates in the stands behind the Werehog to the ground by the forceful blast of wind from the impact of power. Tojiro back flipped out of the smoke, along with the Werehog following him out of it. The Werehog stretched its left fist forward, which Tojiro spun around, and fired a direct dark red Chaos Spear to the Werehog's face. The Werehog quickly spun its arms in circles like a tornado, smacking Tojiro straight back to the ground below. Tojiro landed on his left hand and back flipped himself onto his feet, then angrily released a stunning array of green Chaos Spears.

The Werehog planned to dive directly towards its foe, but all the Chaos Spears directly shot into the Werehog's chest, carefully and precisely cutting through its flesh with intense pain. Tojiro used Chaos Control, appearing behind it to deliver a quick blast of massive red Chaos energy from both his hands. The blast overcame the Werehog, shooting it straight into the middle of the arena floor, causing much of the sand to fly up like a dust storm. Tojiro landed back on the and immediately shot red Chaos Spears from his fists like a heavy machine gun. The Werehog was painfully hit and slathered with its own blood. Tojiro charged towards the beast, lunging his foot straight to the Werehog's chest and knocking it onto its back. Tojiro then grabbed the Werehog up its throat and charged towards the wall at the other end of the arena. Tojiro smashed the Werehog's back directly into it, then turned around, tossing the Werehog into the air, above the middle of the arena. The Werehog, however, was able to release a large amount of silver Chaos energy from it's mouth.

Tojiro was overwhelmed by the painful insertion. The Werehog landed on the middle spot of the arena floor, growling with hate and anger. Tojiro was on all fours, as he was revealed in the middle of the smoke cover that began to vanish.

"Is this even fair?" mumbled a leaning Yoko.

"Hardly. The Werehog has all its Chaos power to use while Kenji's is limited due to the Chaos Restraints that cover his arms. Kenji had better come up with something, and it appears physical strength isn't going to stop the Werehog from tearing him in half." replied a grim and serious toned Dominic.

Tojiro got onto one knee, slowly rising up. He stared forward, seeing the Werehog already towering over him, in the middle of its violent lunge. Tojiro glared up at it, releasing a stammering amount of red Chaos energy from his eyes. The Werehog harshly took the pain and was thrown back across the arena floor, ending up back on its feet, and skidding to a halt in the center of the arena. Tojiro released several hurdles of Chaos Spheres by flicking his hands.

All the red, yellow, orange, purple, and green Chaos Spheres converged towards the Werehog. The Werehog quickly clamped the ground with its hands tightly. All the Chaos Spheres exploded in various explosions that multiplied one after another, exploding into their respected colors of Chaos energy. Tojiro lowered his hands, breathing heavily.

"_Damn. If Orion is this determined to see me suffer just because he hates my soul…he sure got it right. That damn bastard. Once the breakout starts, I'll definitely get him first_." said Tojiro in mental note of anger. Up in the Orion's stadium watch room, he stood at the multi paneled window, his hands behind his back.

"For years…have I kept this beast here. Many prisoners lost their lives to it. And now…the name Tojiro Ankoku shall be added to the casualties. No mercy…is a policy at this facility. Not even the Grim Reaper himself deserves a chance at freedom." said the self acclaimed warden; Orion.

Tojiro delivered a fierce Chaos Kick, then delivered an angry uppercut to the Werehog. Tojiro jumped up, repeatedly punching the Werehog in the gut, then blasting an awesome beam of yellow Chaos energy from his hands, launching the Werehog further into the air. Tojiro quickly teleported through the use of Chaos Control.

He appeared in front of the Werehog. The two foes sent a Chaos Punch to one another, both punching each other in the side of the face, both sending the two competitive foes opposite ways. The Werehog smashed into one of the large plasma screens, completely shattering the screen, shocking the Werehog with a drastic amount of electricity. Tojiro got the same kind of treatment, except he was thrown into one of the stadium lights, the agony even worse than the Werehog received.

The Werehog launched out of the screen, flying through the air, its arms extended straight out, eagerly dire to dig its claws into Tojiro's flesh. Tojiro quickly flew towards the Werehog as well, delivering a spear forward tackle to the monstrosity, sending the pair down to the arena below. As soon as they impacted, the Werehog grabbed Tojiro by his back, and tossed him to the ground, then leaped up, and stomped both of its feet down onto his spinal area.

Tojiro immediately released a series of small red and black Chaos Needles from his body, which horrendously pinned themselves into the Werehog, giving it an extensive amount of pain and agony to roar and scream over. Tojiro then swung around on his hands, and used his feet to knock the Werehog to the floor. Tojiro grabbed the Werehog by its ankles, leaping up and deliberately smashing it face first into the ground.

Tojiro then tossed the Werehog's body up in the air, and leaped up at it immediately, delivering a vicious Chaos Punch straight to the Werehog's face. The Werehog was thrown right into another large plasma screen. The Werehog's eyes sparked wide open, filled with glowing red power.

"Dammit. I suppose I pissed him off _too_ much." mumbled Tojiro, preparing himself.

The Werehog stretched its arms out to the left and right. It then launched itself onto the top of the screen, keeping a firm grip on both sides of the screen. The Werehog then jumped off the top, tearing the huge screen from where it stood, and came down at Tojiro with it.

"No way." said the Cloakmaster in a dull tone. The Werehog let the screen, letting it fly down towards the Cloakmaster below.

Tojiro smashed his fists together. The sandy terrain all around him began to swirl up, creating a storm of sand. The large screen was just inches away from smashing Tojiro like a bug, but a rage filled explosion of red Chaos energy exploded forward, completely obliterating the screen, and knocking the Werehog back across the arena floor, and smashing it into the opposite end of the arena with painful momentum. Tojiro was down on his knees, his powers slowly leaving him. Small sparks of red lighting shocked around his body.

"I can feel my power leaving me. These…th-these…damn restraints. They won't come off." he mumbled in anger.

Yoko stood up from where she stood, gripping the railing in front of her.

"Come on you idiot! You can smart talk me any day, and you can't control your own powers? Stand up and fight already! Show that damn freak the true power of; **TOJIRO ANKOKU**!" she screamed as loud as she could.

Dominic smiled at her bravery. The entire crowd turned their heads left and right at such a revelation, muttering the Cloakmaster's name.

**NEXT CHAPT****ER PREVIEW**

-The silhouette of the future Cloakmaster of Darkness...trapped in a tornado of sand.-

"In an instant, Yoko surpasses all the rules of Orion's world...shouting out to all that Kenji Haruki is the Last Nightshade."

-A phantom Scythe blade of black and white cuts the smoke open...exploding with a visceral aura of black and red Chaos energy.-

"Orion insists an immediate extermination of the revealed God of Death, ordering all of the prison's security forces to destroy Tojiro."

-Orion drops down into the arena with two silver bladed katanas, crossing them into an X to ignite a blue and silver backlash of Chaos energy.

"Yoko charges toward the control room to return to Present Earth, vying to find the "**real**" Tojiro Ankoku."

-Tojiro turns around after taking damage from a humongous Chaos Spear to see the Werehog lunge at him.-

-He angrily swings the blade at it. Yoko and Dominic arrive in Orion's office as an explosion shoots in from behind.-

"Will the future become of this? Must Tojiro Ankoku become the Grim Reaper in order to save the world?"

-Yoko stands and watches with her friends.-

"The wrath of both Tojiro and Orion threaten to topple the entire facility!"

-Tojiro ignites a dark mixture of crimson and onyx around his body.-

-Orion blinds all with a rupture of diamond silver and azure.-

-The two leap forward, preparing to settle a score that holds no victor.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS **_

_**CHAPTER XXIX: LOCKDOWN  
><strong>_


	29. Chapter XXIX

_**CHAPTER XXIX: LOCKDOWN**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Orion, and Dominic. The names and characters are my original creations and owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

Orion angrily stood in his room. "KILL THE CLOAKMASTER! NOW!" he yelled through the intercom. Several swarms of Orion's flying sentinel guard flew into the stadium. Tojiro once more smashed his fists together.

A whirling power of wind and power began to circle around him. "Chaos Control Technique: _**REAPER SUMMONING!**_" he roared with the most fiercest rage.

A massive cyclone of red Chaos energy exploded and shot upwards from around his body. The Moon Guard stopped in mid-air, the bright overlord of power stopping them. Yoko's hands left the hand rails, crying with joy.

"I'm sorry…for everything. But you're still an idiot…Tojiro Ankoku." she mumbled, her head lowered.

The massive red aura finally vanished in a series of glittering red light. The black bandages whipped away from his head, revealing his cloak to be back in his possession. It was identical to Kamina's. An all deep black, with the white embroidered symbol of the Great Shade Empire on its back. Tojiro's eyes opened up, revealing the Tsukikagegan of his Dragon Spirit, the very symbol that he carried on his forehead and the back of his cloak. His body then transformed into his hedgehog form, the tips of his quills were white, but quickly changed to a glowing red.

He held his left hand out, the Nightmare Scythe appearing in his grip. The handle was all black. The blade of the Nightmare Scythe was completely nightmarish in its own way. On the left side of the blade, was a cold white color, with the Japanese symbol of life on it, colored in black. On the right side of the blade, was steel black, with the Japanese symbol of death on it, colored in white. The blade was large and thick, and impervious to being shattered. Tojiro's eyes opened back up, revealing the white of his eyes to be glowing red, and his Tsukikagegan targeting the Moon Guard in front of him, his senses tightly held on the Werehog that stood behind him from afar.

"**Who's ready for a nightmare**?" he daunted evilly, getting in a fiercely prepared fighting stance, tightly holding the Nightmare Scythe behind him in his right hand.

The Grim Reaper of Darkness quickly jumped back to dodge one of the sentinels from impaling him on it's lance. Tojiro quickly lunged the Scythe forward, driving it through the unfortunate sentinel. Tojiro swung the Scythe around, smacking the Werehog in the head once it attempted to pounce him from behind, then quickly swung the corpse of the sentinel into one of the other sentinel guards.

"Order all drones to Kingdom Stadium this instant! DO IT NOW!" ordered Orion over his control com.

Tojiro sliced down through five more incoming sentinels, then leaped up into the air, furiously jabbing the Nightmare Scythe forward with only his right hand, mortally stabbing and destroying four more sentinel guards. Landing back on the ground, Tojiro tossed the Nightmare Scythe up into the air, then jumped up towards it. Passing by it, the symbol on the back of his cloak shined red for a quick moment. The Nightmare Scythe automatically latched onto Tojiro's back. He hovered in mid-air, firing several blasts of red scorching flames that he amplified with the power of his Chaos energy. Three more sentinels were sent falling to their grim demise, reduced to scrap metal. A sudden roar caught his attention.

Tojiro turned around, facing the ground far below, and saw a magnificent ray of red mixed with green Chaos energy shoot straight towards him. Tojiro immediately clapped his hands together, creating a curved barrier, which caused the beam to split into two once it hit him dead. Tojiro lowered the barrier, then continued by firing a large cluster of golden Chaos Spears from both of his hands. The Werehog grabbed two sentinels that charged for it, then tossed their bodies up at the barrage of Chaos Spears.

Their bodies exploded into flames, taking most of Tojiro's projectiles out with them. The Cloakmaster of Death charged down through the smoke, his Chaos Restraints finally breaking, and the glowing bandages came off of his hands. He held his right metal arm out to the right, creating a furious sphere of red and black Chaos energy. The Werehog roared, sending out a sonic wave ringed beam of swift and deadly power.

Tojiro created a large circular barrier of transparent red Chaos energy to charge through the beam of rings. Tojiro lowered the protective barrier and smashed the sphere directly into the Werehog's sphere of overpowered Chaos energy, which it quickly prepared in its left hand before it shot the beam of rings.

Tojiro remained facing diagonally down, his power evenly matched against the evilness of the Werehog. Finally, a shot hit their two Chaos Spheres which were still connected into each other, resulting in a massive explosion of flames and ebony smoke. Tojiro came out of the smoke in the form of a back flip, safely landing on the ground and sliding to a halt. He looked over to the stands, seeing Yoko standing on the guard rail with her magnetic power sniper rifle. She quickly jumped down into the arena, and hurried over to the cloak wearing hedgehog.

"A bit foolish…I know. But you two were stuck. I had do something, right?" she said, resting the rifle over her left shoulder.

"I can tell. You specifically shot more to the left, hitting the Werehog's Chaos Sphere. You knew I would be fine in the midst of those flames, correct?" he said, turning his back to her, and looking over his shoulder.

Yoko's eyes widened a bit, showing a bit of embarrassment on her face. Tojiro resorted to his human form, and flipped the hood over his head, the darkness within the hood shrouded his face, only revealing two eyes, full of glowing red.

* * *

><p>"What's the next plan?" asked Tojiro silently.<p>

"Dominic's already detonated the generators that control all the Chaos Restraints. Every single inmate that isn't here, is already leaving by the looks of it." she answered.

"One problem with that plan." he confessed.

"Huh? What are you-" she began, but was surprisingly picked up in

Tojiro's arms, sprinting out of the way from a large column of silver Chaos energy from hitting their previous standing position.

Sliding to a halt, Tojiro turned around, and put Yoko back on her feet.

"_**Him**_." Tojiro answered her previous interrupted question. Stepping out of the smoke cloud was Orion himself, armed with two silver bladed katanas'.

Both blades shocked with small bolts of white electricity. "This is the day you suffer the most." said Orion, crossing the blades together.

"Yoko…get to the portal room. I'll handle him." said the Cloakmaster, standing in an offensive stance.

The Werehog suddenly landed out to Tojiro's far left.

"And him _too_?" braced a shocked Yoko.

"Yeah. Sure. Sure. Just get moving." said the Reaper, preparing blistering auras of crimson red Chaos energy around both of his hands.

Tojiro charged forwards, heading straight for Orion. With raw determination to erase Tojiro from the history of the world, charged Orion. With anger and violent thoughts, the Werehog charged in as well. Tojiro leaped forward, first smacking his left foot into the right side of Orion's head, knocking him away. Tojiro landed back on his feet, and quickly turned to the right in one single spin. The Werehog was lunging directly at him, it's size and shadow looming over the Cloakmaster.

At this precise moment, Tojiro pressed both of his hands into the Werehog's chest, firing one single beam of crimson Chaos energy, firing the Werehog into one of the empty sections of the stadium. With almost all the prisoners taking this chance to escape, the stadium was nearly emptied. Tojiro suddenly turned around to block both of Orion's katanas: known as the Silver Cyclones.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance that day. That should've been the day you died!" yelled Orion, knocking Tojiro back, then swinging both of the Silver Cyclones, surrounded by enlarged silver auras.

He batted Tojiro into the stands, crashing into them with harsh power and momentum. Orion dove straight down into Tojiro, impaling him with the right Silver Cyclone. Tojiro, in an immediate sting of pain and intensifying hate, let out a Chaos Blast. The ravenous dome of Chaos energy ate through the stands, and utterly destroyed the section he was laying on. The torn and ripped cloaked body of Orion smacked down onto the stadium ground. Orion, being upside down, saw the Werehog violently charging towards him on all fours. Orion spun into the air and tossed both of the Silver Cyclones into the ground in front of the Werehog, resulting in a blast of white to explode out from the blades, and painfully throw the Werehog back across the ground.

Orion used Chaos Control to appear back down on the ground. He grabbed the handles of the Silver Cyclones, and looked over his shoulder, seeing Tojiro standing far apart from him. Tojiro was back in his hedgehog form, his arms crossed.

"I never thought you'd come this far Tojiro. It truly surprises me." said Orion.

"I had a hunch this would've happened." noted the Cloakmaster.

"You blatant idiot. I'm referring to your hate. You were able to avoid my capture for many years, and you luckily avoided your death just as many times as well. After successfully, yet bitterly returning from your great pilgrimage through the Nine Circles of Hell…I knew;** I SHOULD HAVE SILENCED YOUR LIFE!**" he roared, his eyes full of glowing blue.

Tojiro formed into a ball and spin dashed with immense power. Orion put the Silver Cyclones into their two sheaths, formed into a ball and spin dashed at Tojiro. The two were inches from a deathly collision of true chaos, but from above, rained down a huge beam of green Chaos energy. The blast resulted in a massive show of flames and chaos, creating a large crater that broke through the metal ground that was under the sandy ground.

In the crater lie the bodies of both the Grim Reaper Cloakmaster and the Bounty Hunter of Light. Above, it was revealed that this sudden attack was the Werehog's doing. It was hovering in mid-air with a furious red aura around it. It used Chaos Control to appear in the middle of the crater.

Tojiro and Orion slowly rose to their feet. The Werehog roared, stretching it's arms left and right. It grabbed the two cloaked hedgehogs and pulled them towards each other. Tojiro angrily kicked Orion in the chest just seconds before their skulls would smash into one another. Orion was knocked out of the Werehog's grip and sent rolling across the ground. The Werehog opened it's mouth, and attempted to bite down on Tojiro's head, but was stopped once Tojiro was able to free his hands and grab both of the Werehog's jaws.

Tojiro then snapped them both, causing the Werehog to back away in agony. However, once Tojiro was back on his feet, he watched the Werehog successfully put his broken jaws back in place, then giving the Cloakmaster a very angry snarl, showing off it's brilliant gleaming fangs.

"That does not surprise me." Tojiro pointed out.

A sudden force sent the Werehog flying forward. The Werehog was being pushed across the air, just inches from the ground, by a spin dashing Orion. The force hit Tojiro, and Orion exploded with a bright blue aura from his spin dash form. He crashed the two into a wall at the other end of the stadium, resulting in a ferocious hole to span out in the wall. Orion back flipped out of the chaos, and landed just inches from the rim of the crater behind him. Tojiro's corpse came flying out of the smoke. Orion charged for it, but the Cloakmaster turned around in mid-air and successfully kicked Orion up the chin, then blasted him back across the floor, and into the crater with one point blank Chaos Spear.

Tojiro turned around seeing the Werehog charging directly for him. The Cloakmaster ducked from a vicious claw swing, but he was able to grab the wrist of the Werehog's arm, and swing the beast straight towards a spin dashing Orion. The Werehog was horribly sent flying back into the air, Orion wasn't going to stop. Tojiro leaped forward into several spins in the air. Tojiro then released a furious amount of red Chaos energy out of his right hand, and black Chaos energy out of his left hand.

The two combined beams hit the balled up Orion, resulting in a massive explosion of flames, smoke, and light from within the chaos. Tojiro quickly stepped off to the right, turning around in the process, letting the Werehog's outstretched fist pass by him. He turned around and spin dashed right into the Werehog's face, knocking the monstrosity back across the ground with intensive agony to the Werehog's facial area. Tojiro quickly chased after the Werehog's flailing corpse, grabbing it by the spikes on it's back, then charging towards the other end of the stadium wall, slamming the Werehog skull first into it. The Werehog angrily elbowed Tojiro back across the ground, then the beast turned around, bashing Tojiro across the face one fist thrust after another. In an instant, Tojiro was able to halt one of the Werehog's large fists.

He then bashed his own head against the Werehog's, then immediately fired a red Chaos Spear point blank into the Werehog's stomach. The Werehog smacked across the ground several agonizing times, and then was sent flying back the opposite way once Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear in it's path and let loose a large fearsome beam of golden Chaos energy from both of his hands. Tojiro quickly launched several green vibrating spheres of Chaos energy amongst the ground. Orion, hovering in mid-air, dove down towards Tojiro, shooting blue beams of Chaos energy out of his eyes and his hands.

Tojiro quickly back flipped into the air, landing on his right hand, then springing himself back into the sky, beams of blue Chaos energy zooming past him. Amidst the chaos, Tojiro fired a large breath of fire from his mouth. The surge of flames dissipated through Orion's beams, and aimed for him. Orion quickly unsheathed the Silver Cyclones, and swung the aura surrounded blades to extinguish the flames. Orion landed in front of Tojiro, but the Werehog was already lunging towards Orion while his back was turned. Taking his plan into affect, Tojiro fired a direct beam of red Chaos energy into Orion, which sent him flying into the Werehog, knocking the two into Tojiro's trap. The field of twenty green emanating Chaos Spheres on the ground began to brighten.

"Chaos Shock." mumbled the Cloakmaster of Darkness, snapping his fingers.

In the middle of all the exploding Chaos Spheres, suffered Orion and the Werehog. Feeling no mercy, Tojiro decided to give them more agony. With the green Chaos Spheres still exploding, Tojiro released a special technique of his. His eyes closed for the shortest moment, and when they opened back up, his Tsukikagegan appeared in his eyes. The same eyes Yoko noticed during the first round; two black sideways crescent moons with a black X in the middle of them.

"Dragon Fire: CHAOS INFERNO!" shouted the Grim Reaper of Darkness.

Two twin beams of red Chaos energy rose up behind Tojiro, and shot forward. On the front of the beams, dragon heads formed out of the Chaos energy, with glowing green eyes. The two beams began spinning around in a spiral like motion, and went straight up into the air. It didn't take long before the spinning combination of pain came crashing down, resulting in a magnificent explosion of red and green light, including the madness of the flames and smoke that rose out of it as well. Tojiro stepped back, but found himself walking into a fierce Chaos Punch by the Werehog.

Tojiro smacked and rolled across the arena floor with tremendous momentum. The Cloakmaster was sent rolling across the ground in pain, but he was able to leap back onto his feet, and in a crouched position, fired ten golden Chaos Spears out of his clenched right hand. The Werehog was knocked away by Orion, his blades glowing with a white hot hue. The angered Orion bashed all the Chaos Spears straight back to Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster quickly sped off to the right, dodging all the shots that quickly trailed off behind his running feet. Tojiro quickly came to a halt, then grabbed the Nightmare Scythe on his back.

"THAT WON'T HELP YOU!" shouted Orion, leaping into the air, then diving straight down towards the Cloakmaster. The Nightmare Scythe wasn't fully powered up yet, Tojiro was forced to hold the weapon for defensive purposes, blocking Orion's intensive attack.

"You never deserved life! You're nothing more than a meaningless disease that deserves to be bathed in nothing but your own medicine! You deserve death more than anyone! YOU DAMNED HELLSHADE!" yelled Orion, pushing himself away and into a back flip, landing on the ground.

"My hate is much greater than yours _you filth_! You have no power to control the lives of others! This is the time you deserve to suffer the most!" shouted the fiercely angered Orion.

"Your hatred is nothing but a fraction once compared to mine. You don't know what true hatred is. And trust me, I'm sure you have not an ounce of reason to complain. You need to grow up." spat Tojiro.

Orion was smirking with his head lowered, "_Grow up_? Is that all the famed murderer of millions has to say? Hmm?" he said in a strange voice.

Tojiro's eyes tightened, not liking the change of reason in the wind. The Werehog, suddenly leaped towards Orion from behind. In a single white flash, the Werehog was sliced completely in half from the waist up, both halves of its dead carcass landed in-between where Tojiro and Orion stood apart from each other. Tojiro's Tsukikagegan vanished, and his orange eyes appeared in his hedgehog eyes. They suddenly widened, once he looked at Orion. A large blue aura was rapidly growing around his body, and his cloaked was torn into oblivion by the power. His white fur became glowing blue.

His eyes opened up, revealing that they have turned into something completely else. Tojiro was even taken by more surprise to realize that Orion; had possessed the Tsukikagegan as well. The white in Orion's eyes were glowing blue, but in the eyes themselves, his sea green eyes were replaced by the symbol of the Crescent Moon Kingdom, but it was more different. The regular symbol of the Crescent Moon Kingdom was a regular crescent moon with its points aiming down, and two columns side by side under it. The symbols in Orion's eyes, however, had two crescent moons in both eyes. One that had its points aiming down, two shortened sideways columns in the middle, then another crescent moon under the columns with its points aiming up. The symbols were white altogether.

"You've entered a super form by amplifying all of the Chaos energy in your entire body. Using the Tsukikagegan, that power triggered a third level transformation. Impressive." said Tojiro, holding the Nightmare Scythe out to the right with his right hand.

The blade of the Scythe stuck up straight, and the Cloakmaster impaled it into the ground. A large red aura gathered around Tojiro. As he clapped his hands together, he shut his eyes. The white tips of his quills began to glow red. From the crown of his head, two thick glowing red lines sprawled down over to his forehead, and created a circle around the symbol of the Great Shade Empire on his forehead. The symbol itself began to glow gold, and it remained so. His right arm, the complete metal one, then glowed a furious blood red. The two spikes on his back also glowed a bright blood red as well. Tojiro's eyes slowly opened up, forming into an angry stare.

The white of his eyes was turned to glowing gold, and his orange eyes had changed to crimson red.

"However…it's not impressive enough." he said in a deeply determined voice.

Two deadly rivals, two forces of insane and awesome power, one definite victor in the altered dimension of a horrid future.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

**Ch. XXX Coming up next!  
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**-**Tojiro and Kasumi stand before the Kuonji Mansion.-

"In present time, Tojiro and the Shade Priestess, Kasumi fight the volatile Hell God: Malcolm Nikushima."

-Malcolm arrogantly points forward his nightmarish Dragon Guardian Cestus with stretched eyes.-

-Tojiro lunges forward with Chaos Wind.-

"Relentlessly and without an idea of mercy, the Ruler of Hell's Fifth Circle unleashes chaos upon the mansion grounds." -Tojiro is thrown into the fountain before the mansion. Kasumi shouts his name.-

-Shinra Kuonji finds herself enveloped by smoke.- "Can the survivors of the Great Shade Empire survive this night of brutality against the powerhouse of the Nine Hell Gods?"

-Tojiro charges up in Hedgehog Form; fur turned white like snow towards a Chaos Sphere that burned bright enough to illuminate the entire mansion grounds.-

"When all feels inevitable of victorious beliefs...a visceral power of positive Chaos energy explodes from within the evil confines of Tojiro." -A tidal wave of blue Chaos Eruption charges towards Tojiro and Kasumi.-

-Orion charges forward with Silver Wind, clashing with the Shade Priestess who comes to defend her ally.- "In his confusion, Orion arrives. Is he continuing his alliance with the Nine?"

-Orion releases several silver tornadoes of black and white to overwhelm the Demigod of Death.-

-Tojiro stands up with his metal arm sparking and spilling a black and red substance.- "In an instant, Tojiro's will ignites. The will to protect his own." -Tojiro shouts down to the kneeling Kasumi.-

-The Shade Priestess sits in shock as her face lights up...remaining in awe.-

-A tornado of pure positive Chaos energy...encompasses Cloakmaster Ankoku.-

_**NOW!**_

**CHAPTER XXX: ANGER! DARKNESS! HOPE!**

**TOJIRO ANKOKU and KASUMI MORIKO!  
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**VS  
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**ORION and MALCOLM NIKUSHIMA!  
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	30. Chapter XXX

_**CHAPTER XXX: ANGER! DARKNESS! HOPE! **_

_**TOJIRO ANKOKU and KASUMI MORIKO  
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_**VS  
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_**ORION and MALCOLM NIKUSHIMA!  
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**DISCLAIMER: Long title? Check. Title speaking on behalf of the chapter? Check. Characters pulverizing one another for victory? CHECK! This chapter was important as it would be the build for Tojiro's character to become *GASP* nicer? Maybe more trusting in letting others fight by his side, but who knows! It's disclaimer time! I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kasumi Moriko, Malcolm Nikushima and Orion. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
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**All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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In the cold dead night, several blasts of red fire shot into the air. Tojiro, the present and real version of the Cloakmaster, was carrying Kasumi in his arms, letting several blasts of red flames pass by him.

"You accursed rodent! DIE!" screamed the angered Malcolm.

Kasumi fired several Chaos energy shaped arrows out of her left hand as Tojiro carried her. The thirty sized storm of hurt came towards Malcolm with no remorse. Malcolm was forced to use the Dragon Guardian Cestus to protect himself from the pillaging barrage. Tojiro slid to a halt, firing a blast of red Chaos energy out of his eyes. Orion, the real present version of the bounty hunter, was hit by the insane power and thrown onto the roof of the Kuonji Mansion. Tojiro put Kasumi down on her feet.

"Another incoming!" she exclaimed, raising her hands up to create a spherical shaped barrier of blue Chaos energy around herself and Tojiro.

A large blast of orange and red Chaos energy was just seconds away from hitting the pair with all force, but Kasumi's quick reaction with a barrier saved both their hides. Tojiro immediately jumped towards Malcolm once Kasumi lowered the barrier. He immediately shouldered Tojiro back, then punched the Cloakmaster in the chest and then the head, knocking the Demigod down to the floor.

"Chaos Eruption!" she summoned.

Instead of orange Chaos energy, a large tidal wave of blue Chaos energy formed behind her and shot out towards Malcolm. Kasumi stomped the ground with her right foot, causing Tojiro to Chaos Control back by her side. The Chaos Eruption wrapped around Malcolm in its fierce hold.

"Chaos Implosion!" she yelled again.

The large sphere of blue Chaos energy thus exploded into an explosion of blue flames. Kasumi smiled diligently, noticing the stirring Cloakmaster right next to her.

"Are you all right, Cloakmaster?" she asked with deep concern.

"Just fine. I…I don't even know how you were able to save me from that. You must know I hate positive Chaos energy." he said, rising to his feet, and looking at her. Kasumi stood up as well, appearing determined to say something, but she shyly turned away.

"Well…you're welcome." she said, keeping her expression away from Tojiro's.

The Cloakmaster raised his eyebrows in confusion. He quickly picked Kasumi up and ran out of the way with her to avoid a large blast of red and silver Chaos energy.

"Dammit! How in the hell does he do that?" exclaimed both Orion and Malcolm at the same time.

Tojiro came to another halt, putting Kasumi on her feet, then staring at Malcolm, he released a series of fire balls from his fists. Malcolm punched the earth with the Dragon Guardian Cestus, creating a large sum of earth to come out of the ground and defend himself from the flames. Tojiro smashed through the rock barrier in his spin dash form, quickly exiting it to kick Malcolm across the left side of his face. Tojiro quickly chased after his flailing corpse, quickly grabbing him by the back of his cloak. Tojiro skidded to a halt, but his head raised up, sensing Orion coming in for an ambush. Tojiro turned his head over his left shoulder, seeing the truth come right towards his face. Tojiro used his left hand to block Orion's Chaos Punch. Tightly gripping Malcolm by the back of his cloak, Tojiro spun around and tossed Malcolm straight to the Kuonji Mansion, sending him smashing through a window. Tojiro turned his attention to Orion, who used his left fist to deliver another Chaos Punch to Tojiro's skull. The Cloakmaster was reluctant. He raised his right hand and grabbed tight of Orion's fist. The renegade bounty hunter began pushing all his force and weight down on Tojiro, causing Tojiro to get onto his knees.

"What power in the world do you have? What kind of power can you summon that would end this never-ending conflict?" questioned the bounty hunter, his fists forming a blistering blue aura around them both.

Tojiro began to sweat and cringe his face in pain and anger.

"Nothing? Exactly! That's the point you're simply too feeble minded to understand it because you know I'm going to KILL YOU!" he shouted.

"Tojiro, stay still! I'll take care of him!" said Kasumi, pointing her hands forward, shocking blue spheres of Chaos energy forming in her palms.

"Worry about yourself!" Tojiro exclaimed, shutting his right eye.

"You need help! Just let me help you!" she exclaimed back with a worrisome tone.

"You fool! When I say worry about yourself…I MEAN IT!" he angrily yelled, blasting Orion back with a small version of the Chaos Blast.

Malcolm suddenly came firing out of the window he was thrown through, diving towards Kasumi. Tojiro immediately halted behind Kasumi, firing a large bolt of red lightning out of his right hand.

Malcolm landed in the fountain, his body completely tearing it to pieces and minimal chunks of rock and stone. Kasumi quickly turned to Tojiro, kneeling down beside him. "My lord, you didn't need to risk bravery for me!" she said.

"Stop questioning the wrong facts, Kasumi." he uttered out in pain.

"Huh? What are you saying? You just saved my life! I should be grateful!" she said deeply.

"No. I just need you to keep your heart to yourself. I don't want you hurt. I won't let your suffering be on my hands. **I don't care what it takes…I'm going to protect you!**" exclaimed the Demigod against the breaking nerves and bones that swelled up so pain in his body, rising back to his feet.

"_Tojiro…you…you really are what they say you are_." she said in thought. Tojiro looked at the holy lock that was chained around his left arm, knowing it was the source of his pain.

"_I need to somehow contact Ryu, and fast. This battle has to end at some point. So, I'll just speed up fate_." thought the Cloakmaster, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, already creating a fearsome aura of red Chaos energy that coursed around the cold, steel hardened blade weapon.

Kasumi rose to her feet, turning her back to his, wearing a determined and serious expression to keep her mind in focus.

"_Tojiro looks so nervous…and even sick. What's wrong with him? He's the last Nightshade! He has all the power he needs and still…he looks so drained. What is it that could be affecting him_?" she questioned herself mentally.

* * *

><p>Tojiro charged towards Malcolm, who began releasing steady streams of red Chaos energy from the gauntlets known as the Dragon Guardian Cestus. Tojiro cut through all the beams, then fired a single large sphere of green electrified Chaos energy out of the tip of his sword. The large projectiles peeled through the ground beneath it and impacted Malcolm with deadly force, yet he used his large Cestus to block the attack. He extended his arms opposite directions, left and right, dissipating the sphere, then quickly went to firing golden Chaos Spears out of the Dragon Guardian Cestus like they were Gatling guns. Tojiro formed snakes and streams of water out of thin air just by swinging his arms and hands several different directions.<p>

He then leaped into the air to avoid Malcolm's obsessive firing and stable stance. Tojiro shot the five streams of water down at Malcolm, then breathed out his cold lifeless breath, turning it into ice. Malcolm was directly stabbed by one of the thick sharpened icicles, one going through his right arm and one into his left. Their speed was so precise, it caused the two ice spears to impale into the ground, and force him onto his knees.

"Kasumi! You're up!" called Tojiro, landing on the ground, sheathing the Blade of Darkness.

"Huh? Right! I got it!" she suddenly replied out of surprise, charging towards Malcolm.

"You damn fool! You think it's going to be THAT easy?" exclaimed the smirking Malcolm, releasing a fearsome beam of spiraling flames from his mouth.

Kasumi leaped towards, spinning in a dazzling fashion. Her hands formed spheres of blue Chaos energy on them. Kasumi shot threw the spiral of flames, surrounded by a drill shaped amount of Chaos energy. She made it through the flames, and deliberately kicked Malcolm directly in the face, causing the ice spears in his arms to completely shatter and throw him across the ground. Tojiro was suddenly knocked across the ground by a spin dash from Orion. He then smashed his fist into the ground, sending a series of white glowing cracks through the earth.

A spout of yellow Chaos energy exploded from under Tojiro's flailing body, shooting him into the air. Tojiro's eyes snapped back open, his orange eyes formed into an angry stare of hatred. He stopped, and hovered in mid air, preparing spheres of sporadic red lighting in the palms of both his hands. Suddenly, Tojiro's eyes widened once a large column of red Chaos energy came into his face and knocked him out of the sky.

Orion unsheathed Silver Wind, "Looks like that fool Malcolm is not much of an idiot that I prescribed him to be. This ends now." said Orion to himself, leaping off the ground.

"Tojiro, no!" cried Kasumi, quickly following after him.

"Step aside!" swindled a violent Malcolm, knocking Kasumi to the ground, giving her a hurtful contusion on the side of her head.

Orion prepared a sparkling silver aura around his sword; Silver Wind, knowing to drive it through Tojiro's heartless corpse. "Years of torment…decades of famine…your reign has destroyed many lives…now is the day I avenge them myself!" roared the hateful bounty hunter, pointing his blade forward.

Tojiro stopped in mid-air, his back turned, and his left hand to his forehead. Kasumi, bleeding a bit from the right side of her head, spotted the Cloakmaster in the air, and the unfortunate fate that was slowly approaching him.

"Cloakmaster-san! Behind you!" she screamed, firing thirty beams of silver and blue Chaos energy each.

Tojiro's ears perked up, sensing Kasumi's technique. Tojiro quickly turned, and rammed both of his feet into Orion's face, then throwing himself away from Kasumi's Chaos Rain Technique. In the air, Malcolm was first to be riddled by the fearsome barrage of pain, then came Orion's turn to suffer the agony. Tojiro spun backwards in mid-air, with much relief that luck decided to stand on his side for just one moment. Tojiro used Chaos Control, teleporting himself down on the ground. Kasumi spotted the Cloakmaster that appeared just a few feet ahead of her. Tojiro quickly turned around, sensing the young priestesses' presence. He sprinted over to her in just a mere second.

"Kasumi, are you alright?" he asked immediately, his hands on her shoulders.

"Why…why yeah! Of course I am" she said, still kneeling on the ground.

"Yet you are bleeding. Don't be so foolish with me, Kasumi." he insisted strongly.

Kasumi's eyes glimmered with nervousness and surprise to see how caring Tojiro was. He placed his left hand on the wound, a silver light coming out of the touch. Kasumi's eyes trailed from the healing hedgehog, to up in the air, which her eyes reverted to shock. Tojiro stomped his right foot down, creating a large golden barrier to grow around himself and Kasumi, just seconds after a storm of red fire streams rained upon them. In the air, Malcolm gritted his teeth with distaste.

"I won't have enough time to heal the wound in time…and this barrier won't hold forever." he said, removing his left hand from the bleeding mark on her head.

He grabbed a part of his cloak on his short right sleeve, tearing off a good sized amount that could cover her wound. This caused Kasumi to gasp. Tojiro looked at her with a strange look.

"Why do you appear surprised?" he asked strangely.

"That's your famous cloak! It's all that protects you from severe harm, right?" she said with concern and fright.

"No need to be so overbearing. My cloaks repairs itself just as it can heal my wounds. Since it has the same properties to my body, it'll do the same for that head injury of yours." he said, tying the piece of cloak around the part that was still bleeding.

Standing up, it looked like she was wearing a headband. "Be more aware of these fools. All right?" he said, holding his right hand out to her.

Another blast of red flames hit the barrier, slightly cracking it. Kasumi slowly extended her right hand, and placed it in his. Her eyes shook with surprise for a moment, her mouth was inches agape. The ebony cloaked hedgehog helped the young priestess to her feet, then turned his back to her, keeping his hood over his head. Kasumi noticed several parts on his cloak that were dripping with his blood, and the scars they left.

"He truly is what they say he is." she reprimanded, with dry tears in her eyes, immediately wiping them away once she felt them.

"ENOUGH OF YOUR COWARDICE! I'm breaking that damn barrier NOW!" roared the diving Malcolm.

The Dragon Guardian Cestus both formed buzzing yellow auras around them.

In a way, his incoming attack was a heightened version of the Chaos Punch. He reeled the huge gauntlets back, preparing to smash the barrier, the Cloakmaster, and the Shade Priestess to pieces. Finally, at the last second of his plan, the barrier immediately vanished. Tojiro and Kasumi leaped up at Malcolm. Tojiro delivered a Chaos Punch with his right fist covered in red Chaos energy. Kasumi delivered the same, her left fist covered in blue Chaos energy. The energy surged out of their fists, and resulted in one painful jolt that launched the Cloakmaster of Anger through the sky, but was suddenly sent crashing back down into the ground once Orion appeared above him, driving both his feet down into Malcolm's gut. Malcolm was sent plummeting alone into the ground into his very own crater of pain. Back on the ground, Tojiro and Kasumi stood prepared.

A sudden pulsation came from Tojiro's Blade of Darkness and Chains of Fear. His eyes appeared into a tight glare as he looked down at the weapons.

"_Something with powerful energy…is nearby. Could that mean_…" he thought to himself.

"Silver Slash Tornado!" yelled Orion, hovering a few feet above the fountain and swinging his sword once. The single swing created a maniacal tornado of incredible cutting force, completely made out of shining silver Chaos energy.

"That technique is impossible to stop! We have to get around it somehow." noted Kasumi.

"We won't need to." replied the Cloakmaster of Darkness, raising a set of chunky sized earth out of the ground.

"_Let's deem this theory true_." he thought to himself.

Tojiro kicked all the floating rocks towards the silver tornado.

"_You idiot. This tornado cannot be defeated so easily. Besides, it has no wind for those rocks to come around and hit me_." thought Orion with a smirk.

His words were right. The rocks were immediately chewed apart, but coming out of the other side were a large amount of smaller rocks. Orion protected his head from the numerous amount of small rocks hitting every corner on his body.

"Now's our chance." said Tojiro, quickly picking up Kasumi in his arms. He launched into the air with a boost of Airbending from under his feet. The pair flew directly over the silver tornado.

"Now's my turn."

"Got it." answered Kasumi.

Obviously knowing, Tojiro let go of the priestess, but she quickly flew out of his way, hovering in the air. Tojiro prepared spheres of blistering red lightning in the palms of both his hands.

"Double Lightning Fear!" shouted Tojiro, stretching the two spheres of lightning, into Orion's face, creating a fearsome array of red lightning to shoot in every direction, and into every direction in the sky above. Tojiro skidded out of the smoke cloud on his feet, halting to an immediate stop. Kasumi looked upon the cloud, reading it for any _unsettling news_.

"_Nothing yet, huh? Sure isn't like him. Unless_!" Tojiro thought, quickly looking up at Kasumi spotting a large column of flames coming at her from behind.

Tojiro used Chaos Control, appearing in front of Kasumi, spinning his arms around multiple times to create a circular sphere of rapid air to protect himself and the priestess from the flames.

The flames hugged over and passed the sphere of air. Tojiro then stopped spinning his arms, then clenched his hands into angry fists, causing the air sphere to completely turn green.

"Wind Needle Explosion!" he exclaimed loudly.

The dome of green Chaos energy all turned into thousands of pin point sharp green energized Chaos Needles that all shot towards Malcolm with deadly accuracy, and highly accurate pain. All at once, they riddled against Malcolm's body and flesh, giving him intense agony. Kasumi turned around, and Tojiro hovered in the air next to her.

"That sure was close. Thanks Cloakmaster-san." she said with an adoring look.

Tojiro huffed, turning his head away. "You were right on taking my surroundings into great consideration, by the way. I'll definitely be careful!" she said, still looking at him.

"Very well-" his voice trailing off once an explosive green Chaos Spear hit him in the back.

Kasumi quickly turned around, creating a disc shaped shield of blue Chaos energy that formed from her wrist. She blocked the attack from Orion's sword, but then the banished bounty hunter retracted the blade back and jabbed it forward, but failed again once Kasumi created another circular shield from the wrist on her other hand at the last second to stop the sword from skewering her.

Kasumi used the shields to knock Orion back. She bashed one across his face, then rammed one straight into his face. Kasumi finished with a straight kick to his stomach, knocking him backwards in a perfect straight line. She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. Suddenly, Orion's was knocked away, from Malcolm who was flying in from behind his flailing corpse. Kasumi quickly crossed her arms like an X, the shields protecting her body, by growing larger in size.

"Dragon Strike Chaos!" he roared, bashing the huge gauntlets against her, creating a burning sensation to warp through her shields and shock her body with violent bolts of orange electricity.

She plummeted down to earth, her eyes hardly even open. A sudden whirlwind of air grabbed her. Her eyes widened, sitting up slowly to notice she was being held up by a large cyclone of Airbending. On the ground standing next to it was of course Tojiro himself, waving his arms back and forth slowly.

"Very interesting. You two make a definite team of fighters. However, let me have the honor of testing that courage of yours!" he yelled with a wicked smirk, pointing his gauntlets up into the air.

The clouds in the air begin to swirl and form a hole in the rift of the sky. A large red thunderbolt shot down and collided with his gauntlets, and began creating an orange Chaos Sphere. Within it, was the furious glowing red core.

"_Colossal Chaos Sphere. He is nuts. That technique will definitely take a number on his Chaos energy. Hell God or not_." thought Tojiro quickly.

"Kasumi! I have a plan! But you must listen! I'll bend this air tornado up at Malcolm! After that, I want you to use an advanced Chaos Kick to spring some of your positive Chaos energy into my spin dash form!" he exclaimed over the loud winds that came from Malcolm's insane preparations.

"Won't that hurt you? You're a being completely made up of negative Chaos energy! It could really hurt you!" she insisted with a loud voice.

"I told you to listen, Kasumi! My life isn't what matters now, it's yours and those people in that mansion that are in real danger!" he answered directly.

Kasumi's heart was overwhelmed by fear with his insane beliefs.

"After you kick me through the tornado, with your positive Chaos energy giving me the additional boost I need, I'll use Black Death to use an overpowered technique version of my Strike of Darkness! Do you understand?" he called.

Kasumi teleported down next to him, her right hand to her chest.

"Don't you shed a tear. I'll be all right. Knowing that you will be safe is all the knowledge I'll need for this." he affectively assured.

Kasumi let her long raven blue hair blow in the wind, in too much awe to utter another word. Tojiro bent the tornado of air so it aimed straight for Malcolm. Tojiro formed into a ball, and Kasumi stood behind him, focusing her Chaos energy to her right foot. She looked down at the spinning power as Tojiro remained to power up his speed with what time he had.

"You ready, Cloakmaster-san?" she asked with a expression full of confidence and belief in the Demigod.

"Always. By the way; call me Tojiro from now on." his voice replied.

Kasumi managed a heartwarming smile on her face. She reeled her right foot back and performed a Chaos Kick. The energy spiked into Tojiro's body which launched him straight up the tornado with tremendous. Smoke trailed from his body, an obvious sign of how the positive Chaos energy was taking it's painful affect to him. The large Chaos Sphere Malcolm was preparing as large as the Kuonji Mansion.

"THIS…IS…YOUR…END!" roared the maniacal grinning face of Malcolm, throwing the humongous sphere down at the small sized spin dashing Tojiro.

The positive Chaos energy that circled around him suddenly increased in power and size. Tojiro collided straight with the humongous Chaos Sphere, grinding against it's immense size and power that drastically outmanned him.

"Oh no. Tojiro! Please, you must defeat this foe!" she called out with quaking pupils.

Inside his ball form, Tojiro was nervously in pain and at his limit.

"_This damn positive energy is actually doing…its number. But…I…but must break through. I…__**promised **__her_!" he exclaimed in fierce thoughts. The blue Chaos energy that was around Tojiro suddenly caused the humongous Chaos Sphere to turn all blue.

"WHAT! You damn fool! YOU CAN'T CONTROL THAT POWER! It's impossible!" shouted an infuriated Malcolm, pointing his gauntlets at it, to increase his power. Kasumi stood on the ground, her hands clasped, and her face full of concern and heartfelt thoughts.

"Please…win, Cloakmaster. You must pull through…I believe in you…Tojiro. Do it for me." she solemnly prayed.

The gigantic Chaos Sphere suddenly exploded into nothingness, and Tojiro blasted his way straight to Malcolm. Immediately exiting his ball form, Tojiro's black fur was now white, and the symbol on his forehead was black. His eyes were gleaming with an ocean blue. He took out Black Death, holding the trigger, quickly creating a monstrous sphere of blue Chaos energy on the barrel, inside was an intensively spinning core of golden Chaos energy.

"STRIKE OF A THOUSAND NIGHTMARES!" roared the Nightmare transformed hedgehog, driving the attack straight into the screaming Malcolm.

The blast was absolutely huge. A gigantic ball of blue and golden flames, light, and ebony smoke came from the impact; Tojiro's plan came through once again, with another helping hand from lady luck; Kasumi. The intensive blast created a fearsome whirlwind that knocked Kasumi and Orion to the ground. Small meteors of discharged Chaos energy crashed down into the earth, creating several small craters in the forested areas, leaving the Kuonji Mansion safely unscathed. Luck strikes again. Except this time it was for those individuals on the inside.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

****"Surrounded by the darkness of his own plagued body, a distant voice reaches out to the Cloakmaster, warning him of Malcolm's weapons."

-Still in the Nightmare Form, Tojiro circles around in the hollow shallows of what he believed his own subconscious.-

"The Dragon Guardian Cestus are revealed to be one of the famed **Nightmare Weapons**. Weapons, when gathered, will reveal the path to find it."

-Kasumi kneels over the waking Tojiro.- "Upon his awakening, like himself, the fight continues to breath." -Malcolm strikes down at the Great Shade Empire survivors.-

"As the sake of the Kuonji Mansion still lies in his mind, the battle continues to batter and annihilate the grounds." -A beam of silver falls from the sky. Tojiro releases a forty green Chaos Spears to combat it.-

-Malcolm is thrown into the sky, crunched and battered by hordes of stone and earth with gold auras magnetizing them together.-

-Tojiro argues with Shinra Kuonji as her fondess for things black and white _compromises_ her head.- -Malcolm charges down one of the halls as Tojiro leads Shinra and others to safety.-

"The battle only sees two victors. Both sides, however...will suffer until the **very end**..." -Kasumi collects a monstrous array of blue and silver Chaos energy from a beam shot by Orion.-

-Tojiro watches as the Shade Priestess fire back all that power in the form of one hundred Chaos Spears.-

"As he feels shunned to let a close being fight by his own demonic side in a war that only he can stop, Tojiro finds no gain in risking Kasumi's well being during battle."

"He urges but Kasumi's rejects without a single effort. Like Tojiro...like this very moment...she lives for the fight and honor of her civilization."

-Tojiro kneels down to hug the Shade Priestess.-

-Kasumi smiles nervously as Tojiro, too, with nervous expressions blinks with sudden resentment.-

_**NEXT TIME!**_

_****_**_THE NIGHTMARE WARS _  
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**__CHAPTER XXXI: NIGHTMARES ABOUND!  
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**CLASH FOR THE CESTUS!  
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	31. Chapter XXXI

_**CHAPTER XXXI: NIGHTMARES ABOUND!**_

_**CLASH FOR THE CESTUS!  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kasumi Moriko, Dominic, Malcolm Nikushima and Orion! They are my original characters and are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners. Great battle scene yet again! I've decided to start leaving a little of my opinions on each chapter from now on, starting HERE! Battles at night always have some clarity to the combatants. Not only is it dangerous, but it gets violent as the term "mercy" slowly begins to vanish from the fighters' subconscious. Enjoy the chapter!  
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There was darkness…it was all he saw…all that he could _feel_. How fitting. Tojiro's orange eyes opened up, and he founded himself surrounded in a pitch black setting. His body was still in the Nightmare form. His black fur still pale white.

"Where am I? Don't tell me that impact sent me into another cursed dimension." he said, desperately turning his head left and right several times.

"Indeed it didn't." said a booming voice. Tojiro's eyes suddenly set forward, spotting nothing.

"Who am I speaking to?" he asked. "Someone you _shall_ meet. This is just a perfect time, too. Speaking to such a scourge is beyond my care, but somehow, I sensed your presence. My curiosity took care of the rest." said the voice. It was the voice of an old man, someone of wisdom and knowledge, yet fear and doubt.

"Show yourself." Tojiro demanded.

"Bah. The miniscule Cloakmaster…ordering me what to do? Such child's play." said the grimacing voice.

"Don't try and patronize me. Who are you?" Tojiro responded angrily.

"Your mind should not worry of such trivial things. You must focus on the battle you have yet to finish. Retrieve the Dragon Guardian Cestus from the Hell God: Malcolm. Fate shall…_take care of the rest_." said the dissipating voice.

"Tojiro! Tojiro! Tojiro? Wake up, please!" suddenly cried Kasumi's distant sounding voice.

Tojiro's full blue glowing eyes opened up, the first thing he saw was Kasumi kneeling by his side, and an extremely worried look plastered onto her face. Tojiro slowly sat up, resting his right hand onto his forehead, feeling an arguably good amount of stinging pain to come from his forehead.

"Malcolm. Malcolm! Where is he?" Tojiro suddenly persisted, rising to his feet.

"RIGHT HERE!" roared his voice, shooting out of the ground right in front of Tojiro and delivering a vengeful punch to the Cloakmaster's face, launching him high into the air.

The bloodied Malcolm chased up after Tojiro, stopping right in front of Tojiro's body to deliver a single explosive red Chaos Spear that launched Tojiro down to the Kuonji Mansion. With his flailing corpse crashing through the roof and down two floors, Tojiro found himself in another room that belonged to the mansion's owner. The girl was already sitting up, the smoke cloud in the room still trying to clear itself.

She had short dark blue hair, and an eye patch on her right eye. She hastily kept the covers of her bed to her chest, seeing the silhouette of Tojiro standing up. His two full blue eyes stared over at her. Tojiro's attention suddenly turned to her. Tojiro leaped onto the bed, avoiding an explosive Chaos Sphere that hit the house from outside.

"Intruder! What are those noises outside! Are you going to try and kidnap me?" she questioned.

"Uhhh, no?" he replied, not paying attention to her, turning his back to her while standing on the bed.

"Get off my bed! I'm not even decent!" she exclaimed.

Tojiro's face grew estranged, "_She's not dressed. Isn't she_?" he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Malcolm's body blasted into the room from the ceiling. Tojiro looked up through the large hole in the ceiling, spotting a momentous beam of silver Chaos energy coming down to the house. Tojiro quickly stood below the hole and unsheathed the Blade of Darkness. He immediately pointed it up, and fired forty rip tearing green Chaos Spears out of the blades' tip. The storm of chaos collided with Orion's hellish beam, tearing it to pieces, and saving the house from intensive damage. Tojiro quickly turned around to use the Blade of Darkness to block a Chaos Punch from Malcolm and his Dragon Guardian Cestus.

"Chaos Quake." gripped Tojiro, violently wrapping his left hand on the front of Malcolm's face, and tossing him up through the ceiling, high into the sky.

Multiple chunks of yellow glowing rock flew up after Malcolm's body, one hundred pieces of rock to be exact. Once he stopped, all the bits of earth violently smashed against his body from every direction. Taking one hundred hits, all the glowing yellow rocks suddenly stopped and then dashed towards him, resulting in a brilliant flash of yellow, thus ending the technique known as Chaos Quake. Tojiro hurried over to the girl with the eye patch, her name; Natose.

Tojiro wrapped her in the blankets, so it would _cover her up_. He then picked the girl up bridal style, turning to see Orion suddenly appear in the room and charge directly towards him. Tojiro pressed his foot against Orion's face and blasted the bounty hunter back, while Tojiro broke through the wall behind him and ended up in another room. With Natose laying with her belly on top of him, she quickly got off him, keeping the covers wrapped around her entire body.

"Wake up! Miyu! We need to-" shouted the urgent Shinra, who was already in the room, trying to wake up one of her sisters.

Tojiro quickly jumped to his feet, "What are you doing in the house still? You'll be reduced to a pile of shredded ashes if you stay in here any longer." the Cloakmaster immediately warned.

"This is my house. I refuse to let someone like those two men you're facing to take it over." Shinra replied in defense, turning to the Cloakmaster.

"Really? And yet you leave my name out of the blame. Why's that?" he said, pointing the Blade of Darkness.

Shinra managed a sly smile on her face. "Because you look cute." admitted her shy face.

Tojiro's eyes stumbled into a confused glare, and he lowered his sword in the process. "Ooookay." he said, pointing his right hand up and blowing a hole in the ceiling, then flying straight up through it.

Tojiro flew out, and came flying down towards the front of the house, where he saw Kasumi waiting for him below. Landing by her side, Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness.

"You're still in your Nightmare form! Impressive, Tojiro!" she said, her hands to her cheeks.

"What?" he said in confusion, noticing his body.

"Just what is this power? This is…positive Chaos energy!" he exclaimed, creating a sphere of it on his right hand.

"_How_? _How is it even possible_?" he asked himself in serious thought that manipulated his very beliefs.

"Up in the sky Tojiro! It's Orion!" said Kasumi, firing a barrage of arrow shaped projectiles of silver Chaos energy out of her hands.

Orion came down in his spin dash form, a monstrous and furiously blistering aura of silver was formed around him. Tojiro shifted the earth beneath Kasumi's feet to push her plenty far from the danger. Tojiro held his arms up and crossed them to stop Orion. The ground beneath Tojiro's feet immediately cracked and eroded, causing the ground to shift inwards.

Tojiro lowered his head then stretched his arms out to the left and right, causing Orion to be thrown into the air, out of his spin dash form. Tojiro fired several swift green beams of Chaos energy that appeared all around his body, at Orion. The bounty hunter luckily readied Silver Wind, slicing all the beams away, saving himself in the last few seconds. Kasumi was ready to send another Chaos Arrow Barrage, but was violently hit in the back from behind by none other than Orion who used Chaos Control to make the quick transition.

Tojiro turned, using his arms to block a devastating overloaded surge of energy from Orion's Chaos Punch to seethe through his own flesh. Tojiro was pushed across the ground on his feet, ultimately having to dig his right hand into the earth to halt himself. Orion sent a spiral beam of silver and blue Chaos energy out of both his hands. Kasumi appeared defensively in front of Tojiro, collecting the Chaos energy on her hands.

With all the redemption in her heart, she fired it back in the form of one hundred blue and silver Chaos Spears. Orion was painfully riddled and smack by the swift and fearsome barrage, ultimately sending the bounty hunter flying back across the ground. Tojiro's ears perked up, causing him to prepare a Chaos Rasengan in his right hand and collided it with Malcolm's Chaos Punch, which was amplified by using the Dragon Guardian Cestus on his right arm to deliver it.

The two sparkling forces of energy created a fearsome show-off of blistering light. "Kasumi…step back! Go take care of Orion! This explosion is going to be dangerous! RUN!" Tojiro demanded with his teeth gritted.

"I don't think so!" Malcolm proclaimed, raising his left arm up.

Tojiro quickly stomped the earth his right foot, causing a pillar of earth to shoot Malcolm straight into the air.

"NOW KASUMI!" exclaimed the dammed Cloakmaster.

Kasumi quickly turned around, immediately surprised to see a large silver beam of Chaos energy coming towards her. She clapped her hands together, creating a large spherical barrier of blue Chaos energy to protect herself. The beam showered off her barrier. This lucky technique also protected Tojiro from taking the bulk of it.

Tojiro charged up towards Malcolm, who was charging down at him as well. Tojiro pointed his legs forward, and Malcolm was unfortunate enough to have his stomach drive right into it. Tojiro then fired a forceful blast of fire from the jet boosters under his metal feet. Malcolm was horribly burnt over his belly by the blast of hurt, sending him higher into the sky. With his back towards the ground far below him, Tojiro began firing as many Chaos Spears as he could.

Malcolm was hit by various spots on his body, until he used the Dragon Guardian Cestus to protect himself from Tojiro's violence show of persistence. Tojiro finally landed on the ground, turning around to see Kasumi's body thrown over to him. Tojiro reverted to his human form, leaped towards her and caught her in his arms. Tojiro's cloaked head cautiously looked at her and said, "You alright, correct?"

Kasumi's eyes opened up, nervously shocked to see that Tojiro was there to grab her at the last minute. Tojiro steadily put her down. However, he suddenly turned around to create a large yellow shield barrier to block a blast of red fire shot from Malcolm. Kasumi also turned around to create a blue curved barrier to block a single large silver Chaos Spear from putting hurt to her or Tojiro.

Tojiro then turned to the left, waving his left arm, crouching in the process. A force field was created out of the two shields Tojiro and Kasumi created. Thick walled lines of Chaos energy formed into a dome of yellow Chaos energy on the right side and blue Chaos energy on the left side.

"You fools. Nothing can protect you from MY anger!" roared the annoyed Malcolm, firing hundreds upon hundreds of red Chaos Spears out of the Dragon Guardian Cestus.

Each Chaos Spear had little to no affect on the barrier. Kasumi rose from her crouched position that she was in to create her part of the barrier.

"Now what?" she wavered.

Kasumi then turned around, seeing Tojiro, his back still turned to her. "Tojiro? Cloakmaster-san?"

Tojiro, in a flash, appeared right in front of her. He was obviously taller than the young girl, his cloaked face looking down at her. His face was obscured by the darkness he creates, living up to his name as the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Kasumi was staring up at Tojiro, her eyes filled with confusion. "Tojiro?"

Out of the blue, Tojiro surprisingly embraced the girl, crouching down to do it. Kasumi's calm eyes shook with nervousness and mostly embarrassment.

"You'd better stay safe. I want you to stay alive. Because for some reason…I sense great kindness in your heart…and yet, me of all people…am surprised. Stay strong Kasumi and help me take out these fools. By my side, you shall stay safe. No matter what comes my way…I shall face them." he said with great promise and emotion.

Kasumi blushed a deep pink, her eyes returning to a softened normal look as she watched Tojiro break from the sudden embrace.

"Tojiro…that was the first time _you_ hugged someone on _your_ accord. I…well…I…" she nervously said, staring off to the side.

Tojiro suddenly widened his eyes, turning his back to her, his shoulders stiffening in the process.

"Simply forget it." he quickly responded, snapping the fingers on his right hand.

The barrier immediately lowered, and Tojiro charged out leaping into the air. Malcolm fired a more ballistic barrage of Chaos Spears up down at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Yet, in the quickest of speeds, Tojiro used both of his arms to push Malcolm's arms out of his way, then grabbing the Cloakmaster of Anger around the face with his right hand. Tojiro immediately charged down towards the earth below, smashing Malcolm into the earth with all the hatred he could summon.

Tojiro quickly turned around striking his left foot into the air, releasing a large stream of flames to shoot out. Orion was forced to stop his surprise attack and create barrier of silver shining Chaos energy to form around his entire self. Tojiro quickly turned back to Malcolm, immediately having to jump back to avoid a double Chaos Punch. Tojiro then vigorously rolled backwards across the ground to avoid Orion's Chaos Spear barrage from above.

Tojiro then shot into the air, spiraling himself like a drill and delivering a fierce Chaos Punch uppercut to Orion's chin. Tojiro then grabbed the bounty hunter by the neck of his cloak, turning himself around in the process and angrily tossed Orion's body down at the upcoming Malcolm. Orion's body was sent tackling into the Cloakmaster of Anger. The two foes of Tojiro crashed into the ground together with an equal amount of hurt surging through their bodies. Kasumi prepared auras of blue Chaos energy around her hands. She immediately fired two spiraled beams out of both her hands.

A sudden humongous red beam of Chaos energy shot out of the smoke, which immediately dissipated and revealed Malcolm the one inside. Orion was on the very front of the vile beam. Kasumi hastily placed her hands on the ground to create a barrier, but it didn't take long for the beam to easily shatter the barrier and painfully bring a wall of agony down onto her shoulders. Tojiro turned around, sensing what had happened. His orange eyes formed into a hellish stare. He mad dashed straight towards Malcolm's back.

Tojiro prepared the Chaos Rasengan in the palm of his left hand. When inches came between impact, Malcolm strongly swung his left arm back, smacking Tojiro in the side of the head, shooting the Cloakmaster across the ground, gaining more scars and bruises than he originally planned. Tojiro slid to a halt, but quickly jumped to his feet, then avoided a quick and slim beam of green Chaos energy, then bending himself back to avoid a series of small, yet insanely swift discs of green Chaos energy to pass right above his nose.

Tojiro then stood straight again, firing a large black beam of dark Chaos energy. Across the entire inside of the beam was a thick red beam. Malcolm smashed the ground with the Dragon Guardian Cestus, causing three large slabs of glowing golden earth to curve up out of the ground and defend Malcolm from Tojiro's devastating blast. Tojiro grabbed onto the ground and the earth covered his arms, creating two gauntlets of his own. The moment Malcolm lowered the middle earth slab, he saw Tojiro leaping towards him.

Malcolm pointed his arms out to the left and right, causing the other two slabs of rock to come out of the ground, and come at Tojiro from both the left and right, smashing him. However, the rocks immediately exploded in a flash of gold, and Tojiro fired a golden beam of electrifying Chaos energy from both his eyes, stunningly blasting Malcolm off his feet and sending him rollicking in pain across the earthy ground.

Kasumi was found, some of her clothes torn and dirtied from Malcolm's unmerciful devastation of chaos. She slowly sat up, holding her forehead. Tojiro was suddenly spotted falling down from a direct silver Chaos Sphere to chest. He luckily found himself landing on his feet, smoke steaming from the mark the Chaos Sphere left on his chest region.

"_How exactly shall we solve this damn fight? It can't go on like this_." thought Tojiro's mind, his eyes staring out to the corner directly at Kasumi.

"I refuse to let her be harmed. She's an impressive fighter, and knows her Chaos energy well. But this is a Hell God we're talking about. That accursed Malcolm was also a Nightshade. His anger gives him his power…but yet my hatred is stronger. I shall not lose this fight." Tojiro said with great distinction.

He readied the kusarigama weapons; the Chains of Fear. The evil sting of these weapons formed a static power of aqua colored lightning that sparked around the blades. He charged forwards, leaving Kasumi behind, yet he knew that this fight would swerve into his favor. His spirit pushed him to make his most dubious choices…and just as enticing those moments were…he turns the aftermath of those choices into his favor, knowing that he believes in his power, and will never hang up this power of his.

It's as probable as him hanging up his cloak and turning away from this dreaded quest, it's not going to happen, not now.

"_I have come this far! And I refuse to give up_!" roared the inner thoughts of Tojiro's charged up determination.

He jumped over a blast of flaming red Chaos energy. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, knowing Kasumi was in the way. However, the priestess proved him wrong by leaping out of its way. Tojiro then turned back towards Malcolm, instead he saw a spin dashing Orion coming his way. Tojiro lunged the weapons forward out on their infinite chains. They wrapped around the bounty hunter, and Tojiro bashed Malcolm into the ground with the rolled up white hedgehog.

Tojiro retracted the chained weapons into his hands, then swung them forward, the chains wrapping around both Orion and Malcolm, forcing their backs to one another. Tojiro then leaped straight into the air, and remained hovering above them. He began spinning around in circles with wild momentum and speed, causing an aqua green glow of Chaos energy to grow around the spinning chains.

A tornado of the same colored Chaos energy began to form in the pattern of the spinning chains. Tojiro then flew into the air, leaving the Chains of Fear to spin around on their own. The tornado of Chaos energy was thirty feet tall. Tojiro finally stopped, and prepared a ravenous amount of dark red Chaos energy on his hands.

"This hell…" muttered Tojiro.

The same dark red Chaos energy then formed around his entire body. Tojiro then shot down towards the center of the spinning tornado of Chaos energy, a dragon shaped aura forming around himself.

With him inside the middle of it, the enraged Cloakmaster shouted with all his power and might; "SHALL END FOR GOOD!" Tojiro surged straight into the madness of the chaos, causing rays of red light to shine out from the inside.

It exploded in a massive array of yellow, red, and green light. Kasumi created a spherical barrier of blue Chaos energy around herself to stop the insanity of the blast radius that would send her flying.

After the monstrous cloud of smoke began to slowly vanish, Kasumi lowered her barrier and rose straight to her feet. "Tojiro." she raced with haste, running through the cloud of smoke, spotting a body up ahead. She immediately slid across the dirt on her knees, and stopped by Tojiro's side, tears in her eyes. His cloak was riddled with shreds and tainted with his blood.

"Tojiro. Dear heavens. Thank you." she said, managing her sweet smile.

Tojiro's orange eyes slowly opened, then blinked several times, noticing the priestess. Her hand was holding his head up. Tojiro growled in pain, wrapping his right arm around his chest as he slowly sat up, while Kasumi tenderly assisted him.

"You'll be fine, right? Right, Tojiro? Can you stand?" she tenderly asked, standing up as Tojiro did.

"Of course. Just need to put a few bones back in place, a good meal, and that'll be it." he advised.

"TOJIRO!" roared Malcolm's voice.

The Cloakmaster turned to see the still standing silhouette of Malcolm standing in the smoke just a few feet away from him. "You're a fool to even try that technique Tojiro. Now…YOU SHALL DIE!" he roared, raising his arms up.

His eyes suddenly widened in shock; his Dragon Guardian Cestus were gone.

"I'm afraid…you're wrong." sparked Tojiro, pointing his arms forward.

On the wrists of his hands, were the thick black steel bracelets. They flashed red, and the Dragon Guardian Cestus appeared. "This shall be the last night you will see. Say goodbye." frowned the cursed Tojiro, charging forward at him. Malcolm began walking back in fear. Tojiro leaped off the ground, then dove straight for Malcolm, holding the right Cestus back.

Malcolm immediately vanished in a flash of blue, and Tojiro smashed the right Cestus into the ground, creating a quake in the earth that created a hundred rippled cracks of glowing red that were printed into the ground. Tojiro dislodged the Cestus head out of the ground, and transformed the weapons back to their bracelet forms. Tojiro dropped to his right knee, letting the horrible aching in his body force it's power down onto his shoulders.

"Cloakmaster-san!" called out Kasumi as she hurried over to the Demon Demigod.

"You did it, Tojiro! You scared them both off!" she congratulated with great praise.

"Heh. Don't be so foolish. You…did all the hard work…anyway." he said slowly, letting himself lay down on his back, unaware that such a time would finally come to him.

"_So…these Dragon Guardian Cestus…is a Nightmare Weapon after all. Who the hell would've thought of that?_" said Tojiro's restless mind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Following Morning<strong>_

With darkness clearing and light shining into this room of his, Tojiro's eyes slowly cracked open. He sat up, tossing the sheets off his legs. His eyes peered down, his necklace was gone. He quickly turned his head to the right, seeing it on the cabinet next to the bed. He quickly grabbed it, and put it on. Immediately after that, the door opened, and in walked Kasumi carrying a wrapped up bento.

"So who was the genius who decided my body doesn't need bandages?" he strategically admired, noticing no coverings or bandages over the wounds he received from last nights brawl.

"My. Good thing the bleeding stopped in just two hours. You shouldn't be moving! Sit back." she ordered, stopping on the left side of his bed.

"And you shouldn't be up either. What of your wounds?" he questioned, taking the bento Kasumi handed it to him.

"I was able to get them healed faster. In fact, I had help!" smiled the child priestess. Tojiro swallowed his food, nearly choking on it.

"He-help? Who the hell would help-"

"You blasted idiot!" exclaimed Dominic, entering the room.

"Wow. I should've known earlier. Curse me. Curse me." mumbled the Cloakmaster.

"You come here and ransack this entire prestigious family mansion with your hellish powers, nearly getting the people living here killed, and nearly killing one of the last true descendants of the Great Shade Empire!" he continued to exclaim, walking up by Kasumi's side.

"You have no proof to prove my idiocy. But I can prove your outlandish behavior for coming into a room and screaming." said Tojiro calmly.

Kasumi giggled by Tojiro's response, which Dominic stood with a dim and annoyed look on his face.

"What are you doing here old man? It must be for a pretty good reason." said the Cloakmaster, continuing to eat his bento while Kasumi smiled and watched as he enjoyed it.

"I'm here for two reasons. Two questions you have no answers to." he explained.

Tojiro and Kasumi both looked at the old high priest with confusion, varied confusion to say the least.

"First; you have no idea what the Nightmare Form for a Nightshade is or how it should be handled. Yet, you seem to handle it like it's something you learned in just a matter of seconds." Dominic began, walking over to the window on the right side of the room.

"Very well. And the second complication?" asked the Cloakmaster, keeping his attention on Dominic's words.

Dominic turned half away around, a serious expression present on his face.

"The holy lock you wear…it isn't sealing your ghoul blood, because you don't have any." he confirmed.

Tojiro's eyes formed into his classic stare, while Kasumi stood with confused eyes.

"Your Werehog spirit inside isn't the problem either. You've already settled that problem long ago." Dominic continued.

"All right then _doctor_, so what the hell is wrong with me? Besides the most obvious of things." Tojiro replied instinctively.

"It's your Dragon spirit; and it wants out." he revealed swimmingly low toned.

Tojiro's eyes slowly trailed off to his bed, showing a sudden sign of hate.

"Your Dragon spirit…is something you can't control. The Dragon has its own mind and thoughts, and believe me, it hates you for not living up to the events on your Days of Reckoning; the event when you should have died. The Dragon inside you knows you inside out Tojiro, it knows what you're thinking, it knows what you're planning. That's why it wants to break your sanity, and escape your body." Dominic told through strong detail.

"Then how come it was so easy for me to use it when I fought Dark Quake? Why is the Dragon inside me doing this now?" responded Tojiro.

"I told you. It knows what you're thinking. I doubt whatever happens _once_ you journey through the Nine Circles of Hell; the Dragon doesn't like it."

"So the Dragon fears death? That's a bit childish for the most powerful deity that our people honored isn't it?" responded Tojiro, continuing to eat his bento.

"You hold the ultimate power of destroying entire worlds within yourself! That dreaded technique of yours can be amplified if you use it while in your Dragon form." the old priest commented.

"Are you referring to **Chaos Wrath**?" asked Kasumi.

"Yes! That ability is only known by _you_! No one else knows it! The Dragon inside you knows what you're getting yourself into once you face the Hell Gods, and it doesn't like the chances. With your power focused on defeating the Hell Gods, and with your thoughts struck with hatred, the Dragon will take the chance to escape your body, Tojiro! Do not doubt me…or yourself!" Dominic continued to shout, facing the Cloakmaster.

"What do you intend for me to do? I have all the Nightmare Weapons now, so leave me to find the Nightmare Scythe!" he exclaimed.

Kasumi was stricken by his sudden anger, looking at him with a worried expression.

"The Nightmare Scythe…is impossible to find. Whether you have the Scythe or not…you won't find it. Ryu lied to you. He expected with these weapons you had….you could easily go through the Nine Circles and face your ultimate fate. The Scythe no longer exists. It's impossible to find." he begged with truth.

Tojiro slowly set the bento on the cabinet next to his bed.

"Kasumi…thank you for the food. And Dominic, _up yours_. The Scythe does exist. Ryu wouldn't lie. It's not easy for people to lie to me, even for him. The Nightmare Scythe does exist. It's just going to be difficult to locate it. Ryu likes people who have to go through riddles and tests to find what they want. I think it's the same situation with me…it's just a matter of stumbling upon it." replied Tojiro arrogantly.

"You can't _stumble_ upon the most powerful weapon of evil that was ever forged, Tojiro. This won't be easy, even for you." Dominic strongly advised.

"Since when is anything in my life easy? And when isn't it challenging?" Tojiro replied with serious honesty.

"Regardless, what is it that you shall plan next? Where will you go now? You wasted too much of your Chaos energy in the battle from last night. I doubt you'll even be able to-HEY! Don't stand up!" Dominic quickly argued.

Tojiro, his body still covered with aches and pains, got off the bed and stood on his feet, his back bent a bit forward. "Well, how impulsive." said the Cloakmaster, stretching his backbone and arms.

"You never listen to reason." mumbled the annoyed priest.

"Only reason that makes sense in my jurisdiction, old man. What do you even have in plan for this Nightmare Form of my mine then? If Kasumi and I stay here, only more harm will be brought to their house." he implied, crossing his arms.

"Harm follows your footsteps perfectly no matter where you walk Tojiro. The best thing to do is learn your Nightmare Form somewhere that Kasumi knows is best." answered the old high priest.

"Hmm? Kasumi? She knows a safe place?" said the confused Tojiro.

"Somewhat. I only personally know one person there, and she trusts me." Kasumi said, looking over at Tojiro.

"Don't tell me, it's a place that has to do with purification." Tojiro said in a dull response.

In just a half hour, Tojiro and Kasumi found themselves heading towards Saienji Temple.

"No. No damn way. You know that elderly woman who runs this place? Surely you're lying. Please give me that much at least." said the Cloakmaster, a practical look of exhaustion on his face.

"I'm sure she won't mind if you train here, Tojiro. She's a nice woman." Kasumi assured happily.

"Training I don't need. Nightmare Scythe, I do." grumbled the Demon Demigod.

"Come now, look! Someone's coming to greet us!" she pointed out.

Running towards the pair was Sumi Ikuina and Haruka Amanogawa.

"Yeah. I can feel the joy. It's as priceless as my dignity." Tojiro stated dully.

"Tojiro again! Glad to see you came back! I wondered what happened to you after that situation in the mall." Haruka began, standing in front of the two, with Sumi by her side.

"Is that so? What happened after you all woke up? I'm curious." he asked, crossing his arms.

"Once we did, everything was back to normal. All these people were around us, asking why we were all sleeping on the floor. Then we left and returned here to the temple." Haruka explained with her bright smile.

"That's good! Excuse me, where's Lady Jotoku? We need to see her, it's urgent." Kasumi kindly responded.

"Sure. This way." responded Haruka, walking back towards to the temple.

"By the way, if you could Tojiro, stay in your human form. It wouldn't be a good idea to attract attention in any of your other forms, okay?" she requested, leaning over to him.

"_What?_ You better be lying." he responded in a stiff tone.

"It's not so bad, Tojiro. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself more if you do remain as you are. So please, do it for me, okay?" she said, standing in front of him and wearing a sweet expression.

Tojiro sighed solemnly. "Let's just see what fate has to hand us. If all goes well, I'll respect your request."

"Yes! Thank you so much, Cloakmaster-san!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Just don't overdo it, understand?"

"Of course! Of course! Now let's hurry!" she said, grabbing his right hand and running through the temple gates, with Tojiro keeping up to her pace.

Kasumi stopped in front of the prayer room once she and Tojiro entered the temple. The sliding doors opened, revealing Sakura Sugai.

"Hi there!" greeted Kasumi.

Sakura's gaze appeared stable, until she saw Tojiro standing behind the priestess.

"YOU!" she shouted.

"Greetings. I'd reply in a dramatic way too…but I'm tired." greeted the sluggish Tojiro.

"You're lucky the others didn't get hurt once they were out at the mall. It was something you did wasn't it? I can tell just by looking at you!" Sakura declared defensively, refusing to let her nerves settle down.

"As reminiscent as this may be, I'm busy right now. So you can take your anger and shove it up-"

"I'm sure Tojiro doesn't mean nothing rude, Miss Sakura. Please, we only need a word with Lady Jotoku." Kasumi said nervously, just in time as well. Sakura huffed, and went down the hall to her left. Kasumi let out a relief filled sigh.

"It's not my fault. Don't look at me." managed a leaning Tojiro.

"I know. I know. Let's just forget about it." responded the priestess, walking into the room with Tojiro following in behind her.

Tojiro shut the sliding door behind him, then crossed his sleeves into one another, spotting Jotoku. She was already sitting in the room. Kasumi sat on her knees before her.

"So tell me young one, after such years, what has inspired you to come and visit?" Jotoku began.

Kasumi's face went from slightly surprised, to serious. Jotoku's eyes were closed, until her right eye opened. The two then smiled and laughed away the thick fog of seriousness. Tojiro shook his head, walking to the left side of the room.

"I am glad to see that a priestess such as yourself is doing so well. Tell me, why have you brought Tojiro back? Did he insist on coming with you?" Jotoku said in a smirk, watching for Tojiro's response, however, there was none!

"Tojiro's all right. We came her on urgent training business. Would it be alright if he train here, Lady Jotoku?" Kasumi kindly requested.

"Training for what, Kasumi? Does it involve Tojiro here?" said Jotoku, looking over at the Cloakmaster, who was leaning against the wall."

Yes ma'am. We won't disturb you at all." Kasumi happily assured.

"If not at all." Tojiro added quietly.

"I can see why now Sakura doesn't trust you. You did endanger the life of her sister once you first arrived here." said Jotoku, staring out the corner of her eyes.

"Yet her sister is alive and safe. I hold no grudge against her, yet she has one against me. So please tell me, what else is the matter?" Tojiro questioned callously.

"Interesting perspective. Yet, it doesn't surprise me that Sakura's so determined to keep Hinata safe whenever she's in danger. You may wish to reconcile with her if you wish for her to trust you." Jotoku responded.

"Her trust isn't why I'm here. I've come here to prepare myself for the worst…and that's far from happening. I need all the time I can get…and wasting it on the emotions of mortals isn't my strategy." he said, heading for the door.

"Tojiro! Hold on!" Kasumi called, turning around.

"I'll be outside…waiting." he replied before leaving the room.

Kasumi turned forward to Jotoku again, her head hung low.

"My dear, you look heartbroken. Is there something you're not telling me?" asked Jotoku, picking up her pipe and holding it in her mouth.

"I wish there wasn't ma'am. I truly wish there wasn't. Tojiro…he's a signal of evil…but a beacon of hope! People saw him as a sin once…now we must see him as our savior. I'm not even sure that can happen." Kasumi said, her eyes half closed and shaking with solemn feelings.

"What is it that makes you so worried about him then? There is no need to lie. Lying only makes it worse." said Jotoku.

"I appreciate your concern ma'am. But in Tojiro's condition…this journey will take him somewhere that's completely different from what you believe in."

"That would be what, exactly?" responded Jotoku.

Kasumi wiped her eyes with her left hand, sniffling, forcing the tears back. Jotoku lowered the pipe from her mouth, awaiting the answer she would have never saw coming.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-Tojiro stands with his back turned towards Saienji Temple, swinging the Blade of Darkness.- "After the battle with Malcolm and Orion, Tojiro finds peace with Kasumi at Saienji Temple."

-An angry Sakura Sugai shouts at Tojiro's appearance while he ignores her distrust.- "Kasumi discusses with Jotoku Kawahara to train with Tojiro on Saienji grounds."

"Respectfully she agrees, regardless of why Kasumi desires use of the Temple." -Tojiro, with Kasumi in his arms stands on one of the small platforms near Tokyo Tower's top.-

"Kasumi urges to Tojiro that he must master the three stages of the **Nightmare Form**." -Tojiro finds himself roaring to the heavens as he summons positive Chaos energy around his own body."

"A powerful set of Chaos Transformations known only to** Nightshades**." -Jotoku speaks to Kasumi, fright gripping her, light tears shedding.- "With each passing Stage, the effort to perform the next transformations becomes more painful...and more fatal to Tojiro's body."

-Upon his knees, Tojiro sickly coughs after trying to master the First Stage. Kasumi stands with eyes aflutter...as Tojiro's will continues to bend against whose own limitations.-

"Can Tojiro Ankoku...Last of the Nightshades...master three powerful Chaos Transformations that _**no** __**other** _Nightshade was able to master?"

-Joyfully, Kasumi watches the sunset with enigmatic Demigod of Death; sharing her hope with the one she believed in with all her heart.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

**CHAPTER XXXII: FOR HOPE, FOR POWER,  
><strong>

**MASTER THE NIGHTMARE FORM!  
><strong>


	32. Chapter XXXII

_**CHAPTER XXXII: FOR HOPE, FOR POWER,**_

_**MASTER THE NIGHTMARE FORM!  
><strong>_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. **

**This is one of my favorites of the 1st Saga here in "The Nightmare Wars". The relationship between Tojiro and Kasumi was actually inspired by the bond Kratos and Pandora shared in God of War III! Really great to have the murderous and unstoppable Kratos show his soft side, so here Tojiro's was shown as well...  
><strong>

Outside in front of Saienji Temple, Tojiro was swinging the Blade of Darkness several ways, practicing his concentration and blade thrusts.

"_What does it mean? Nightmare Form. Why does a Nightshade need it? It amplifies my power ten fold. No. Even more powerful than that. Why? What kind of power is it? It makes no sense_!" he argued within his thoughts.

He turned towards the temple, holding the Blade of Darkness in a defensive stance. His eyes tightened. He quickly turned around, taking Black Death out of its holster, and pointed it to the presence of someone standing behind him. It was Chitose Nanbu and Yuko Atoda in their school uniforms.

"I must be losing it." he mumbled to himself, putting Black Death back in its holster.

"What's up with you? First you vanish out of nowhere and then you point a gun in our faces. What made you so ill tempered?" Chitose answered in offense.

"Never mind it. I just came here with a friend for _training_. As despicable as it sounds." said the Demon Demigod.

"Training, huh? For what exactly? From what you can do, what else kind of training _do you_ need?" responded Yuko.

"I really wish I knew. I'm waiting out here for-"

"Here I am Tojiro!" called Kasumi's voice, hurrying over the bunch.

"And…there you go." said the Nightshade, his arms swinging to allow the two girls to see Tojiro's _teacher_.

"Jotoku agreed to use the area to train with your Nightmare Form! Shall we start here?" she began.

"Begin? _Here?_ Are you particularly sure of this?" Tojiro responded, turning to the young priestess.

"Yeah. Of course!"

"Right now. In front of the temple."

"Yes!"

"Even though I can level the temple on accident if anything goes wrong."

"Yes, Tojiro! But try not to overexert yourself, okay? And don't aim your shots at the temple." she included, smiling nervously.

"I'll try and contain the joy." he replied in a gruff tone, walking past her.

"Nice to meet you by the way. I'm Kasumi Moriko. And I'm sure you've already met Tojiro, right?" greeted the priestess to the novice nuns.

"We know him alright. He kept the temple and us in safety. I'm glad he was there to help."

"So this training of his, at what level of danger is our temple gonna be in, huh?" Yuko asked, curiously of course.

"He'll be fine. I'll be there to make sure nothing bad happens. He doesn't harm individuals he likes." Kasumi continued, smiling graciously.

"Huh? Likes? Likes who?" responded a confused Yuko.

"Well, Tojiro's-"

"That's enough, _priestess_. My social life doesn't mean anything to them, if I even have one that is." said the ignorant Tojiro, picking Kasumi by the collar on the back of her clothing, walking away with her.

"Wow. He certainly is the determined type to keep his identity a secret. What do you think Chitose? Think he's a nice guy, huh?" said a grinning Yuko, nudging Chitose with her elbow.

"Yuko, what are you talking about?" replied the red head.

"You think he's cute, don't you?" Yuko persisted, resting her hands on the back of her scalp

"What? There's no way I could fall for _him_!"

"So Ikko's the lucky winner then?" reminded Yuko.

"Who's a lucky winner?" asked Ikko, standing behind, in his school uniform as well.

Chitose's nerves suddenly riled up in a heinous storm, standing frozen.

"Hey Ikko. We were-"

"ENOUGH! No more Yuko!" Chitose exclaimed powerfully.

Yuko laughed, walking away from the pair. Ikko was beyond confused while Chitose was beyond flustered with embarrassment and uneasiness.

With Ikko, Chitose, and Yuko inside the temple, Tojiro and Kasumi remained in the center area outside the temple.

"The Nightmare Form is a form given to every Nightshade specifically to control of their powers into one focused charge. It gives them a sort of boost that doubles their Chaos energy, and even changes their form." Kasumi first explained.

"You're telling me you know about it? How in the world did you figure it all out?" responded the curiously Cloakmaster.

"I've been preparing for this meeting between us for a long time Tojiro. I had to learn everything about a Nightshade's power so whenever the time arrived, I would be ready." she said instructively, wearing a sensitive smile.

"I see. So how long have you been around here on Earth?" he replied.

"Let's see, probably over ten years. Yeah, ten years."

"Interesting. Very well. What's the whole origin of the Nightmare Form then?" he replied.

"The Nightmare Form only activates when a Nightshade's emotions are becoming pressured, or their natural fears kick in. Anger is one of the simplest known ways a Nightshade initiates their Nightmare Form."

"Is that so? Well, my emotions are wrangled enough: And I've been this way every second of my life. How come my Nightmare Form became so important now all of a sudden?"

"Probably due to the Dragon's power. It figured you could handle anything on your own, but once it realized that the Hell Gods have returned, it unsealed that power and now it became usable." answered the priestess.

Tojiro blinked a few times at this news, he then took a look at the holy lock that was chained around his left arm.

"The moment you got that holy lock your Nightmare Form's power must have increased." Kasumi noted.

"How come I change then? In my hedgehog form, my fur turns to white, and the symbol on my forehead becomes a glowing blue. How can I use positive Chaos energy? In fact, shouldn't I be dead?" he said, turning off to the side, pondering to the sky.

"That's how it got the name; Nightmare Form. Once activated, **you become what you fear the most**." Kasumi continued on.

Tojiro's eyebrows raised, turning to the priestess in awe.

"Fear?" he mumbled in confusion.

"You fear the positive side of the Chaos Force because it's the one single thing that can kill you the easiest."

"Then where does my negative Chaos energy go once I become a complete being of positive Chaos energy?" he responded, crossing his arms.

"Where else? **Your right arm**!" she said, pointing to it.

"My right arm? The arm that…holds my memories. Makes sense." he said, looking at the palm.

"Your right arm was forged by Victoria, right? She definitely built it to keep any source of back-up Chaos energy whenever your full body loses any of it. Especially with the seven shards from the Necklace of Remembrance. Each one does contain a memory, and in each of them holds spare negative Chaos energy. Was that why you were so determined to collect them all in the first place?"

"No. It wasn't." responded the Cloakmaster, lowering his right arm.

Kasumi then appeared confused, fearing she may have struck an uncertain nerve hidden in Tojiro's body.

"I didn't mean to bring up her name, sorry Cloakmaster-san." apologized the priestess, lowering her head.

"You have no reason to apologize _or_ sympathize. The past is the past, and she's at peace. Focus on this training. _Only_ this training. All right?" he explained in a callous, yet careless tone.

"Oh, very well then." she said, looking at Tojiro with nervousness in her soul.

Tojiro stood still in his human form, his hood down, and his arms extended out a bit, with his fists clenched. "First, try and center your power in your head. It's the common breaking point that activates the Nightmare Form." Kasumi instructed, appearing far to Tojiro's right.

"Right." he concurred, shutting his eyes and bending his knees.

A surge of his cyclonic Chaos energy appeared in the back walls of his very mind, and began circling with vial speed. Tojiro began to sweat, gritting his teeth.

"You all right? Don't force it please. It's a bad idea to force your Nightmare Form." Kasumi cautiously advised.

"I'm…fine. What's the next…step?"

* * *

><p>"For a Nightshade to correctly trigger it, you must quickly launch and swirl all the Chaos energy inside your body. Doing this causes all the negative Chaos energy to spin and roll inside your body. It creates a mad friction of force that brings pain and for you, it's a perfect transformation. Unfortunately, I've noticed your power increases when you're in physical pain, even mental pain, right?" Kasumi explained with deep interest.<p>

"Y-Yeah. Very…unfortunate." he snarled in control, beginning to flow his Chaos energy.

Once he began doing it the pain was nightmarish indeed. Living up to its name, trying to enter the Nightmare Form was a definite title that appeared to be dedicated. Inside his body the pain felt like a thousand drills trying to tear out of his skin.

"Tojiro, stop!" Kasumi quickly exclaimed.

A sudden explosion of blue light came from in front of Tojiro, knocking him back across the floor, smoke trailing from his body.

"Oh lord, Tojiro! Are you okay!" she called out in care.

Tojiro quickly sat up, a grim and bored look on his face.

"You're okay. Thank heavens." braced the priestesses hand to her chest, kneeling next to him.

"Hardly, Kasumi." he said, rubbing his forehead.

"Trust me, no Nightshade ever tried to master their Nightmare Form before. If you pull this off, Akuma will definitely lose. You'll win for sure." embracing him by surprise.

Tojiro's eyebrows raised, his orange eyes forming into a distinct stare afterwards. Kasumi's calm eyes suddenly changed into surprised ones. She broke from the hug, placing her hands in her lap, and turning her blushing face away from him.

"I apologize, Tojiro. It's just that, I never thought I'd get to meet such a warrior before. I…I'm glad to be at your side, and in your protection." guaranteed the honored child, forming a smile on her face.

Tojiro titled his head, then rose to his feet. Kasumi rose up with him, looking up at the Cloakmaster.

"If so, then how is it that you managed to protect me last night? No one has ever stood so protective of me before. You're a talented person, Kasumi. And I must say, I am in deep respect to be under the tutelage of such a trusted ally." he explained, keeping his dim glare on his face.

Kasumi gasped a bit from his kind words. Even though his face didn't spell it out, his words definitely hit their mark on Kasumi. She looked down, her eyes shimmering, never feeling such kindness before. Tojiro, of all people shared or reciprocated feelings with others, it was a clear rarity of obviousness for him to hint any feelings to anyone. His respect was all there is. Kasumi suddenly turned her head forward, turning around to see Tojiro standing in the same spot from before.

"Shall we try again?" he suggested, looking at her, and getting back in his stance.

"We shall!" she replied, turning around, running over to him.

"Remember, cycle all the energy through your body as fast as you can. Then think of something that brings you pain. As bad as it sounds Tojiro, you may have to enact some of your nightmares. Please believe in yourself." Kasumi spoke, her hands clamped together.

Tojiro clenched his fists, and stuck his arms out forward.

"_Pain, nightmares, hate. Three of my demeaning qualities that spells out my life. Let the power_…COME FORTH!" he roared in his thoughts. Tojiro's hair suddenly turned pure white.

His eyes changed from orange to blue, and his entire right arm was glowing bright blue. Kasumi formed a congratulatory smile on her face. Tojiro looked at his right arm in surprise, staring at it then for a moment, then going to rub his hair.

"Extraordinary. To say the least." he declared breathless

"You did it Tojiro! Great job!" Kasumi cheered for him.

Tojiro had became his fear. Positive Chaos energy rushing through his veins while his true power kept alive in his right arm. The fear of true evil in the body of Tojiro was finally mastered, and with it under his belt, the power of his Nightmares shall become grand indeed. He could feel the unseen power he had now in his hands. To use such a great power, Tojiro driven himself down a road he always despised to travel. A road filled with his nightmares.

The nightmares of a past tormented by misfortune and hatred. A life given to him, which he still refuses to accept. Tojiro knows the power that his nightmares hold. He willingly knows that through his pain, gives him the very strength to continue on in a world that isn't ready to lose hope. If the Cloakmaster is to reach his true final goal, Tojiro must prepare to wield the most foulest and evil weapon ever forged in mankind's history; The Nightmare Scythe. Only with its true mystical power will Akuma fall to him. Only by that time will Tojiro finally know what it means to be a Nightshade…**the Last Nightshade**.

"Tojiro! Hold on Tojiro!" called Kasumi's voice.

It was sunset, Tojiro spent the whole day training with his Nightmare Form, and switching between his five forms to manipulate the power evenly. The hooded demon turned around to the priestess.

"I'm not trying to overexert myself, Kasumi. You have no need to worry." he shortly noted.

"You have been training all day up until now. There's no need to force yourself, you know." said the persistent priestess.

"There's something about this you're not telling me, Kasumi. There's more to the Nightmare Form, isn't there?" Tojiro said, fully turning to her.

"What? You can't be serious. Why would I hide anything from you? I'm just saying overtraining is not a good idea. That's all!" she said in a nervous statement.

"Yeah. You're lying." he responded with a ton of ease.

"Tojiro please, the Nightmare Form is complex enough. You've already got the hang of the first form and…" she stopped, covering her mouth.

"First form, huh? How many steps are there to this?" he questioned with his eyebrows raised.

"Listen, there's a good reason I hid it from you at first. I know the first form will be all you need! I won't stand for you risking your life in training for this!" she implied strongly and willfully.

"Then I see no point in trusting you." said the Cloakmaster.

Kasumi was taken by surprise once again.

"Between us, nothing should be falsely advocated because of certain feelings. If I don't know what this power is capable of I may find myself in the second, third, fourth, ten thousandth, it doesn't matter. If it's so dangerous to keep hidden from me then you should obviously know that through my eyes. I don't show mercy to those who bring me pain and hatred. If ever, once I do unleash the Nightmare Form, who's to say I won't trigger the next form? I'm not going to die without seeing it coming, Kasumi. If I'm going to die, I want to know why and how." he explained length fully, but with the dark expression on his face, it was a true statement from his soul.

Kasumi turned her back to the Demon Demigod, folding her arms and wearing a solemn face, staring off to the side.

"The Nightmare Form has three specific stages. The first is the Dream Form. You become what you fear most. When relating to you, you become the opposite of what you are. Instead of a being with negative Chaos energy, you become a being of positive Chaos energy, except that power is amplified twenty times over. The second stage is the Pain Form. In this state, the blood in your body begins to mix with your Chaos energy, and practically forces your body into overdrive. In a way, this is the first sign of a being trying to enter a super form."

"In other words, the second stage is similar to using all seven Chaos Emeralds to enter a super form. Like that blue hedgehog Sonic, and the Ultimate Life Form Shadow." solidified Tojiro.

"Yes. Once the Chaos energy and your blood begin to boil and spin rapidly throughout your body, it triggers your body out of the Dream Form and into a super form. The third and final stage is the Death Form. Once entering this form, a Nightshade becomes a super beast. They turn into the true given animal spirit they were given. In your case, you'll turn into your Dragon form."

"One half of your body will contain an overcharged amount of negative Chaos energy while the other half contains an overcharged amount of positive Chaos energy. In this form, a Nightshade is at their highest peak of power. However, using all that power and energy at the same time…**shortly results in death**. Hence the name." she said, shutting her eyes at the end of her drastic revelation.

Tojiro remained still, silent, and in a servile stance. His face was easy to read, and it was as obvious as day and night to how the Cloakmaster felt.

"There's a good reason why I worry so much. Whether or not you believe me or not Tojiro, I don't want to see you die."

"Ironic." he suddenly said. Kasumi's head lifted up by surprise. She curiously look over her shoulder.

"You took the same words out of my mouth. That's something I would call humble brilliance." he answered with a harsh determination to let the truth go. Kasumi unfolded her arms, turning around to the Cloakmaster.

Tojiro turned his head to the left, and stared at the sunset.

"Respect is the one single ideal that I hold closest to my sanity. Without it what's the point of even speaking to people? I learned what respect meant…mostly from my mother. She taught me every time we watched the sunset." he began, walking to the left. Kasumi watched him until he stopped in his tracks, gazing at the sunset far in the distance.

"I'm sure you worry about me as much as I do for you, priestess. Life and death are two similar things, believe it or not. Both end up in situations we fear to face, but that's how it is. We can't fear what life has to offer, and we can't fear what death will bring us. There's no reason for me to die, Kasumi. I'm not going to be afraid of my life being taken by another, knowing I have no reason to live for anyway. I refuse to give up on what needs to be done. I won't stand by and let Akuma have his way with this world, or any others,"

"No peaceful life deserves suffering…but every foolish living life does deserve it. If people are so headstrong about being negative to others, bringing them pain just because it's amusing, they won't wake up the next day. You know the light and dark sides of this nightmarish war, Kasumi. I can tell with both of my eyes closed. **You fear my death as much as I fear yours.**" Tojiro finished, making his truthful speech end with the most sincerest form of honesty he could muster.

Kasumi's eyes were left blank, but they were touched with care and love. Tojiro's hooded head turned over, his face obscured in the darkness.

"No matter what you are; if you simply set your spirit to it…you can achieve any goal…and surpass any challenge. Believe in those words, would you?"

Kasumi hesitated by his meaningful words. She quickly wiped the slow tears that began to form in her eyes. Kasumi then lowered her arms, her smile brimming as bright as the sun. Tojiro turned forward once more, reverting to his Werehog form. His cloak remained around his large body, except the hood was down. His eyes were blank white, staring at the falling sun.

"I'll be in the city." broke forth the Demigod, walking forward.

Tojiro was ready to jump into the air, but he suddenly stopped, finding Kasumi holding onto his back, with her arms tied around his neck.

"You're not leaving me behind!" she instigated.

Tojiro turned his head forward, blowing some steam from his nostrils.

"So be it, priestess." he mumbled, getting on all fours.

Tojiro prepared to stand back, and then fiercely jumped off the ground, and shot off across the sky. Tojiro landed on one building in the city, immediately leaping off from it to jump towards another, and so on. Tojiro leaped come from one building top to the next, continuing to keep his balance, and very aware that Kasumi was strong enough to hold onto him. Reaching Tokyo Tower, Tojiro stood on a building rooftop, staring at it from afar.

"What's wrong? You sense something nearby?" asked Kasumi.

"No. Simply pondering, Kasumi." he replied quietly.

"You like Tokyo Tower? I like it. It's one of the most amazing structure in Japan! That's what I think at least." she said, sounding unsure.

"No need to be concerned, priestess. It's not like anyone's going to denounce their opinions against you. It's an impressive structure to me as well. Especially at the top." he said, shifting his gaze to the top of it.

"The top? Why's that?" she asked.

Tojiro huffed, crouching down, then launching straight off the ground and towards the very tip at the top of Tokyo Tower.

"Tojiro! What do you think you're doing!" she exclaimed, hanging onto Tojiro as tightly as she could.

Nearing the very top, Tojiro stretched his left arm out, grabbing onto the top. He then pulled himself towards it, then pressed his feet against the metal point that was the top of the towering structure.

"You can open your eyes Kasumi. We're not dead." said the aggravated Cloakmaster.

Kasumi slowly opened her right eye, both of her eyes widening in the process. The sight was amazing and left Kasumi in awe. The brilliant sunset gave off a brilliant color to the city below, making the sight even more unbelievably gorgeous.

"Tojiro…what do you call yourself?" asked the young priestess.

"Not sure. What does it take for a human to become a monster? And what does it take for a monster to become a human? If you'd need an immediate answer…I'd decide I would be somewhere in the middle." he said honestly.

Kasumi giggled at his response. Tojiro curiously looked at the joyful priestess, then anxiously turned his head back to the horizon, awaiting the moment his ultimate fate would come upon him.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-The future versions of Tojiro and Orion clash high atop the grounds of Kingdom Stadium.- "Driven by fear..."

-Orion releases a colossal Chaos Sphere of positive Chaos energy at Tojiro.- "Driven by hate..."

-Hordes of the facilities criminals charge for their freedom.-

"The two destined rivals continue their unfinished battle as Yoko seeks to return to Omni-Earth: Our Earth."

-Tojiro falls to the stadium floor with Yoko in his arms. Spikes of iron stud the stadium grounds.-

"Yoko must reach Earth to warn Tojiro of how to locate the Nightmare Scythe." -The true Tojiro glares to Alma Hanko as she waves the Staff of Judgment.-

"With time on neither side, Yoko finds Tojiro." -Yoko roars with power as she releases bursts of positive Chaos energy at a frozen Orion.-

"The hunt for the Nightmare Scythe..." -Yoko hands the **true** Cloakmaster his altered persona's cloak.-

-Alma watches as the dust clears to reveal her massive attacks of Chaos energy did not sway the Demigod.-

-Donning his new cloak and raising his head, Tojiro prepares to fight off this ambush.- "_**Begins** __**now**_..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER XXXIII: RACE TO THE FINISH!  
><strong>

**RETURN TO OMNI-EARTH  
><strong>


	33. Chapter XXXIII

_**CHAPTER XXXIII: RACE TO THE FINISH!  
><strong>_

_**RETURN TO OMNI-EARTH PART I  
><strong>_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Orion, Dominic and Alma Hanko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. So time has finally begun to show us, again, that it is to never be faltered with. Unfortunately it's always about time and chaos in these stories...the characters just seem to be running out of both.  
><strong>

_**Kingdom Stadium, 11:40 am**_

In the altered future, the future versions of Tojiro and Orion clashed in the awesome state of their super forms. Tojiro fired funnel shaped beams of fiercely orange Chaos energy out of his hands. Orion formed into his ball form and began spinning around in mid-air, creating a large silver tornado of Chaos energy. Tojiro's blast of Chaos energy was sucked into the silver tornado and then shot back at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro quickly shot through the beams in his spin-dash form, tearing through the two combined beams, then directly impacting the bounty hunter directly in the chest.

Orion was directly shot into the ground with devastating power, but an immediate beam of bright silver Chaos energy shot up from the ground. Tojiro created a bubble barrier of black Chaos energy around himself, protecting his body from any harsh form of damage. Tojiro lowered the bubble barrier, but was immediately punched across the face, then grabbed by the throat, and tossed straight back towards the ground below. Tojiro landed on his right shoulder, but was then shoved further into the metal floor once Orion spear dived both of his feet into Tojiro's face, creating an enormous dent in the metal arena floor.

Tojiro was thrown back into the air, then blasted into the stands by a single large blue Chaos Spear shot by Orion. Tojiro sat up from the hole in the stands he was lodged into, feeling his forehead. Hovering up into the air in front of the Cloakmaster, Orion fired a series of agile silver Chaos Spears directly into the Demigod of Death. Orion finally halted his attack, lowering his arms in the process, angrily glaring into the large smoke cloud. Tojiro suddenly spin dashed with a bustling golden aura of Chaos energy around him. Orion crossed his arms like an X, keeping the spin dashing Tojiro back and away from making the damage any more painful.

Tojiro suddenly sound a shocking series of red bolts from his body which painfully wrapped their tendrils of electrifying pain around Orion's body, and finally sent the bounty hunter flying towards the other side of the stadium, smashing into the stands with devastating force. Tojiro exited his spin dash form, then released two yellow bolts of Chaos Lightning from the palms of his hands. Orion drastically took off into the air, dodging the bolts just seconds from impact delivered by the bolts. Orion began waving his hands left and right, each swing releasing a string of warped blue Chaos energy. Tojiro smashed his fists together, creating a wave of yellow Chaos energy to explode out and diminish through all the Chaos Spears sent from Orion.

Several clouds of smoke exploded out from the ordeal of over acted chaos. The two super powered hedgehogs were still hovering in mid-air, facing each other from opposite sides above the arena floor.

"I thought you would surely suffer here, Tojiro. I surely thought so until that girl arrived here. For some obscene reason, she always manages to change you somehow." said the bounty hunter.

"That doesn't matter to me now. You're obviously being foolish." said the Cloakmaster in defense.

"Is that so?" said Orion, suddenly vanishing.

Tojiro's eyes suddenly widened, "_That bastard. He better not dare_." thought Tojiro, quickly flying towards Orion's office.

Yoko, along with Yuki, Haruhi, Silver and Itsuki, were quickly preparing Orion's portal for Yoko to jump back to the current timeline.

"Is it almost done?" asked Silver, using his telekinetic powers to tear apart three sentinel guards that entered the room.

"Almost." replied Yuki, quickly typing away at the control panel next to the portal.

"You'd better switch it into overdrive then, we have trouble!" responded Haruhi.

Yoko hurried over to the window panels behind Orion's desk and chair, spotting the insanely powered hedgehog himself tackle through the glass, and forcing Yoko to quickly drop to the ground. Everyone else in the room were forced to duck from the shards of acute glass from stabbing them. Yoko rolled onto her back, finding Orion standing at her feet.

"You…you're the one who caused all of this." sighed Orion, unsheathing one of the Silver Cyclones and pointing it at her.

Silver quickly lifted several of the dropped lances dropped by the sentinels, pointing them at Orion. "Don't Silver!" exclaimed Haruhi.

Silver quickly reacted in surprise, then turned a glare back to Orion, dropping all the lances. Orion grabbed Yoko up by her throat, hovering off the floor wearing an evil grin.

"Put her down, Orion!" denounced Tojiro's voice.

Yoko was managed to spot the hovering Cloakmaster, angrier to say the least bit. "She has nothing to do with your anger. Let her go." demanded the angered Grim Reaper.

"She has EVERYTHING to do with it, you senile symbol of nihilism! Without her, you wouldn't have had the courage to righteously face ME! No one in this god forsaken prison had the audacity to face ME! NOT EVEN YOU!" exclaimed the angered Orion.

"There are reasons for that." said the Cloakmaster of Death.

"Reasons? WHAT REASONS!" shouted the angered Orion.

The Cloakmaster lowered his head, actually scanning his thoughts for an answer. Yoko kept her eyes cringed, as Orion still held her in a forceful grip.

"WELL? What else can you prove?" exclaimed the Cloakmaster, still looking over his shoulder at Tojiro.

"She did change me. I knew I had to keep my true identity secret the moment I sensed her presence. I already knew the risk of what would happen if it was revealed to this whole facility that their fateful Cloakmaster was still alive. Yet…I chose to be hidden from the world. You succeeded on destroying my spirit, Orion. That much credit I can give you. I've always believed there was no point in me continuing. I can't begin to count how many times I tried to take my life…I tried so hard to forget, I tried all so hard. But, the moment _she_ came here…I actually believed in hope for a moment." the Cloakmaster began.

Yoko's eyes turned sorrowful suddenly, listening to his every word.

"I have an ideal hunch that somehow in the present timeline…Yoko's changed the _real_ Tojiro. What you see before you…is nothing but a fairy tale. This dimension is merely an altered world that was delivered the wrong fate. None of this exists…not you…and not even me. Yoko made a difference simply due to her existence…and that alone…made me realize something that the Tojiro in the present could never realize ever…" the Grim Reaper Cloakmaster continued, lifting his head back up, glaring at Orion.

"Really? Is that all you can come up with? How childish! It simply spells _idiotic_ right before my eyes. I am baffled to the point where I ponder why I even asked you in the first place!" shouted Orion, tossing Yoko to the ground, and charging directly at Tojiro.

Tojiro swiftly punched Orion straight in the face, sending the glowing blue hedgehog over his desk and ripping through the doors of the room. Tojiro quickly went to the portal, aiming his right hand at it. A stream of spiral red Chaos energy changed Orion's portal door into a red vortex.

"This portal will take you straight to the present, and to wherever the present version of myself is." said the Cloakmaster, grabbing his right arm with his left hand, focusing the power of his Chaos energy to make sure the portal would send Yoko to the correct time, and the correct place.

"And you're sure about this?" asked Yoko, hurrying over to his side.

"I think I've been around long enough to throw myself into a Chaos Portal and end up in the right spot, Yoko. Trust me." replied the Demon Cloakmaster.

"YOU ACCURSED BASTARD!" roared the furious Orion.

Tojiro and Yoko quickly turned their heads to see the angered hedgehog tackle and knock the two out of the window and down towards the center arena floor down below. Tojiro blasted Orion directly in the face with a dangerous jolt of yellow Chaos energy. Yoko screamed on her way down to the arena floor, but the Cloakmaster quickly speared through the air, holding out his hands.

"TOJIRO!" she screamed, stretching forth her right hand.

Tojiro grabbed her hand, clenching it tightly. Pulling the red head into his arms, holding her bridal style: He turned his back to the ground, but once his gaze turned up, a massive beam of blue light heralded upon the two. Tojiro quickly fired a large beam of red Chaos energy from the palms of his hands, escalating into a massive explosion of light and smoke. Orion smirked, snapping his fingers.

The entire arena floor was suddenly studded with metal spikes. Tojiro looked down, noticing the horror. With enough force, Tojiro tossed Yoko to the safety of the stands, then releasing a tornado of Airbending to safely carry her, cushioning her landing. Tojiro, wasn't as fortunate. All out of space and all out of time, Tojiro was pierced straight through the chest by one of the many spikes in the ground. His right arm and both of his legs were also stabbed with deep pain. Yoko was on all fours at the edge of the stands, looking through the railing at the skewered Cloakmaster.

His eyes cringed with deep pain, his hatred dissipating. Yoko couldn't stand the sight, her eyes shaking with fear and unbelievable awe. Up above, the bounty hunter Orion laughed hysterically at Tojiro's suffering.

"You impudent fool of a living organism! You have no understanding between reality and that which is fiction. That accursed girl you foolishly attempt to protect hasn't changed YOU! NOTHING CAN CHANGE A HEARTLESS CREATURE SUCH AS YOURSELF!" exclaimed the insane Orion.

Yoko was still left in shock of Tojiro's current state of heightening agony. Suddenly, Tojiro's body vanished into a small cloud of drifting darkness: A clone.

"What?" exclaimed the baffled hedgehog.

"If you're going to piss me off Orion…at least try to do it properly." muttered the vicious Grim Reaper, hovering behind him.

Orion swiftly turned around, swinging the Silver Cyclone he held in his right hand. Tojiro swiftly ducked from it, then quickly flew backwards once Orion unsheathed the other Silver Cyclone. Tojiro used Chaos Control to quickly appear behind Orion, but the fearsome bounty hunter quickly turned around, delivering a powerful Chaos Kick across the right side of Tojiro's face. Tojiro smashed into the stands, creating an immediate cloud of smoke from the impact of force.

Tojiro immediately launched a hundred yellow Chaos Spears out of air from all around his body towards Orion. Orion was violently pelted and smacked by the storm of chaos, knocking him down to the spike studded arena floor below. Orion quickly clapped his hands, causing all the spikes to recede back into the floor, making the ground flat once again. Tojiro fired several Chaos Spheres of crimson red Chaos energy down below at Orion.

The determined bounty hunter immediately created a bubble dome of silver Chaos energy to protect himself from the violent explosions that occurred all around him. Tojiro quickly readied the Nightmare Scythe in his hands, pointing it down. The blade of the Scythe shifted into a spear position. A large sparkling ball of ecstatic red Chaos energy began to form on its very tip. Inside it was a vial black core that would deliver most of the damage. Orion crossed his blades together, pointing the crossed swords up at Tojiro. A large blue Chaos Sphere began to form, inside of it was the stinging white core that would exceed the power of the outside force.

"Yoko!" called Dominic from above.

"DIE!" screamed both Tojiro and Orion, firing their dangerous and violent projectiles at one another.

The old Shade Priest landed next to Yoko creating a powerful and very unbreakable bubble barrier of blue transparent Chaos energy. The minute the Chaos Spheres collided, an enormous cloud of flames and darkened smoke filled the entire arena. Dominic kept his barrier at firm and diligent control, fighting back against the powerful radius of wind and force that exploded from the impact from both Tojiro and Orion's heinous anger towards each other. Dominic was breathing with a distinction of unhealthy proportions. Sweat dripping from his face, the old Shade Priest lowered the barrier and fell down to his knees.

"Dominic! Dominic! You're okay, right?" Yoko quickly responded, kneeling by his side.

"D-Do-Do not worry…Miss Littner. Focus on getting out of this place. You…must!" he coughed belligerently.

Tojiro and Orion swiftly rammed against each other in blurs of speed, using their weapons to only combat the other's. Finally, the two foes clashed their weapons together. Orion looked over his shoulder.

"Stop staring you blatant mongrel! Your foe is _me_ in this fight!" shouted Tojiro.

"I know that very well." said Orion, releasing a steady and violent burst of blue Chaos energy from his body, knocking Tojiro far into the stadium stands at the other end of the arena.

"I'm simply going to fight you through your hollow emotions. Starting with the girl!" said the mad Orion, turning around.

Immediately after that, a shot of power hit him directly in the chest, giving him a terrible bleeding wound. Still standing by Dominic's side, but with her sniper rifle in hand.

"Thanks Dominic. I'm glad you're handy with Chaos Control." said a smiling Yoko, keeping her determined look on Orion.

"No need to thank me." Dominic replied tiredly.

"You impudent mortal…YOU SHALL REGRET EVER-" the bounty hunter was rudely cut off once a huge red Chaos Rasengan smashed into him from behind.

The Chaos Rasengan pushed Orion straight into the stadium stands with impulsive force of immeasurable power, resulting in a monstrous display of waving flames and hindering smoke. Tojiro lowered the Nightmare Scythe, then spotted Yoko down below. He immediately teleported down by her side.

"It's time for you to go, Yoko. Your time's officially up." said the ebony hedgehog, attaching the Nightmare Scythe to his back, then picking up Yoko in his arms.

With a blast of air from underneath his feet, Tojiro soared straight up to Orion's office. Landing safely inside, he put Yoko down on her feet, and faced the portal, aiming his hands at it once again.

"I'm correctly setting the time stream of the Chaos Portal to send you to the real _me_. Once there, tell the present Tojiro about his Tsukikagegan, his Dragon Spirit, and the true location of the Nightmare Scythe." said Tojiro.

"What about you?" asked a direct Yoko.

"There's no point about worrying for me, Yoko. I'm not even real. None of this is real. Don't tell me you lost your hearing." responded the Cloakmaster, continuing to focus on the portal.

"How will telling the real _you _where the Nightmare Scythe help? Why can't you just come with me?" questioned Yoko.

Tojiro finally lowered his arms, and threw his hood over his head. He turned to Yoko, staring up at her.

"I'm a mere hedgehog that masks my true self Yoko. This world is an altered dimension. None of this will happen if you're by the side of the real Tojiro."

He folded his cloak neatly, then tossed it to her. Yoko caught it with her right hand, looking at it with a loss cause.

"But…you can't-"

"Trust me. I know that the real Tojiro would need something like this." said the Grim Reaper.

As hesitant as she was, Yoko took hold of the cloak in her left hand.

"The location of the Nightmare Scythe is probably different in the present: So it's going to be difficult to locate it."

"Then how am I going to help Tojiro find if we don't even know where to start?" Yoko questioned arguably.

"You'll find it the same way I did. I found it through this riddle; _**To find the weapon of all evil…find the land of hopelessness…and reach for it.**_"

"What?" said a confused Yoko.

"Tell the present Tojiro the riddle, I'm sure it'll come to him." said the Cloakmaster, walking to the shattered glass windows behind Orion's desk.

"Tojiro, wait!" she called.

The Grim Reaper of Darkness stopped in his tracks, honoring his virtue of listening to people's words.

"What was it that you meant…by me being important to the present Tojiro?" she asked, appearing worried and embarrassed at the same time.

Tojiro remained still and quiet. Yoko had a sense that he would simply leave her unanswered and push her into the portal himself. However, she suddenly found the Cloakmaster standing in front of herself.

"Actually, **he does have something for you**." said the Grim Reaper, pushing Yoko into the portal.

She saw this as her single, most deserved gift for giving the future version of the Cloakmaster of Darkness a chance of freedom. Yoko found herself falling through the deep red vortex. Swirls of ebony and crimson were all around her as she continued to fall farther and farther, until her destination was bestowed upon her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present Timeline, Saienji Temple, 9:30 am<strong>_

With the new day upon them, Tojiro, the real true Cloakmaster of the world, stood atop Saienji Temple, watching the sun rise far in the distance. In his human form he put himself into a crouched position, his arms on his knees.

"_No recent attacks. I'm a bit offended_." thought the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

A sudden sensation of energy presence overwhelmed his sensitive instincts. Tojiro immediately rose to his feet, and leaped off of Saienji Temple and down onto the courtyard in front of the temple. A red Chaos Portal opened above in the air.

"_This presence is all so familiar. Could it be_?" he rose in thought.

Flying out of the portal was a cloaked being; it was one of the Nine Hell Gods! Tojiro's face changed to a disappointed expression of fierce hatred. To show this, the scarred Demigod launched twenty red Chaos Spears with black cores up at the Hell God. The Cloakmaster in the air waved the golden staff, dissipating all the Chaos Spears with one simple swing. Landing on the ground, with her hood wavering off her head, was Alma Hanko. She had long bright blonde hair, and cold purple eyes.

"How honorable to see you. Do you not wish to give your Godmother a respectful greeting?" questioned the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

"I'd rather drink gasoline threw my ears. You of all people don't deserve an ounce of what respect tastes like. You're nothing but a foolish rebel." said the Demon Demigod, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, tightly gripping it in his right hand.

"Very one sided of you, dear Cloakmaster of Darkness. My reason for being here, however, is completely righteous." said Alma, appearing determined and irritably confident.

"Yeah. I'm sure it's not."

"Believe me Tojiro, you do not wish to foolishly upset the power that girl has inside her. Hand her to me, and I'll spare you the idiocy."

"Funny. I seem to have lost the part of my brain that cares. I decline your request." said Tojiro, firing a breath of red flames from his mouth.

Alma raised her golden staff up; dubbed the Staff of Judgment. A bubble barrier of green formed around her, protecting her from the monstrous flames. After the cloud of black smoke had cleared from her sight, the spin dashing form of Tojiro in his hedgehog form vigorously smashed into her bubble barrier, shattering it, then sending the Cloakmaster of Defiance flying across the air. Tojiro teleported behind her then fired a vicious green Chaos Sphere directly into Alma's back, shooting her straight down to the ground below. Tojiro awaited patiently in the air, knowing an immediate charge would be foolish.

A huge spiral shaped beam of yellow Chaos energy crashed itself right into Tojiro, knocking him out of the sky. Falling down towards the ground, Tojiro landed on his feet, but pain was still there to give the landing a terrible feeling. In the clearing smoke where Alma was, the Cloakmaster of Defiance stepped out, pointing the Staff of Judgment at Tojiro and releasing blast of swift green Chaos energy, with the front shaped like a spear.

Using the Blade of Darkness, Tojiro quickly cut the energy in half then pointed the Blade of Darkness to release a multitude of rampant green Chaos Spears. Alma pounded her staff on the ground once, creating a large waterfall of golden Chaos energy to shoot up from the ground and pile over Tojiro's storm of Chaos Spears.

"You never cease to bring others down to your level. Haven't you noticed? Every Hell God that's faced you lost to you out of their anger. All except for Akuma and Kuro that is. Could it be that they know you all too well?" questioned Alma, instinctively trying to cut away at Tojiro's so-called sensitive nerves.

"Personal thoughts from those two are as important as trying to forgive my past. Leave those fools out of _our_ fight." snapped Tojiro, slashing his sword, releasing waves of crimson scar shaped blasts of Chaos energy.

Alma swooped up into the sky immediately, but also took an immediate fall once the Cloakmaster of Darkness teleported right up to her and smashed her back down to the earth by delivering a vile heel to skull hit. Alma violently impacted the ground with tremendous force, and Tojiro landed a few feet away from the cloud of smoke she was laying in. Tojiro immediately raised the Blade of Darkness to block a swift attack from Alma.

"Think about it, while you foolishly attempt to end our lives…you'll only be killing yourself."

Tojiro angrily pushed her away then blasted a surge of flames from his left fist, but Alma had already vanished. He lowered his arm, turning his head left and right, to locate the Cloakmaster of Defiance. Tojiro quickly turned around, blocking another attack.

"Hand Kasumi Moriko over to me…or face an utter defeat." progressed Alma.

Once again she vanished, leaving Tojiro in a swallow of annoyance to vigorously turn around over and over again.

"You're just afraid aren't you? You can't escape the thought of losing?" said Alma's voice.

"Those who are afraid of winning or losing are fools. I have nothing to lose." he said defiantly.

"Interesting. You're not lying! May I test that?" she said, sounding close.

Tojiro turned towards Saienji Temple, spotting Alma with Kasumi being unconscious and held by her hair by Alma's left hand. Her body was motionless and cold as it was lying on the ground. Tojiro shifted his gaze of hatred to Alma, who smiled graciously at Tojiro's over imagined anger.

"Now tell me, are you particularly sure you have _nothing _to lose? Or am I just being…_foolish_?" she asked.

"Kasumi hasn't done anything to you. Either free the priestess from your tyrannical motives or you'll find my fist knocking off that empty head of yours." bargained the malevolent Tojiro.

"Wrong answer!" exclaimed Alma, raising Kasumi off the ground and pointing the Staff of Judgment at her.

Tojiro's eyes widened, but a wisp of air zoomed past his ear. Alma was instantly hit to the ground, and Kasumi fell out of her evil hands. Tojiro turned around, spotting something he would have foreseen before. With a dissipating red Chaos Portal behind her stood Yoko Littner.

"Irritable brats. You all refuse to understand who you're dealing with!" said Alma, reaching for the Staff of Judgment, grabbing it.

Yoko fired another shot at Alma, knocking the Cloakmaster of Defiance onto her back. Yoko walked forward firing again, then again, then again! Alma angrily rose up, firing a momentous beam of golden Chaos energy, with Tojiro in the way. The Cloakmaster of Darkness raised his hands up, causing a massive wall of earth embedded with red Chaos energy to rise up out of the ground, and stop Alma's blast from continuing any further. Tojiro turned around, finding Yoko standing behind him. Yoko stared down at him with a not so surprised glance.

"I would say something but your glare tells me other wise." he greeted coldly.

Yoko's eyes turned into an angry stare. She angrily took out her rage with a slap across Tojiro's face.

The cloaked hedgehog turned his head back up at Yoko, suddenly finding Yoko dropping her rifle as well as the cloak, kneeling down and warmly embracing the Demon Demigod. Tojiro's orange eyes looked with confusion, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Okay. Okay. Whatever reason it is…I'll probably understand no matter what I say." mumbled the lost Tojiro. Yoko broke from the hug, her expression turning into a happy smile.

"Here. You're gonna' need this." she said, handing him the cloak of his future self. Tojiro curiously looked at it.

"Trust me Tojiro. **It's something you would want for yourself**."

The Demigod of Death blinked his eyes several times. The barrier of earth behind Tojiro suddenly shattered, and Alma charged through bashing the Staff of Judgment across the side of Tojiro's head. Tojiro was painfully thrown across the ground, holding onto the cloak Yoko handed to him. Being on the ground as well, Yoko hurried to her rifle, but Alma grabbed the red haired sharpshooter by the back of her neck and pulled her up from the ground. Tojiro jumped to his feet, his eyes appearing shocked.

"Hand over Kasumi Moriko, Tojiro. Or this girl dies." Alma proposed, pointing the Staff of Judgment at Yoko.

Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, then turned his gaze to the cloak he held in his left hand.

"Where is she Tojiro? Where is the Shade Priestess!" exclaimed the impatient Alma.

"Tojiro! I have to tell you something! It's important!" exclaimed Yoko.

Tojiro turned his head, hearing Yoko's words adamantly.

"Hush you fool. My business is between the Demigod and myself. Now…be a good demon and hand over Kasumi." Alma snared in a fraudulent tone of kindness.

Tojiro grabbed the cloak in his hands. Alma's eyes suddenly formed into a deathly stare. The old cloak he was wearing vanished, and the cloak he held in his hands grew an ominous red aura. The ground started to shake, causing Alma to stumble. A large beam of red energy shot down from the clouds above, landing on Tojiro, and spinning fiercely.

"Wh-wha-What is this power?" exclaimed Alma over the fierce winds.

Finally the beam of energy around Tojiro vanished, and the Cloakmaster was nowhere to be seen.

"What! Where did that ignorant child get to?" Alma exclaimed angrily.

"Ever thought of looking over your shoulder?" simmered his voice.

Alma turned around on reflex, but was dealt a vicious Chaos Punch to the face, sending her flying across the ground. Yoko was set free, and landed in Tojiro's arms. His new cloak donned itself perfectly, ready to preserve, empower and protect.

**GO ON TO READ PART II!**


	34. Chapter XXXIV

_**CHAPTER XXXIV: RACE TO THE FINISH!**_

_**RETURN TO OMNI-EARTH PART II  
><strong>_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Alma Hanko and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. The two part special continues into a showdown with one of the Nine Hell Gods! My constant inspiration for these radical fights is that both sides of combatants, or more so, have no interest to their surroundings. They only "will" care when a friend or ally is at risk, then that becomes a weakness. So...what do these two Nightshades have to lose? **

Tojiro put Yoko on her feet, then faced Alma who just now began to rise to her feet.

"Yoko, go inside the temple and tell the people in there to stay put. Especially tell this to a girl named Kasumi, all right?" requested the stern Demon Cloakmaster.

"But…wait, Tojiro I have to say something first." Yoko responded.

"It can wait." he barked, leaping off the ground.

Yoko formed an upset look, "Figures." she muttered bitterly to herself.

Deciding to put pressure to power, Tojiro leaped into the air, creating thirty red Chaos Rasengans all around him out of thin air. Tojiro then hovered back, swinging both of his hands that released curves of air to shoot the barrage of impending doom down upon Alma. The Cloakmaster of Defiance defiantly returned fire a single bolt of yellow lightning from the Staff of Judgment. The single bolt shot between all of the Chaos Rasengans like it was connecting dots. The bolt exited out the storm and hit Tojiro directly, but somehow his vulnerable front wasn't even harmed.

"_How is that possible? He didn't even create a barrier_!" exclaimed Alma in distasteful thought.

The front of the cloak was obviously open, and it remained that way. Perhaps being a legendary item, the cloak is able to create an invisible barrier just by a single thought. Tojiro charged straight towards the ground below him.

He prepared the Dragon Guardian Cestus. "CHAOS QUAKE!" he thundered with his eyes razing with anger.

The glowing red eyes momentarily changed yellow as Tojiro smashed the Cestus onto the ground. Spouts of intensely powerful gold Chaos energy started to shoot up from the ground all around the Cloakmaster of Defiance. Alma's hesitance was broken. She drastically made a quick a Chaos Control, reappearing high above in the sky above. However, up came Tojiro, raising back the right Cestus fist, a monstrous yellow aura surrounding it.

Alma pointed her staff forward, and instead of breaking bone, Tojiro punched the Staff of Judgment, receiving a virulent overcharge of positive Chaos energy that swarmed through his veins. Tojiro was blown away, shot down towards the ground like a falling meteor, and hitting the ground twice as hard. Caught in a circular hole of rubble, Tojiro rose to his feet. Staring up to the sky, his first glance was of Alma diving straight towards the Cloakmaster of Darkness and driving her staff forward. Tojiro was fortunate enough to raise the Dragon Guardian Cestus up to block Alma's attack. Swinging his arms out, Tojiro forced Alma to levitate back into the air.

Tojiro immediately pointed the Cestus up at Alma, releasing a plentiful amount of agile and precisely harmful red Chaos Spears from the mouths of the Cestus. Alma flew higher into the air, dodging to left, then flying straight up to only find herself creating a protective blue barrier as thirty of the Chaos Spears mercifully beat against her barrier. Tojiro changed the Dragon Guardian Cestus back into their wrist band forms, then prepared to leap up into the air at Alma.

"Tojiro!" called the sudden voice of Yoko.

Tojiro, disappointed, went back into a slouched position, turning around to watch Yoko stop behind him.

"The fight is more urgent than whatever you have to say, Yoko. We can talk later." he said, turning his back to her, and getting back into position.

"Yo-You…you don't understand! I've got something…really important to tell you!" argued Yoko, sounding out of breath.

"How important? _Me_ important or _you_ important?" he asked.

"Well, if you would just-"

"Too bad I don't have time to hear your answer." he grumbled, shooting up into the sky.

"You damn jerk! Get back down here or I'll blast you outta' the sky myself!" screamed the annoyed Yoko.

The ebony cloaked hedgehog grabbed the handle of the Blade of Darkness with his right hand, immediately unsheathing it to clash the blade against Alma's staff.

"Your over imagined ideas will get you silenced. And it will not be because of _us_." threatened Alma, determined to hold Tojiro's strength back.

Breaking through, Tojiro stabbed Alma in the sternum, then grabbed her by the face, turned down towards the ground and tossed the Cloakmaster of Defiance down to her earthy grave of pain below. Alma smashed deeply through the earth with angry force, summoning a large dirt cloud, and creating a wicked crater. Tojiro suddenly lifted his head, feeling that this was too easy. Tojiro adamantly used Chaos Control to appear back down on the ground below. He sprinted in a flash to Alma's crater, finding it to be empty.

"Forgetting something?" said Alma's taunting voice.

The Cloakmaster viciously turned around, pointed his aura surrounded blade at Alma, and the hostage she held around the throat. Yoko was that unfortunate hostage in this crossfire of decisions.

"Would you at all be timidly surprised if I told you, that you were a true definition of servitude?" questioned Alma confidently.

"Liberty never had a share in dealing a person's fate. It never has, and it never will. Let Yoko go."

"You believe me to be a simpleton? HA! You truly are the most interesting creature of this decade. In fact, I believe you've been history's favorite example of war. If you wish to see this girl safely in your care…you _will_ hand over the Shade Priestess."

"What makes you doubt my motives? You think the girl matters to me?" he replied, crossing his arms.

Yoko grew an uncertain face at his response, not surprised by his honesty.

"Is that true? Are you sure you're simply not lying to yourself? It'd truly be a shock if you were." Alma strongly invoked, with enough confidence that could strangle Tojiro himself.

"And I must state that you're a fool if you try and continue to threaten that girls' life. And trust me, I hate creating fear more than you think." said the ignorant hedgehog.

"Is that so? You must be fooling yourself."

"You think I enjoy jokes? Well, let me try one on you." he said, vanishing with a Chaos Control.

Yoko vanished as well, replacing where Tojiro was previously standing with Tojiro reappearing in Alma's grasp.

"And here's the punch line." he grumbled, raising his right fist back and knocking Alma directly in the face.

Taking the initiative of battle into his hands, Tojiro immediately turned around and charged at Alma.

He leaped up at her, and close lined her into the earth, which caused her to once again bounce off the ground. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear behind Alma and blast a monstrous beam of golden Chaos energy directly into her. Alma violently smacked across the ground, and even was sent flying directly over Yoko's head. Alma fortunately returned to her feet in the middle of her stumbling and smashing, skidding to a halt. Pointing the Staff of Judgment forward, Alma fired five bolts of blue lightning. Yoko quickly got up and dove out of the way. Tojiro created a dome of Chaos energized earth around him, which was distinctly reinforced. The angry blasts of lightning curled and wrapped around the barrier of earth, ultimately causing the lightning to redirect into the skies above.

Lowering the earth barrier, Tojiro removed Black Death from it's holster and gave a direct charge to the Cloakmaster of Defiance. Alma fired serious amounts of sparkling gold, blue, and silver Chaos Spheres at both Tojiro and Yoko. Yoko was able to ready her rifle, blasting three away, then hurrying to perform a perfect back flip. Tojiro passed right under her, holding Black Death in his right hand. He held onto the trigger, preparing one of his strongest attacks. The white of his blank eyes turned glowing red, and his Tsukikagegan appeared in his eyes.

"DRAGON STRIKE OF DARKNESS!" he roared with increasing power and anger.

"CHAOS REFLECTION!" screamed Alma, holding her staff with both hands.

Alma's curved barrier of silver appeared before her, and Tojiro smashed Black Death against the barrier, creating an intensive lightshow of sparkling bolts of lightning. Yoko strapped her rifle back onto her back, standing far away enough from Tojiro and Alma's face off.

Enraged by the futile explosion he wished to see, Tojiro achingly raised up his left hand, preparing an immediate Chaos Rasengan. Alma's eyes widened at his wicked decision. Tojiro know that using a high powered Chaos technique on Chaos Reflection would redirect and most likely sap him of some of his power, it didn't matter. Some power isn't worth the loss of a battle.

"CHAOS…RASENGAN!" he shouted violently.

Alma doubled the power input into her Chaos Reflection, causing it glow with more vibrancy. Smashing the Chaos Rasengan into the barrier resulted in a whirling sphere of silver Chaos energy to span out while spinning. The sphere met its maximum integrity of pressure, morphing into a vicious explosion of red and golden light, a plume of smoke shooting out all the way to Yoko's position, knocking her to the ground.

Yoko's eyes twitched with uncertainty and a painful force of shock tickled the back of her head. She slowly sat up, suddenly finding her body jolting once Tojiro's corpse was sent rolling right next to her. Forming onto her knees, Yoko carefully rolled Tojiro onto his back, gasping in awe. The right side of his face was completely burned to the bone. The cold empty eye socket was black and endless.

"Damn. Dammit Tojiro. Why?" she questioned.

In the eye socket, his glowing red hedgehog eye appeared.

"God Tojiro, you don't need to be so intent on winning, you know?" Yoko openly stated, her eyebrows formed into a strict glare.

"There's no need to be concerned for me. I can still stand." he grumbled with irritancy, rising to his feet.

A sudden wave of yellow Chaos energy stormed towards the pair. Tojiro stomped the ground with his right foot immediately, causing a tornado of air to toss Yoko into the air. Tojiro then followed up after her high into the sky. Below in the midst of the previous show of chaos, Alma was revealed in the clearing mahogany smoke.

"That accursed child. Too thick headed to believe in failure." mumbled Alma with gritted teeth.

"You're crazy sometimes! I hope you realize that!" shouted Yoko, as she continued to ascend.

"Same to you." replied Tojiro, his arms crossed.

Finally, gravity decided to pull them back down to the earth below.

"That crazy bitch just fired something! Tojiro!" exclaimed the sharpshooter.

Spotting a large spiral beam of red Chaos energy inching closer to the two. Tojiro quickly used Chaos Control to appear over by Yoko's side, grabbing her in both his arms, bridal style. The beam's proportion, however, was too large to avoid. Luckily, a sudden rain of blue Chaos Spears shot up from the ground below interrupted the beam of negative Chaos energy, eating it away to nothingness. Tojiro remained floating in mid-air. Yoko turned her head, looking down at the ground, spotting the Shade Priestess Kasumi Moriko to be their savior.

"Finally." mumbled the malevolent Alma, dashing down towards Kasumi.

"Yoko, quick! Shoot her down!" he exclaimed quickly.

"It's going to be a bit difficult while in this position you know!" barked the red head.

Yoko suddenly vanished, reappearing by Kasumi's side.

"Oh. Duh." she said. Yoko crouched down, aiming Alma in the middle of her crosshairs.

Yoko began to fire her sniper rifle with the utmost form of success on her mind. Alma quickly used Chaos Control to appear and vanish from left to right.

"Damn. Stay still!" exclaimed the ill patient Yoko.

Alma, preparing the golden glowing Staff of Judgment.

"Oh great." said Tojiro, taking his initiative by dive bombing down to the ground.

"I will end both of your lives with this fiery chaos! CHAOS SHATTER!" yelled the determined Alma.

Pointing the Staff of Judgment down at the two girls, a humongous slew of glass shard shaped bits of Chaos energy shot down like a hailstorm.

* * *

><p>Yoko's eyes widened, the storm of death reflecting in her eyes. Yoko stumbled back, tripping off her balance. She suddenly landed in Tojiro's left arm. Tojiro pointed his right hand forward, firing bolts of red lightning from the tips of his very fingers. Each bolt sporadically dissolved every Chaos Shatter projectile, ultimately dissipating themselves after it was over. Alma stopped, hovering in mid-air high above the trio down below. Tojiro's eyes suddenly widened.<p>

The real Alma was charging at Tojiro from behind, but was aiming to impale Yoko through the back with her staff, a stake formed formation of yellow Chaos energy on the top of her Staff of Judgment. Tojiro hastily stomped his right foot into the ground, rooting a wall of earth out of the ground behind him. Tojiro then swiftly turned around, tossing Yoko to safety, but the minute he fully turned around, the stake of Chaos energy broke through the wall of earth and impaled Tojiro.

Yoko rolled to a halt, lying on her side. Once she rolled over to set her gaze back on the Cloakmaster, she was stricken. Tojiro grunted and coughed heinously. He grabbed both sides of the glowing stake of Chaos energy. The wall of earth suddenly shattered. Alma angrily glared up at the falling debris. Tojiro took this miniscule chance to push the stake out of his chest, and jump back to Yoko's side, holding the wound in pain. Alma created a protective dome of Chaos energy to protect herself from the falling rocks. Tojiro shut his right eye, his agony was as clear as the shining sun that this morning heralded.

"Tojiro, I'm beginning to believe you care more about this fight than what I have to tell you." Yoko snapped at him.

"This fight will decide if you, myself or Kasumi's life will be immediately severed. Whatever you have in mind doesn't have no meaning to what can happen now." said the Cloakmaster, removing his hand from the bleeding wound, still standing in a slouched position.

"Even if it involves the location of the Nightmare Scythe?" Yoko swiftly replied, confident in Tojiro's sudden response.

Tojiro turned his head around to her, his blank white eyes staring into her with a deep sense of annoyance.

"No. It wouldn't matter." he surprisingly answered.

Yoko's guess was shockingly turned around.

She would've expected an arguable response, but instead she gets a careless one. Tojiro suddenly turned his head back to the sky, seeing Alma charging down towards the two.

"Kasumi! Retreat! This fight is too out of control for you to be here!" he willingly demanded.

"Last time it wasn't the same kind of condition! I'm staying to help!" Kasumi righteously declared.

"You either retreat or I'll make you! I already have my hands full trying to keep Yoko safe! RETREAT BACK TO THE TEMPLE THIS INSTANT!" Tojiro furiously roared, turning forward and smashing his right fist into the ground, causing large pillars of earth glowing with crimson red Chaos energy to erupt and attack with an array of Chaos Shatter projectiles.

Kasumi stood hesitant, hesitant enough to refuse Tojiro's orders and stay by his side like last time, but her regret was far more measurable. Kasumi quickly headed back toward Saienji Temple, respecting Tojiro's carefulness. Tojiro helped Yoko to her feet, but was suddenly grabbed by one of the quills on the back of his by Alma.

Alma then vanished along with Tojiro, reappearing high above the white clouds that covered the blue sky. Tojiro pressed his feet against Alma and forced himself away from the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

Tojiro, once right side up, released a furious flurry of Chaos Spheres of thundering yellow Chaos energy. The large spheres converged onto Alma like an angry swarm of wasps, not giving the female Cloakmaster much room to fly or dodge. Alma was forced to use Chaos Control, appearing outside the storm of flying Chaos covered columns.

Alma was immediately forced to raise the Staff of Judgment to block a direct overpowered Chaos Punch from Tojiro. Alma held the staff with a tight grip, yet her focus was shortly slipping from the pressure. Tojiro unleashed a small burst of red Chaos energy that violently shocked and blew Alma out of the sky and sending her down to the ground below, impacting with an explosive boom. Tojiro suddenly saw a large white and blue mixed beam fire towards Yoko.

"_That beam…I've never seen it before. But its power…I haven't felt that power ever since_…" said the Cloakmaster's thoughts.

His eyes widened in the process. He clapped his hands together, using Chaos Control to appear in the beam's path. Alma smirked under cold gaze. The beam swiftly maneuvered over Tojiro's head and went on towards Yoko. Unsheathing the Blade of Darkness, and embedding with his spiritual energy, Tojiro took one last ditch effort to turn around and fire a beam of white light, to make sure that Alma's beam wouldn't take more than Yoko's life. The white beam shot from Tojiro's blade shot into the core of the beam that continued towards Yoko, changing its nature…and its affects. The beam overwhelmed Yoko in the brightest of lights.

Tojiro had already raised his cloaked arm up to his face, keeping the light from temporarily blinding him. Once he lowered his arm, the light from the impact had already vanished. He looked into the cloud of pure white smoke, spotting a silhouette. Except, this silhouette was the same height as the cloaked hedgehog. Indeed he knew it was Yoko, except it seems his involvement of making Alma's beam less fatal did have a completely new affect.

The smoke cleared, revealing a red furred hedgehog, the one and only Yoko had been transformed into a anthropomorphic hedgehog. Yoko's clothes all remained on, and everything natural were somewhat _changed_. To explain it simply, she had the quills of Amy Rose, and the shape and figure of Rouge the Bat. A mix to shock more than a thousand people.

Yoko's red hair was also retained, and still tied into a long ponytail. Her gold hedgehog eyes opened up, slowly staring down at her _new form_. At first, it was apparent that she thought it all a dream, but that so-called dream vanished in a puff of smoke once the red head sharpshooter screamed out of hysteria of the delusional variety.

"Curse you Ankoku! If you had not intervened…"

"Or what? I highly doubt I would let myself watch her be harmed. Either way, something good had to happen." said Tojiro, facing his Godmother, getting in a prepared fighting stance.

"YOU CALL THIS GOOD? I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT!" shouted Yoko in a fearsome outrage.

"Well, let me rephrase. It was _somewhat_ good. The outcome to say the least." said the confused Cloakmaster.

"No matter. This only makes it easier." said Alma, her confidence as present as a straight "A" student.

Alma hovered into the air, the top of her staff glowing a vibrant blue with multiple bolts of white electricity circling around it.

"It's always an aerial attack with her." mumbled Tojiro, crouching down and preparing to leap.

"YOU WAIT RIGHT THERE!" exclaimed the furious Yoko, grabbing Tojiro by his shoulders, causing him to stand back up and turn towards her.

"I had to go through some altered dimension, involved myself into a dimensional royal rumble with YOUR future self who kindly hid his true identity from me, then went through all the hell of getting here so I could tell you this one…important…FACT!" Yoko consciously yelled into Tojiro's face.

"I don't mean to be apprehensive, but at what spot of your anger hides the point of all this?" Tojiro asked annoyingly.

"BOTH OF YOU SILENCE!" roared Alma, annoyed by the arguing below.

"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" barked Yoko, accidentally firing a stream of blue Chaos energy mixed with electromagnetic energy.

The blast hit Alma directly in the chest, resulting in a monstrous explosion of smoke and light. Yoko lowered her left arm, staring at the smoke that was simmering from her hand. Tojiro slipped away from Yoko's gasp in sneaky manner, turning up to the cloud of smoke that succumbed around Alma. Yet, the Cloakmaster looked over his shoulder at Yoko's hedgehog form.

"This somewhat surprises me. She's able to cast Chaos techniques so easily. It must be due to using that beam of my spiritual power that did. Including the many times she's been exposed to Chaos energy.

"_Somehow, I feel that my future is slowly, yet drastically going to become annoying_." he thought, turning his head back up to the air.

The sudden appearance of Alma shooting down like a mad bullet, Tojiro quickly strafed to the right. Alma, however, continued on towards Yoko!

"Yoko, fire another blast of Chaos! Quick!" he exclaimed with importance.

Yoko first quickly rolled to the right, then turned around, preparing to fire, but was instantly smacked across the face by Alma's staff. The Cloakmaster of Defiance then quickly embedded the top of her staff with red Chaos energy and angrily drove it into Yoko's chest which resulted in painful blast that sent her flying across the ground. Her agony halted once Tojiro slid into her path and caught her, holding her down on the ground, the back of her head resting against the palm of his right hand.

"I figured you were too weak to face me! Especially with that foolish girl by your side!" laughed the lady Cloakmaster.

"You'd best keep your tongue behind your teeth. Or else I'll the damn thing out through your eye!" he threatened with the most violent tone he could summon.

"Tojiro…" said Yoko's weak voice.

"Yoko. Heh. So…you're okay, I take it?" he quickly said after hearing his name. Yoko managed a smile, even though her drastic appearance makeover was as present as it is. Tojiro helped her to her feet.

"The best thing to do is imagine a weapon where you can output your Chaos energy." Tojiro strongly advised, readying the Blade of Darkness in both hands, facing Alma.

Yoko desperately yet confusedly looked at her hands. "Just think of something that would fit your style. And hurry."

"Hurry for what! Stop rushing me!" barked Yoko.

"Okay, fine. But I highly doubt Alma's waiting." said Tojiro, with his eyebrows raised and glum expression on his face.

"I SHALL SILENCE BOTH OF YOUR PITIFUL LIVES!" roared the lady Cloakmaster.

"See?" said Tojiro.

Yoko held her hands out, feeling the Chaos energy focus in her hands and fingers. Yoko then closed her eyes, imagining. Alma raised the Staff of Judgment, preparing to release an overpowered Chaos Quake amongst Tojiro and Yoko. Yoko then vividly opened her eyes. Forming in her hands were dual weapons, both modeled after a MP5 submachine gun. Yoko pointed the weapons forward, firing multiple electromagnetic powered bullets that were covered in gold Chaos energy. Alma was forced into a straight position, the fearsome storm of bullets riddling against her body. Alma growled severely, severely enough that her point of self control was ready to snap like a twig.

"Ahhh, great." grumbled Tojiro.

"CHAOS BLAST!" exclaimed the fearsome voice of Alma, her eyes becoming filled with glowing red.

Tojiro jumped back, wrapping his arm around Yoko's back, then with one single leap, soared straight into the air. The large dome of outgrowing red Chaos energy continued to span wider and further.

When feet came to inches, Tojiro powered up his metal feet, firing a blast of Chaos powered jet fumes from under his feet, soaring even higher into the skies. Passing through the white clouds, Tojiro kept tight grip over the Blade of Darkness in his right hand, but kept a more focused hold on Yoko. Tojiro halted in sky, the flames blasting from under his feet kept the two hovering.

"That was a Chaos Blast, right? Wouldn't that take out a lot of her power?" Yoko quickly asked, turning her head to the Cloakmaster.

"I'm unsure. She is one of the Hell Gods after all. And they _supposedly _have an ample supply of Chaos energy. She's either really tired or desperately trying to exterminate us. My guess is that she's-"

"INCOMING!" pointed out Yoko.

"Wow. Saw that coming." mumbled the Cloakmaster with a glum look.

From below the clouds, a large resonance of yellow light came up. Tojiro quickly formed a defensive bubble barrier of dark Chaos energy. The blast smashed against the barrier, it's rays of light wrapping around the sphere shaped barrier.

"I hope this barrier holds!" prayed Yoko.

"Oddly enough, I didn't even set up. All I did was think of a barrier." replied Tojiro.

"It must be the cloak!" responded the red furred hedgehog.

After the blunt of the Alma's beam ended, Tojiro immediately lowered the barrier. Yoko surprisingly jumped out of Tojiro's arms, firing her twin MP5s.

"Chaos Repeaters. That sure sounds like a proper name." she said, continuing to fire upon Alma.

The Cloakmaster of Defiance flew back, letting the bullets from Yoko's weapons dash through the earth. As she floated backwards across the ground, Alma pointed the Staff of Judgment up into the air, firing twenty green Chaos Spears. Yoko's eyebrows raised from the sudden projectile storm. Tojiro appeared in front of Yoko out of Chaos Control.

He began spinning the Blade of Darkness like the blades a windmill, except at a more rapid pace. Tojiro deflected and assimilated each of the swift flying Chaos Spears. Holding the blade in his right, he fired a large bolt of red lightning down at Alma.

The Cloakmaster of Defiance decided it was to get airborne, and shot off into the sky, dodging the monstrous blast that lightning created once it hit the ground. Alma swung the Staff of Judgment left and right five times, releasing silver and yellow Chaos Spheres with each swing. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, and then readied Black Death. Surrounding himself in a dense aura of purple Chaos energy, he charged directly at the growing Chaos Spheres. He hit one, then let the following two ram into him, causing him to slow down, but he refused to give up that easy. Tojiro held the trigger of Black Death, and finally smashed through the final two Chaos Spheres.

Coming through the smoke, he yelled with monstrous anger, holding Black Death back in his right hand. However, Alma pointed the Staff of Judgment straight into Tojiro's face, and released a vile red Chaos Sphere into the Demon Demigod's face. Tojiro was thrown straight across the floor, and sent crashing through the front doors of Saienji Temple with merciful force. Sliding to a halt on his chest, Tojiro gripped his hands into the wooden floor to halt his movement. He stared forward with a look of disdain. With a flash of Chaos Control, Alma reappeared. Tojiro rose to his feet, on one knee, his left hand planted on his right knee.

"Do you see now how far your ego takes you? Or must I teach you further? This war isn't yours to win, Cloakmaster Ankoku." spoke the lady Cloakmaster.

A sudden ringed blast of blue positive Chaos energy pass over Tojiro's head and smacked Alma out of the doorway and onto ground outside. Tojiro rose to his feet, putting Black Death back in it's holster, and turning around to Kasumi. She slowly lowered her arms, breathing heavily.

"Your energy is a bit gone from you, Kasumi. Make sure you stay somewhere safe." he said, turning his back to her.

"Got it. Everyone else is in the temple are at one spot. I'll watch over them, take care of Alma as quick as you can, okay?" informed the Shade Priestess, running down the hall.

Tojiro began to sprint, jumping out of the house. The second he touched the ground, the Cloakmaster of Darkness forced himself into a forward flip, staring down at an upside down position at the oversized gold Chaos Spear that passed straight under him. Landing successfully back on his feet, Tojiro stepped forward one step at a time, punching his fists forward that fired a blistering stream of flames out of his fists.

Alma spun her staff to the right, then quickly pointed it to the left, then swung her staff down, extinguishing the three fire streams. Tojiro stomped on the ground, causing six pillars of earth to spurt out of the ground, and all converged upon Alma's position at the same time. Alma drove the bottom half of her staff into the ground, causing a storm of green buzz saw shaped projectiles to randomly appear around Alma, and shoot out in all directions. The earth pillars were surprisingly torn into bits and rubble. Alma stood straight, pointing her arms forward, and sporting a devilish smirk. Every green Chaos energized saw converged onto Tojiro.

"_I can't risk losing any Chaos energy or power by creating a barrier. Those are wind type Chaos projectiles. I have no choice but to use a Chaos Blast_." thought the Cloakmaster with a distinct hint of distress.

"Hello! Hey! Where's Tojiro?" called out a sudden female voice.

Alma turned around, losing her focus. Tojiro quickly changed plans, using Chaos Control to appear out of the path of the flying green projectiles. Alma turned forward, blocking the Cloakmaster from delivering his vengeful Chaos Rasengan into her gut. A sudden beam of gold shot by and hit Alma in the hip, throwing her far across the ground. Tojiro turned his gaze to the gates, spotting Haruhi Suzumiya to be the one calling for his name.

"No. Really? No." he grumbled.

Haruhi cracked a definite smile of confidence once she spotted the Cloakmaster. She hurried over to him and once she stood before him, she bended down with her hands on her hips.

"You do realize how long I've been waiting right? You said you'd come to my school!" she stated in an outburst, completely out of line.

Tojiro quickly spun around her, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness and holding it straight up to create a curved barrier of golden Chaos energy to block the impact of a monstrous swarm of red Chaos Spears.

Haruhi looked over her shoulder, looking confused.

"Wow! You sure do have some keen senses! Just like always, Tojiro!" Haruhi said, turning around.

"_This girl is too overactive for her own good_." thought the hopeless faced Demon Demigod.

Tojiro lowered the barrier, then sheathed the Blade of Darkness, immediately proceeding to fire a warped beam of green Chaos energy from both of his hands. Together, the energy formed into a spiraling drill beam. Alma drove the bottom end of her staff into the ground, "Chaos Eruption!" she summoned loudly.

Waves and arms of orange Chaos energy came out of the Staff of Judgment. The arms of glowing energy rolled Tojiro's beam into a sphere. The inside created a fierce sparkling core of vibrant green, with bolts of lime green color sporadically appearing on the outside of the large orange sphere.

"We better get out of the way, Tojiro! That thing looks too strong!" Yoko warned, holding her Chaos Repeaters down.

"No. If we avoid, it's going to level the temple. I won't allow that." he said, lowering his hood.

"There's no way you can stop that thing! Can't you use a Chaos Control to shoot it back at her?" insisted the red furred hedgehog.

"I'd have to create a larger one, and if I do…that'll quickly sap my power. Sorry Yoko, but I'm going to have to do it the hard way." he explained, preparing himself into a sprinting position.

Closing his eyes with all the focus he had left to utilize, they spanned open, and Tojiro shot off like a rocket. "Tojiro, wait!" called out Yoko, stepping forward, ending up by Haruhi's side.

Haruhi looked down at Yoko. "You won't have to worry. He'll make it out okay." she said, providing a promising tone.

"Really? What makes you so confident?" asked Yoko.

"Because he's a part of the SOS Brigade! And to be a member, you need to have what it takes to fight for what you believe in!" said the confident melancholic, providing a peace sign with her determined words.

Preparing himself with every step he took, Tojiro continued his head on charge towards Alma.

"You always were a fool. Time for your suffering!" said the maniacal Alma, firing the massive orange Chaos Sphere that was combined with the power of Alma's Chaos Eruption and Tojiro's previously shot beam.

His eyes suddenly filled with blue, and all that was black turned to white, he entered his Nightmare Form; the first stage of it. He exuded the positive Chaos energy from his body, causing it interact with the massive Chaos Sphere, exploding into a large white light. From the top of it, curved beams of silver shot down amongst the ground.

One of the beams hit Yoko, causing her to suddenly vanish. Kasumi quickly appeared outside, creating a defensive barrier to stop any of the beams from hitting Haruhi or herself. The fountain of beams slowly began to vanish, it's power diminishing. Kasumi lowered the spherical barrier of blue Chaos energy, and quickly ran forward to the cloud of white smoke that was created out of Tojiro's collision with Alma's Chaos Sphere. As she found herself in the midst of the drifting smoke, the Shade Priestess was alone. Both Tojiro and Alma have instantly vanished from sight.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-An entire force of Japanese police open fire upon North High School.- -Tojiro leaps toward the crowd with Chaos energy emanating from his very fingertips.-

"In an instant, Tojiro is flung to an altered world with a terrible destiny." -Tojiro stands before **Kouyouen Academy**. He hovers to a window sill and sees Haruhi Suzumiya with longer hair and wearing a black school uniform.-

"There he learns a truth that could forever change the course of _his _war. He returns to Earth, finding the _real_ Haruhi Suzumiya to be missing."

-Tojiro bashes his way through a blockade of police cars. A police chopper flies forth.- -A smirking Akuma Kyofu stands upon a lone street.-

"Tojiro confronts his brother in the passing echoes of the city, ready to do battle with a foe...he had not counted on challenging."

-Mikuru Asahina screams forth, shouting Haruhi's name. The leader of the SOS Brigade lies next to Akuma as he laughs and rejoices at his foes' agony.-

"In moments, Tojiro must contend with Akuma's evil will...in the form of a greater good..."

-A purple tornado of fire surrounds Haruhi. A pale gray hand steps out. With black and gray altering her school outfit, Tojiro looks to the crimson pupils of Haruhi Suzumiya.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS **_

_****_**CHAPTER XXXV: THE BREAKING OF THE HEARTS  
><strong>


	35. Chapter XXXV

_**CHAPTER XXXV: THE BREAKING OF THE HEARTS  
><strong>_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu! They are my original characters and are owned by me. CHAPTER 35. A good benchmark for "The Nightmare Wars". Chapter 50 shall be even better! Then Chapter 100! This chapter shows the devious hate that Akuma has been living with. Yes, villains find it enjoyable when toying with your emotions and forcing you to fight your friends but, Akuma is simply doing it on another emotion, and it isn't madness...nor hate. Can you find out what it might be? All reviews are welcome! **

_**Altered Dimension, Kouyouen Academy, 3:15 am**_

High above in the grey sky above, a silver portal appeared, and out shot the cloaked hedgehog. Tojiro's blank white eyes were shut, taking a powerful hit to his nervous system once he forced a Nightmare Form transformation when his Chaos energy was drastically low. The Cloakmaster in his hedgehog began to stir in his dangerous fall, his eyes appearing blank white. Turning his head from left to right and scanning the current danger he found himself in, Tojiro pointed himself into a right side up position. He quickly fired streams of fire from under his feet, slowly bringing his fall to a deafening rate of slowness.

However, it wasn't enough power. A sudden spark of orange shocked out from his left leg causing him to fall and smash violently into the concrete, scrapes, scars, and vicious bruises scathing against his skin. Even though he was close to the ground once the fuse in his leg snapped, the speed was lessened, but the power of the landing still put him in deep agony. His eyes shifted to the right, seeing numerous students from Kouyouen Academy staring at him. Tojiro grumbled to himself, turning his head down as he rose to his feet. With his hood covering over his head, his face was still clear. The ebony furred hedgehog with his cold white eyes glared at the groups of students who were nervously trying to get past him.

Tojiro then leaped over their heads, hearing the voices of the students become dazzled and surprised by his mighty leap. He clamped onto the academy wall, a long rectangular to his right. He tilted his head into it, seeing a much different Haruhi Suzumiya standing inside. She was hearing the academy's outfit, and her long brown hair coursed down her back in the most beautiful of ways.

"How the? She must either have an expensive type of hair soap, or I'm in another dimension of time." he said out loud, hovering in front of the window.

He tilted his head. Haruhi was setting away some school supplies in the front desk.

"Strange. She should be leaving now." he implied.

Haruhi went to her desk and grabbed her bag. Tojiro knocked the back of his right hand on the window, seizing her attention. Haruhi's autumn colored eyes turned up to the window, and appeared shocked by his appearance. He waved his hand awkwardly at her. Haruhi hurried through the maze of seats and chairs. Haruhi came to the window, staring at Tojiro like she hasn't seen him for years.

He poked the window, symbolizing he wanted in. Haruhi opened one part of the window, but instead allowing himself to get in on his own, Haruhi grabbed him from under his arms and pulled him into an embrace, crouching, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, warmly holding his head over her shoulder. The baffled Demon Demigod stared at the side of Haruhi's face.

"If you wouldn't mind, I honestly believe this is the part you somehow break away from the embrace and possibly slap me across the face." he said, nudging her away, and sneaking off to the the side.

Haruhi stared at him with a slightly surprised look, but kept her feelings obscenely serious with the expression on her face, proving her attitude remained in check. Haruhi stood up and brushed off her skirt. Standing in a defiant pose with her hands on her hips, "You were here a week ago, Tojiro! What happened to you?" she immediately announced.

"A week? How is…how is…that even possible?" he said, turning his back to Haruhi, putting his hand to his chin and standing in a figurative pose.

"How can you even forget? You seriously don't remember?" said Haruhi, approaching him.

"This can't possibly be the present. Is this truly an altered dimension? God, it better not be." pondered the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Excuse me! TOJIRO!" she surprisingly shouted abruptly.

"Your yelling doesn't prove you're assisting to the problem. What is it?" he said, turning around to her.

The melancholic kneeled and rested her hands on his shoulders, which he gave off an annoying look to at her hands.

"Tojiro, whatever's happened to that screwed up little head of yours, a lot happened. If I had to guess, you don't even belong here, simply put at least, but that's not the point!" she said, staring off to the side but the quickly looking back at him.

"Yeah. Because obviously my presence is certainly enlightening." he said annoyingly.

"Listen Tojiro, a week ago you were being hunted…by everyone. You were a menace to our society because you're a Chaos User, right? Those crazy lightshows you put on? People in this world despise Chaos Users. Nowadays, there are none left." she continued, standing up, removing her hands from Tojiro's shoulders as well.

"Then what are you saying?"

"A week ago…**you died**…Tojiro." Haruhi revealed with a low level tone.

The blank white eyes of the ebony hedgehog widened, such news he wouldn't at first deem so surprising. He lowered his head, his usual stare returning to his expression.

"If that's so, then…there has to be some tie to the present timeline." he said, turning to the window again.

"What are you even thinking of this time? Are you saying-hey wait!" she said, watching Tojiro open the window and hopping onto the open spot.

"Wait! Where are you even going?" she exclaimed, grabbing the wrist of his right hand.

"If something like this happened here…it may be possible that such a fate will be handed to me earlier. I have to return to my present time. I have a certain idea that the present version of you may be tied to it."

"You can't be sure. It's just a theory, right?" she responded, taking her hand back.

Tojiro remained unanswered, his hands perched onto the window sill.

"Because, for some reason you always need someone by your side…and if I died due to myself trying to protect you…it's highly probable that it's the same situation in the present." explained the Demon Demigod.

"Are you sure?" asked Haruhi.

Tojiro aimed his right hand forward, shooting a stream of red Chaos Control energy to create a portal.

"Either way, I won't care." he answered, jumping into the portal, and making his way back to the present time in hope to stop his untimely death. A death that revolves around the happenings of the strange, yet ecstatic SOS Brigade.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present Timeline, North High School, 10:15 am<strong>_

Appearing on the rooftop of the North High was Tojiro. He immediately stepped out of the red portal, frantically scanning the area around him for any sources of Chaos energy nearby.

"Nothing. If I'm supposed to die, my so-called killer must be slacking. This shall be more convenient than I thought." he said, raising his fists up.

With his Airbending, Tojiro blasted the ground with a strong force of air that shot him off the school's roof. He stopped in mid-air, turning around to the school. He flew down towards the window of the SOS Brigade club room. He opened the window, and dropped into the room. He slowly turned his gaze to the left and saw; Yuki Nagato…reading! Tojiro rose into a straight standing pose, "Where's Haruhi?" he asked, walking around to the room's bookcase.

"She left to go find you." responded the quiet girl.

"Is anyone else with her?" he asked, scanning through the books on the shelves.

"No." replied Yuki, turning the page of her book. "Alright. Thanks for the conversation but I need to hurry." he said, preparing to use Chaos Control.

His blank white eyes widened, "No. How?" he challenged his mind with anger. He clapped his hands together, but there was no Chaos Control.

"Have I…have I lost my Chaos powers?" he exclaimed in shocking thought, staring at his hands. Yuki turned her head to him.

"You're still here." she said, sounding somewhat surprised, _somewhat_.

"My damn Chaos powers…curse it all. Now I have to do this the old fashioned way!" he exclaimed, running for the window. He jumped through it, shattering it to pieces; leaving Yuki to slowly turn her attention back to her book.

Flying out, he landed on the ground, creating several violent cracks in the earth. He stared forward, but suddenly looked up after he saw several news helicopters flying towards the city far in the distance. The cloaked hedgehog saw small trails of smoke shoot into the air that came from the city.

"Chaos energy…and lots of it, is coming from the city. How perfect. I lose my Chaos powers, find out I may die soon, and Haruhi is going to be the one I'll die from protecting. How extravagant." he said, changing into his human form, and pointing his clenched fists at the ground.

"Tojiro! Tojiro, wait!" called the familiar voice of Mikuru Asahina.

"What is it now? I need to go to the city." he said, putting himself back into a straight standing posture.

Mikuru tiredly stopped in front of him, bending over and breathing with high anxiety, or too much.

"It's okay. I have time. Really." he advised, meaning it honestly.

"Th-t-The police…are coming."

"Heh?" he responded.

Driving onto the school campus arrived several Japanese Police cars, along with three helicopters flying onto the scene.

"I was gone for only three minutes. At the least! And look what the hell happens." he said, grabbing Mikuru and placing her by his side.

"Attention! You have been deemed a potential destroyer of peace and order! Surrender yourself now, or deadly force shall be used!" commanded the lead officer over a megaphone.

"_Shall_? One of my favorite words. Yet I doubt these fools know who I am." said the Demon Demigod.

"They're after you because someone reported you. They said you were the accomplice of the man attacking the city." Mikuru said in fear, hiding behind Tojiro.

"Accomplice? Since when have I been deemed a weakling? Wait, did you see this man in the city?" asked Tojiro, staring over his right shoulder.

"Yes. He had the same cloak you're wearing." she replied.

"Perfect." Tojiro instantly replied, charging towards the huge number of police forces in front of him.

"Wait! What about me?" exclaimed the shaken Mikuru.

"OPEN FIRE!" ordered the stubborn high ranked police officer.

Bullets from pistols and multi-shot rifles shot towards the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Mikuru hurriedly ducked down, covering her head. Tojiro heard her screaming from the constant storm of bullets. He slid to a halt, taking all the bullets that hit him. He strolled up to Mikuru, his shadow appearing larger. The police officers halted their fire, staring at their target which has gained a few more pounds of muscle. Tojiro stood ten feet tall in his ferocious Werehog form. Once he turned around, he appeared with his eyes full of glowing red.

"Air units, resort to heavy weapons!" ordered the police commander, using his intercom.

In the helicopter on the left and right, one member from the Japanese Special Assault Team appeared with a rocket launcher. Inside was a large and angrily sharp grappling hook.

"FIRE!" ordered the commander. The two soldiers launched their ordinance, a sudden netting being formed out from a small tube attached to the handle part of the grappling hook. Tojiro stomped the ground to create a dome of earth form up out of the ground, protecting both Mikuru and himself from the projectiles.

Tojiro turned to Mikuru, who appeared frightened by his change.

"Mikuru, you're going to stay here until I deal with them, okay? After that, I have to go to the city…alone." he said, kneeling down to her level.

"I have to go too! Haruhi could be in danger!" Mikuru responded, holding her clenched hands to herself.

"I'm not going to risk you being harmed. I won't allow you to suffer pain knowing I could've stopped it in the first place. Staying here is the best thing for you."

"But I have to go! I have to!" she defiantly denied.

"I'll find Haruhi, Mikuru. You shouldn't have reason to worry." he insisted, turning his back to her.

"What if she's already hurt! She won't be in as much pain I'll be in if anything happens to me!" Mikuru continued to stand up with her words.

He looked over his right shoulder with a monstrous look in his red glowing eye. Even with nervous and frightened tears in her eyes, Mikuru was prepared to help save her friend.

"Then stay here…I'll be right back." he said, looking forward again.

Mikuru's face formed a well endowed smile of joy, then turning it into a cute expression. Tojiro broke through the top of the earth dome. He flew through the air with his clenched fists behind his head. He smashed them down onto a police car's hood. He grabbed the wreckage, using the remains as a fly swatter to bash away any other police car that was in his way. The police forces continued to fire at the massive Werehog, but their power couldn't overwhelm Tojiro's ferocity.

The Cloakmaster angrily tossed the wreckage of the police vehicle aside, then kicked two squared cars out of his way, then bashed away five police officers by a swing of his arms. Suddenly, a large steel hardened harpoon drove itself into his left arm, causing him to growl viciously. He turned his head up to the left, at the helicopter that was responsible for his current suffering.

He grabbed the harpoon, preparing to toss it back, but was suddenly hit in the back by two more. His eyes were ablaze with insane anger. He let out an immense roar of rage, causing the three helicopters in the sky to rupture to pieces and explode into a clouds of flames and burning metal.

He got down on his knees, using the forearm of his left arm to support him. He reached his right hand back, grabbing the two steel harpoons then yanked them out at the same time, no pain acquired. He rose back to his feet, snarling and growling to take out his anger. More bullets began to shoot at him. He turned to the right, immediately pointing his left hand at the three police cars and ten police officers that were around them. A single blast of volatile flames shot out of his palm, and on impact it ruptured into a vicious explosion of angry flames and burning death.

He lowered his left arm, but suddenly turned around, holding the harpoon he still held in his right hand up at; a suddenly shocked Mikuru. Tojiro's gritted silver fangs halted their forceful tight grip. He closed his mouth, and lowered his right hand, dropping the harpoon he was holding.

"Are you…going to be okay, Tojiro?" asked the cautious Mikuru.

The loathly demon stood with his shoulders humped forward, his posture appearing nearly lifeless, empty, sapped of his energy.

"Let's just get to the city…and get Haruhi to safety." he said, picking Mikuru up in his large arms.

He turned towards the chaotic city in the far distance, "_**Nothing else matters**_." he thought to himself, leaping off the ground from where he stood.

Skidding to a halt on the rooftop of a towering skyscraper landed the cloaked Werehog. "Chaos is definitely in the air. We have to find Haruhi somewhere in this mess Tojiro!" Mikuru desperately advised.

"Yeah. Chaos is definitely in the air." he ignored, turning his head to the left.

"Tojiro? Shouldn't we be down there?" she asked, waving her right hand in front of his face. His gaze shot down at her, making her yelp.

"My apologies. I'm simply on edge right now." he said, jumping off the rooftop and heading for the street below them.

The Cloakmaster landed with a forceful boom that cracked the street, and caused two nearby cars to flip and overturn. Tojiro turned down the right street after hearing a sudden explosion. He quickly charged by hopping great distances through the street. With one jump after the other, the earth below his feet shook violently and was rippled with cracks. Landing in an intersection surrounded by emptied cars, he turned down the dark left street, seeing a large fire truck be tossed towards him.

Tojiro leaped towards it as Mikuru shielded her eyes from the massive incoming vehicle. He landed on top of it, then leaped off it and landed on top of a car, flattening it in the same fashion that a military tank would do if driving over a car. Tojiro put Mikuru down and lowered his hands, but kept his fingers bent. In the street they stared down was Akuma Kyofu, holding Kyon by his throat in his left hand, and lying down on the ground next to Akuma was the unconscious Haruhi Suzumiya.

"Oh no, Haruhi!" exclaimed the concerned Mikuru, hurrying forward.

Akuma smirked, firing a blast of black and red Chaos energy at Mikuru. Tojiro quickly ran out in front of distinguished the blast with a simple movement of both his hands. Akuma's fortunate smile was wiped off his face once he saw his blood brother appear to save the young girl's life.

"You're too much of a pro at saving lives, Tojiro. I'm curious where you learned such useless skills." mocked the Cloakmaster of Fear.

"It doesn't take skill to protect another's' life from scum like you, Akuma. I simply learned it on my own. Drop Kyon or you'll find my oversized fist knocking that ugly head off your shoulders." he threatened, marching three steps forward.

"I'm not sure that can happen. I'd rather make you suffer before you get the privilege to fight me." he replied, tossing Kyon over into a car. Mikuru flinched by such a horrifying sight.

"When I charge, go get Kyon and get away from here, got it?" ordered the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Right!" Mikuru hastily replied.

"Didn't I just tell you? If you wish to fight me, you're going to suffer first." said Akuma, his smirk reappearing smugly on his face.

"You couldn't threaten a child." barked Tojiro fiercely.

"Really? I fortunately wager I can threaten you, since you still act like one."

Tojiro growled angrily at Akuma's suggestive sentence. Tojiro let out his vicious roar, charging on all fours at the Cloakmaster of Fear. Akuma appeared as if this battle was already in his favor, like he didn't even have to lift a single finger or move even a inch. Tojiro lunged off the ground, but was suddenly blasted back with a sphere of dark purple Chaos energy in the chest. He slammed back across the ground with violent bumps.

He quickly managed to grab the concrete with the metal claws of his right hand, and once he stared forward, his eyes widened to an extent of surprise. Standing defensively in front of Akuma was Haruhi, her head lowered.

"Great. How ideal of you, Akuma. Picking others to do your fighting for you." said Tojiro as he rose back to his feet.

"That fact won't matter after dear old Haruhi Suzumiya is done killing you, right?" said Akuma, vanishing in a puff of black smoke, his cold and cynical laughter filling the air. Mikuru was already by Kyon's side, holding him up.

"H-Haruhi?" said the time traveler. A sudden towering vortex of purple Chaos energy appeared around Haruhi. Bolts of red lightning randomly shot in every direction. A wave of darkness crept across the heavens above everyone's heads.

"Oh no! Tojiro, you need to-" exclaimed Mikuru, suddenly being interrupted by a violent shake through the earth.

"Yeah. Yeah. I realize that whatever Akuma has done is screwing with her reality bending powers. I got it." he slurred, reverting to his human form, and standing in a defensive stance.

Stepping out of the slowly dissipating vortex of purple flames was the new Haruhi Suzumiya. Her skirt was changed to a grayish color, the rest of her uniform was turned black, with the red stripes still retained. Her eyes were changed to a blood red color once they opened, and her hair was a clear silver color. Haruhi's skin had also turned a pale gray.

"Akuma definitely knows how to anger the wrong demon." Tojiro mumbled angrily to himself, standing in a defensive stance.

Haruhi aimed her hands forward, bolts of small red lightning beginning to spark and shock around her fingertips. Tojiro immediately shot into the air once a set of two large red bolts of Chaos Lightning shot out of Haruhi's hands. Haruhi used Chaos Control, appearing right behind the Cloakmaster of Darkness. The cloaked demon quickly turned around crossing his arms like an X to block a double Chaos Punch.

The force of the two hits sent Tojiro shooting towards the ground. He landed on his feet, shattering and deepening the earth inward. Lowering his arms down by his sides, he stared up into the air at the flying Haruhi who fired drill shaped blasts of gold Chaos energy out of her hands. Tojiro back flipped to the safety behind him but then quickly skated backwards across the ground in diagonal directions. Haruhi finally landed on the ground, pointing both of her hands at Tojiro, her wrists put together to fire a vortex of purple electric Chaos energy. Tojiro stepped onto the earth, causing two slabs of concrete to form up and slam against the front of the beam, distinguishing it. Haruhi smashed through the pillars of rock, and sent her right foot swiped to the left side of Tojiro's head, but he was quickly able to manage to raise up his left fist and block the attack.

Haruhi threw herself into a back flip, landing far ahead on the street Tojiro stood on. His Chaos powers were still sapped from him. The best strategy the Cloakmaster could come up with is to let Haruhi do all the attacks, and see how the Demigod would react to them without having the ability to using his Chaos powers.

Tojiro was indeed always about strategy, but in such a case when he's facing a mind controlled girl with abilities to bend, create and destroy realities, it wasn't going to be so easy for him. Did I also mention that he doesn't want to harm Haruhi due to how much she meant to the SOS Brigade?

Haruhi's red furious eyes glowed with deep anger, but for some reason there was still a violent and evil smirk stretched across her face.

"_That Chaos energy is definitely messing up her powers. If this continues any further, that power won't hold back, and reality is going to be torn out like a page in a book_." thought the Cloakmaster, raising his clenched fists.

Haruhi smirked, firing black and red Chaos Spears from her hands. Tojiro leaped straight to a light pole, landing perfectly on top of it. Seeing it's destruction coming, he quickly jumped onto the building that was next to the light, then dove straight down at Haruhi. Haruhi fired cut shaped slashes of purple Chaos energy by the simple swinging of her right hand. Using gravity and air, he passed right over one with a forward flip, then barrel rolled through two vertical flying slashes, then finally he landed in front of Haruhi. He quickly clenched her by the throat, held her up from the ground.

"Time to wake up!"

Tojiro leaped into the air, then placing Haruhi under him, he elbow dropped Haruhi into the top of a car. Mikuru was so shocked by such a stunt that she dropped Kyon, having to cover her mouth in distress. Surprisingly, this act woke him up.

Tojiro stood up, standing over Haruhi. Her eyes were closed. The furious and overpowered aura of Chaos energy around her, however, was still glowing vibrantly. Tojiro reached for her, but the sudden sight of her blood red eyes forced Tojiro to take a massive back wards flip to avoid Haruhi's blast of lightning she shot from her fingertips. Haruhi laughed and sneered through her teeth, standing up on the wreckage of the car.

"So if I can't get through to her, I'll just have to force her to listen. That'll be easy." he said, punching his fists together.

Haruhi stepped off the car, then kicked it straight at him. Tojiro kicked it back at her. Haruhi speared through it, then delivered a vengeful Chaos Punch straight to his stomach. Tojiro was sent bashing and bumping across the road until he managed to control his trajectory, grab onto a light pole and then shoot himself back towards Haruhi. The mind controlled girl fired a red beam of Chaos energy out of her right hand and a dark purple beam of Chaos energy out of her left hand.

Together, the two beams of hellish power spiraled together into one violently spinning beam. Tojiro covered his body with his cloak, resulting in the beam's impact with an explosion of killer flames and a sweeping cloud of black smoke that filled the street. Haruhi stood in a victorious fashion, desperately searching the cloud of smoke for any source of Tojiro's _locked_ Chaos powers, or his spiritual sense. Her smirking face changed to a distraught one once a blur of black sped straight towards her, hitting her directly in the chest, causing her to fling across the street with various violent rolls and slams.

Tojiro appeared in his hedgehog form, "Bad idea, Haruhi. That was a _real_…bad idea." he presented.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-Tojiro leaps into the air with air kicks, sending out a fury of Firebending blasts from his feet.-

"Brought under the cynical control of Akuma's profound Chaos energy, Haruhi Suzumiya clashes with the Cloakmaster of Darkness."

-Haruhi slashes away a flurry of fire blasts with silver Chaos energy glazed around her hands.- -Her hands extended to create whips of purple lightning.-

"Tojiro believes the prophecy from the altered dimension may be all too true." -A giant orb of red surrounds the wide eyed Demigod.-

-Kyon and Mikuru, slandered by fear, watch it implode into a shrieking blast of angry Chaos energy.- -Tojiro's viscerally eyes of wrath pierce through Haruhi's very soul and to Akuma.

"In accordance to power, Tojiro's relinquished Chaos powers return..." -The Tsukikagegan, the Lunar Shadow Eye, explode within the gaping red light that fills Tojiro's eye sockets.-

-Kasumi screams and reaches her right hand to Tojiro as he slams into a car, immediately summoning it into scrap and fire.-

-Tojiro's hands prepare a Chaos energized Rasengan.- "Whilst their brutal battle, Akuma continues to inflict pain upon Haruhi's monstrously powerful psyche,"

-Haruhi launches a street wide beam of light violet Chaos energy.- "She continues to deviate the nature and balance around her...at the expense of her friends' suffering."

-Akuma claps while cheering "Bravo!" to his blood brother and personal puppet.-

"For her sake...Tojiro must contend against the _impossible_..."

-Tojiro charges forward to ram into Haruhi, erupting into a tower of crimson red Chaos energy into the clouds, signalling the deterioration of this world.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

**CHAPTER XXXVI: SHATTERED  
><strong>


	36. Chapter XXXVI

_**CHAPTER XXXVI: SHATTERED**_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kasumi Moriko, Akuma Kyofu and Dominic. They are my original creations and owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners. Recalling the day of writing THIS very chapter is still very clear to me. I remember how many times I actually had to look away from the monitor and think about what I was doing. I knew it to be sudden and painful but, some evils have to win. Even in the end where all good celebrates after the defeat of evil...we must always acknowledge what we have lost. All reviews are welcome.  
><strong>

Haruhi was back on her feet in mere seconds, immediately charging forwards. Tojiro shot blasts of incinerating fire blasts from both his feet. Haruhi's hands were wrapped in silver Chaos energy. She slashed through the flames, then shot a massive volley of Chaos Needles out of her fingertips, causing the silver Chaos energy to vanish from her hands. Tojiro reeled his head back then launched a massive breath of flames from his mouth. The humongous wall of flames dismantled everything as it swept through the street. Haruhi stood defiant, knowing what would _definitely _come next.

The flames finally vanished, and Tojiro remained ready on guard with his fighting stance. Haruhi suddenly exploded out from the ground in front of Tojiro, launching drills of orange Chaos energy at him. The Cloakmaster of Darkness had already leapt backwards to stop the sharpening force of terror that could eat through him with the most closest of contact. The orange drills dissipated after a few seconds, by this time Tojiro was already back on the ground. Haruhi pointed her fists forward out at the Demon Demigod, releasing whips of purple Chaos energy to lash out towards him.

They violently wrapped around him and in one single flash he was brutally electrocuted.

"Tojiro! Hang on!" exclaimed Mikuru.

"How…perfect. Instead of her being the one I die protecting, I end up dying by _her_. Sounds all too nice." Tojiro groveled in mental agony.

As the bolts of purple lightning continued to grow further and wider, a sudden circular orb of red surrounded Tojiro. Haruhi's eyes widened. The orb exploded into a furious light of brightness. Mikuru covered her eyes, as did the still dizzied Kyon. Haruhi lowered her arms, staring at the cloud of grey smoke up ahead of her. Skidding out of the portal was Tojiro, a monstrous aura of red Chaos energy surrounding his body.

"Rule number one when you face a _Nightshade_: **Never anger one**. Rule number one when you face _me_: **Never stand against me! NEVER!**" he furiously yelled with hatred filling his tone.

His blank white eyes were glowing with crimson red, and his Tsukikagegan appeared in his eyes. Tojiro's Chaos powers have finally returned to him. Now for both of their sakes; it's time to get serious. Tojiro smashed the ground with his left foot, launching several chunks of rolled up concrete that were lathered in golden Chaos energy. Haruhi fired several explosive bolts of purple lightning from her hands, blasting the boulders to pieces and rubble. Tojiro came flying through the smoke, blasting Haruhi further into the ground with a monstrous beam of red Chaos energy. Landing slowly on the ground, a blast of furious lightning caused the Demon Demigod to look up.

The sky began to grow more violent and distressed. "This is too damn annoying." he grumbled.

"Tojiro!" called a far away voice from behind him.

He turned around, seeing Kasumi running down the chaotic street of flames and destroyed cars.

"Kasumi? What are you-" a sudden blast from Haruhi knocked Tojiro straight down the street. Kasumi luckily jumped over him, but unfortunately for him, his head smashed into the side of a car.

"Sorry, Tojiro!" called out Kasumi, continuing her charge towards the madly insane Haruhi Suzumiya.

Kasumi leaped high into the air, firing arrow shaped projectiles of blue Chaos energy out from around her body. Haruhi pointed her hands up, creating a curved barrier from the left to the right, deflecting all the arrows. Kasumi landed back on the ground, having to quickly wave her hands to the left, and then to the right to extinguish blasts of red Chaos energy that Haruhi shot from her hands. Tojiro stepped in, spin dashing straight into Haruhi's stomach, surrounding himself with a fearsome red aura. Haruhi grabbed the spinning Tojiro as he was still burning against her chest, and tossed him like a baseball straight back at Kasumi.

The Shade Priestess lunged to the right, landing herself into a crouched position, staring over her shoulder at Tojiro as he heavily crashed into a car with enough force to cause the vehicle to explode into a storm of flames and dark smoke. Kasumi quickly turned her attention forward, spotting Haruhi land in front of her and deliver a sphere of concentrated Chaos Lightning at the priestess.

Kasumi luckily bathed her hands in blue positive Chaos energy to block the powerful attack, yet it still resulted in a vicious explosion of blue bolts of lightning shooting off into every direction. The bolts blasted apart cars, shattered through windows, and even smashed down walls on the buildings that surrounded them.

Tojiro back flipped out of the growing cloud of gray. The vengeful mind controlled flew out and dove down at the Cloakmaster of Darkness with a large sphere of purple Chaos energy being held over her head. Preparing a Chaos Rasengan in both his hands, he lunged up at his merciless foe and smashed the two spheres of power against Haruhi's single sphere of madness.

"Chaos…BLAST!" shouted the vigor of the Cloakmaster.

A massive dome of red Chaos energy expanded out in a hellish fashion, immediately obliterating the building walls of the structure to the left and right. Tojiro rose up out of a pile of rubble, but then quickly stood off to the right to dodge a sudden blast of yellow Chaos Lightning. Haruhi appeared in front of Tojiro with her hands bathed in Chaos electricity, punching Tojiro in the gut, then giving him a direct knock to the chin. The cloaked demon soared out of the gray cloud, his eyes opening up immediately to spin out to the left, and then quickly to the right to avoid several large Chaos Spears from hitting him. Haruhi lunged up through the air, but Tojiro began a furious series of Chaos Kicks to Haruhi's chest.

"Sorry…but I don't feel bad about this." he halted, holding a Chaos Rasengan back in his left hand after his continuous kicks.

The Demon Demigod smashed the whirling orb of Chaos energy and chakra into Haruhi, spinning her like a mad top down towards the ground which resulted in a marvelous cyclone shape of orange Chaos energy. Tojiro reappeared on the street with Chaos Control. Kasumi hurried to his side, staring into the cloud of smoke and destruction that Haruhi was last seen. The cloud of smoke suddenly vanished once a blistering, wide spread cyclone of purple Chaos energy shot out and continued to spin around Haruhi. Bolts of lightning began to strike buildings, blowing them to pieces with a single blast. Tojiro stared up, seeing the buildings both to the left and right falling towards each other.

"Are Kyon and Mikuru safe, Kasumi?" asked Tojiro, keeping his gaze up at the falling chaos.

"Yes! I already got them far away from this location." she answered.

"Perfect. Now I won't feel guilty about doing _this_." he said in an ungratifying tone.

Tojiro lifted the right sleeve of his cloak, and grabbed onto the dial onto the side of his right shoulder, turning the dial five clicks. In a single blast of orange shining light, Tojiro grew to the size of over two hundred feet tall in his mecha form. The titanium armored version of his Werehog form stood high up, and pushed his hands against the two massive buildings. In the middle of her ravenous power, Haruhi smirked. Kasumi kept a barrier of blue Chaos energy around herself to ensure no debris would bring her harm.

She stood in a crouched position, keeping her hands pointing up at the barrier to keep it's power running, as well as the length of how long she would be able to live. The towering mecha Werehog that was Tojiro continued to keep the buildings standing, however, there was no avail to it. He stared down, continuing to see debris after debris to fall and smash against Kasumi's barrier.

He knew that the young priestess wouldn't be able to hold onto her focus and power for long, Tojiro had to once again take the initiative. Forwarding Chaos energy to his hands, he caused the two buildings he was holding back to explode into a humongous storm of building remains. Quickly reverting back to his hedgehog form, he was in freefall. With his back aimed towards the ground, Tojiro halted himself in mid-air. Kasumi stared up, gasping at what was coming. Tojiro's Tsukikagegan was visible in his eyes.

"Chaos…IMPLOSION!" he shouted, pointing his arms straight up.

Firing out of all ten of his fingers were spinning streams of golden Chaos energy with large spear shaped ends on the front of each stream. Together they soared to the center of the gigantic storm of falling debris. The beams gathered together as one, forming into a single golden sphere, and as the rays of light shot out from the combined power, a furious widespread wave of golden Chaos energy exploded all the pieces of debris into nothingness.

Kasumi lowered her barrier, watching Tojiro powerfully smash into the ground on his feet. The Shade Priestess hurried over to the Nightshade, finding him in a crouched position with his clenched fists placed onto the ground on his left and right.

"Thank the gods you're okay!" she presented, kneeling by his side.

Tojiro rose to his feet, revealing a mess of glowing red liquid to be dripping from his right arm. Kasumi covered her mouth, distraught at the sight.

"Not a good sign, I know. This happened to me plenty of times, and yet here I am. Still standing…still fighting. Don't look so worried, Kasumi. I shall be all right." he assured the priestess, lowering his left arm from the spot where the discharge of Chaos energy was spilling from.

Kasumi rose to her feet with him, appearing worried and concerned if Tojiro was going to suddenly fall unconscious at any moment. Haruhi suddenly came through, grabbing Tojiro by the throat, smacking Kasumi with his corpse, then tossing the Cloakmaster straight through a large delivery truck, smashing through the cramped up trailer. Kasumi smashed onto the hood of a small car, but ended up flying off the other end, landing perfectly on her feet. She leaped over the car, and spun through five Chaos Spears, then fired a blue Chaos Spear directly into Haruhi, causing her to sporadically be sent flinging across the ground. Tojiro shot past Kasumi, grabbing Haruhi by the back of her clothes, and immediately tossing her back against a light pole.

Tojiro forcibly raised his arms to create an X to block a large beam of purple Chaos energy that pushed Tojiro across the ground while he was still standing. Tojiro was able to take a forceful leap into the air once the blast that was senselessly forcing him back began to weaken. While in the air, he angrily flung his arms one after another, releasing a volatile green Chaos Spear each time. Haruhi performed a handstand to back away, then continued to use her hands to continuously flip away farther and farther from Tojiro's reign of Chaos Spears.

He lowered his arms by his side, and then formed into a ball, shooting straight down at Haruhi. Haruhi finally got back to her feet and leaped up towards Tojiro. The Demon Demigod, however, quickly exited his ball form and smashed Haruhi straight into the gut with his right foot. Haruhi was sent spiraling back towards the ground, creating a monstrous boom and loud echo that banged the sound barrier with immense force. Tojiro teleported himself over by Kasumi picking her up and jumping off the hood of the car and onto the ground. He rested her down, holding her up, supporting her back.

"Come on Kasumi! Kasumi! Curses." said the Cloakmaster, turning his gaze back to where he saw Haruhi crash down.

Tojiro looked down at Kasumi, her eyes still not opening.

"Wake up priestess!" he shouted, shaking her body lightly.

Haruhi gave in to her inactivity and was seen flying across the air and towards the pair. Tojiro quickly turned his head to Haruhi, firing beams of yellow Chaos energy out of his eyes. The blasts successfully hit Haruhi and sent her smashing back into the street below. Tojiro turned back towards Kasumi, finally her eyes slowly began to peel open. Tojiro's red filled eyes with the Tsukikagegan in them blinked several times. Kasumi's eyes finally fully opened to the sight of the ebony hedgehog of the cloak.

"So…does this mean we're not dead?" she said.

Tojiro lowered his head, this being a form of him being relieved. He helped Kasumi to her feet, but the sudden whirling and blasting of Chaos energy that focused around Haruhi switched their attention. Haruhi fired a sonic wave beam of ringed purple Chaos energy out from both of her hands. Tojiro created a large wall of black Chaos energy to shield himself and the Shade Priestess from any dangerous harm. Haruhi lowered her arms in failure, an expression of disappointment and despise on her face. Tojiro was ready to charge, but Kasumi was quick to grab his arm.

"Tojiro, wait. If you keep throwing yourself at her, she's just going to get more powerful, and reality won't be able to handle that kind of stress! You have to resolve this as fairly as you can!" she said with great importance.

"Then if you have a plan, let's hear it." he said, turning around to her, crossing his arms.

Kasumi held her arm back, then slowly put on a saddened look.

"If you have something, I'll respectfully hear you out. Now, your life's in jeopardy. I don't care what Haruhi is thinking right now, she's a threat. So…I'm listening."

Haruhi stomped the ground with her right foot, causing the glowing purple around her to explode with even more power. Tojiro held his hands over his head, preparing a huge Chaos Sphere to appear in his hands. The humongous sphere of crimson Chaos energy was shocking with red bolts of uncontrollable lightning. Tojiro smashed the giant sphere down on Haruhi, to which she aimed her hands forward, stopping the sphere from crushing her into the earth.

Tojiro continued to use all his strength to force Haruhi's ultimate fate onto her, but still she yielded. With her hands coursing with purple Chaos energy, she finally let out a magnificent beam of purple light with silver beam that ran along the inside of it. Tojiro's sphere was immediately destroyed, and sent the Cloakmaster of Darkness soaring straight through the top of a skyscraper. The trail of gray smoke lined the Demigod's trajectory from the ground and all the way up through the building. Suddenly, the sight of a black dot with a furious red aura around it caught Haruhi's eye.

"CHAOS BLAST!" he roared.

Instead of taking it the simple way and exploding out with a large red dome, Tojiro smashed straight into Haruhi, erupting into a massive tower of red Chaos energy to shoot straight up into the skies above. Kasumi kept firm hold onto the ground, the blistering red light that resonated all over, as well as the furious winds that were forged from this chaos were too merciless. Once the hectic insanity was over, Kasumi stared forward, seeing the figures of both Tojiro and Haruhi laying down in front of him. The Cloakmaster reverted back to his human form, standing crouched over the unconscious Haruhi. His hood was lowered, his orange eyes glaring down at the high school girl.

The sleeves of her uniform were completely torn off, the edges of her skirt was slightly ripped, and the front of her shirt was torn where half of her bra was revealed.

"Knowing her, she probably wouldn't care." he said, looking away.

"Bravo! Bravo!" cheered the chilling voice of Akuma Kyofu.

The Cloakmaster quickly turned around, already standing ready to fight.

"After such a show, I had to arrive and give my thanks for an amazing performance. Nonetheless, the girl is still much of a pity."

"She's not involved anymore. Leave her out of this. This dispute is between us." threatened the Demigod of Death.

"I already know that, believe me. Somehow, I still think Haruhi isn't done yet." said the smiling Akuma.

Tojiro hastily turned around to watch Haruhi grab him by the throat of his neck with her right hand. Purple Chaos energy painted over her right hand, as she continued to violently choke Tojiro. The Cloakmaster showed no signs of struggle, not _yet_ at least. Kasumi quickly leaped into the air, and charged at Akuma from behind. With the Cloakmaster of Fear hovering in mid-air, he confidently stared down at Tojiro's suffering.

"You've arrogantly came too far, my brother. Now is your time to stop…and die." he said.

"Get out of the way!" shouted Kasumi.

Akuma turned around, "Such a fool. Is this all the power you have by your side T-" said Akuma before he was shortly cut off once Kasumi slapped her Chaos energized right hand across his face.

The intimidating force launched Akuma straight through the bottom section of a building, creating a massive hole in the building wall. Kasumi landed back on the ground, tweaking her wrist after delivering her very enjoyable 'Chaos Slap'.

"Tojiro! You must break the curse that's controlling Haruhi's mind by forcing a stronger Chaos energy into her that carries a more powerful potency!" exclaimed Kasumi.

Tojiro coughed out in pain, "W-wh-What in the…h-h-hell…is that supposed to mean?" he ranted in agony and uncertainty. As nervous as she was, as painful as it was to see Tojiro in pain, Kasumi kept hesitant at the answer.

Finally, shutting her eyes with force, she screamed out; "**KISS HER!**"

"Ehh?" he exclaimed in confusion.

Haruhi continued to squeeze at the Cloakmaster's throat, with enough force to crush a watermelon, but this was the Cloakmaster we're talking about.

"Dammit…can't I just beat her against the head? Maybe the goddamn curse will fall out of her ear." he cringed in pain with every word.

By the look on Haruhi's face, he could see that she was too merciless to give up, especially now.

"Damn…it." he mumbled, pulling his hands up.

While he was still standing on his feet, he grabbed Haruhi by her shoulders, and pulled her back. Tojiro fell to his back, and Haruhi's lips fell onto his. Tojiro kept the kiss going, his eyebrows tightened to the point of no return. Haruhi's eyes, red and evil, changed back to their normal color. Her eyes turned into a dreamy expression as the kiss continued, half closed by the meeting of their lips. Tojiro hastily broke from the kiss, sitting back on the ground. Haruhi's body, clothes and whatnot returned to normal, the curse put onto the young girl was finally severed. Haruhi looked up, and got on all fours, then rested onto her knees.

"You okay there…Haruhi?" asked the restless Nightshade.

Haruhi put her hand to her lips, and rubbed them carefully.

"Okay…seriously. You don't need to make this any more _dramatic_ than it already is." replied Tojiro, rising to his feet.

Akuma growled, "Lucky. All…too…lucky." he mumbled, creating a sphere of **Chaos Fear **in his right hand.

Kasumi turned her head to Akuma, spotting his dastardly plan.

"TOJIRO! NOOO!" screamed the Shade Priestess, running over to him.

Akuma smirked, firing a long stream of the deadliest Chaos energy straight towards Tojiro's back. Tojiro felt the presence coming, turning around, but he immediately saw the body of another appear out of nowhere right in front of him, the spear of Chaos Fear impaling the man. Kasumi stopped in her tracks, seeing the man's face, and tears flowing from her eyes, the broken hearted priestess screamed; "DOMINIC!"

It was the last of the Shade Priests, the leader of the group that kept his people's knowledge and power in order. Akuma retracted the stream of energy, making it dissipate in the process. Dominic dropped to his knees, Tojiro remained frozen by his selfless act. Dominic then slowly fell back, the Cloakmaster caught him. Akuma growled angrily by the outcome, and used Chaos Control, making his valuable escape.

"Dominic! Dominic!" screamed the helpless Shade Priestess, running as fast as she could. She dropped to her knees by Dominic's side. She grabbed his right hand, holding it dearly with hers.

"Kasumi…so…_you did listen to me_. I'm…gla-I'm glad." he mumbled in solemn suffering.

"I did. I…can't…why? Why? You didn't need to sacrifice yourself! You could've easily knocked Akuma away and-"

"Hush…child. Please. I did it…to save the Cloakmaster. It had to be done. T-Tojiro? You…must listen." he said, looking over his shoulder up at the Demon Demigod.

"Your friend….Yoko…s-s-she is safe. The location…of the S-S-Sc-Scythe. You must…find it." he coughed in slow agonizing pain.

"I shall Dominic. I shall." answered the Cloakmaster, his tone hasn't even changed.

"To find…it…you must…_**reach**_ for your dreams. An-and then…you will find it." said Dominic, a smile forming on his face. He turned his head back down to Kasumi.

"I am glad you have found your way…in this world…young priestess. Stay with Tojiro…for me. He shall always…_**protect…you**_…" said Dominic's drifting voice, slowly drifting off to his death.

Kasumi's saddened heart filled her eyes with a waterfall of tears. Dominic's hand fell from hers, slapping onto the ground, cold and lonesome. The young priestess hiccuped and sniffled with uncontrollable sadness and grave hurt. Tojiro laid Dominic down with the utmost of respect and care.

"F-F-FATHER!" she screamed to the heavens.

Tojiro's eyes snapped at the revelation, watching Kasumi cry into Dominic's chest, her cries of loneliness filled the void of the destruction all around them. Tojiro stared at the shattered feelings that embedded around Kasumi's soul and essence. It was so easy to tell, yet it was all so hard to believe. Tojiro looked down at the man who he first saw as a monstrous man, the first sense of hate he ever felt in his life was Dominic.

Now, he saw in Dominic…a great friend, and a man of invincible honor. Tojiro rested his right hand onto Kasumi's shoulder, causing her to stare up at him. His orange eyes kept into a serious look. Kasumi continued to uncontrollably sniffle and hiccup in her never-ending sadness. Kasumi then dove into Tojiro's arms, crying her solemn feelings out to the world. She beat her right fist against Tojiro; not out of hate, but out of the simple thought that her father was gone from this world. Tojiro…returned the hug of this ill fate. He held his right hand on the back of Kasumi's head, keeping a tender hold to it.

"FATHER! F-F-FA-FATHER!" she screamed and hiccuped with fearsome tears that traveled down her cheeks.

Tojiro kept his eyes opened. A strangled look of anger, hate, and some form of regret. He grabbed his hood, and flipped it over his head, his face covered by the obscurity of darkness. His two orange eyes vanished from his eyes, and from the darkness inside his hood, appeared two blank white eyes. They were more cold and merciless as the fate that was bestowed upon the Shade Priest, but in hindsight…they were ten times as determined to avenge this solemn death.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-Tojiro stands before the funeral pyre of the last of the Shade Priests.- "Through thick and thin, Tojiro shuns the failures of the past for the success he must settle for the future."

-Kasumi prays in silence.- -Tojiro turns around to the Shade Priestess whilst walking through a forest in another dimension.-

"The only two honorable survivors of the Great Shade Empire have nothing to lose but each other." -Tojiro listens to his own thoughts while walking away from the funeral pyre.- "Tojiro continues to deny any form of promises, even to Kasumi herself. With the utmost of confidence does the Cloakmaster _know_ he must succeed."

-Upon Planet Sargasso, Tojiro and Kasumi arrive before the house of Spartan super soldier: Daisy.- "Searching for the world known as **Reach**, Tojiro confronts his only resource in order to locate the fable Nightmare Scythe."

-Tojiro and company look to the sky as a screaming Covenant Phantom dropship heralds a barrage of plasma fire.-

-Kasumi continues to pray, seeing images of her father.- "Can the Demigod of Death muster the prowess to make a promise?"

-Tojiro arms himself with an Energy Sword, knowing its power well.-

-Looking to the nighttime sky above Saienji Temple, Tojiro looks to the Shade Priestess in full courage, denying the possibilities of making **any** promise.-

"Closer and closer does his journey wrap around him, constricting what is right and wrong. Closer and closer...to his vengeance."

-Tojiro charges up a fearsome Rasengan from the ground, leaping into the air to crash it against the Phantom dropship. In accordance to his rage does an explosion of blue plasma and Chaos energy fill the sky.-

"His journey through the Nine Circles of Hell...**draws closer**."

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

**CHAPTER XXXVII: THE DREAMS OF PROMISES  
><strong>


	37. Chapter XXXVII

_**CHAPTER XXXVII: THE DREAMS OF PROMISES**_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original creations and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners. My aspiration shot me into updating with another chapter. The previous chapter left me wanting to continue on and unleash Tojiro a little bit more. Things do get complicated here, but next chapter things become more of a struggle. All reviews are welcome!  
><strong>

Hours later, with the sunset upon them, Tojiro, Kasumi, the SOS Brigade, and the nuns and monk of Saienji Temple gathered in front of the courtyard. The brimming sunlight drifted over Saienji Temple with a glistening light of orange and yellow. In the middle of the courtyard was the blanketed body of Dominic, lying on a stone pedestal.

Tojiro was standing in front of the monument, planting his hands on the stone. His hands glowed orange. The Cloakmaster slowly stepped back, the monument suddenly bursting into a vortex of flame. Tojiro stopped in front of the group, his hood remained up. He looked over his right shoulder, seeing the solemn Shade Priestess staring at the ground. Her hands were clasped in a praying fashion.

"_He was her father…and the whole time I didn't even notice. How foolish of me." _said the grave thoughts of Tojiro.

He turned his head back to the flaming vortex that magically began to consume the stone tablet and Dominic.

"_That's one less survivor of the Great Shade Empire. Kasumi and myself are the only ones who have been living all the way up to this very point. Akuma and his cursed Hell Gods don't even count. They were already dead, sealed away with a purpose. Akuma was only lucky…luck is what saved his vile corpse from awakening. The only thing he deserves is death…and nothing worse_." continued the Cloakmaster's silent thoughts.

He stared up into the sky. The night began to takeover the day. He stared down, looking at the palm of his right hand.

"_**Reach**__. I __**shall**__ find it. I __**shall**__ find the Nightmare Scythe and I __**shall**__ kill Akuma and the Hell Gods. I'll do it for the sake of my revenge. I shall do it for her. I have to become stronger_…_**for her**_." continued his thoughts, watching the embers soar into the nighttime sky.

The stars graciously painted the blue dark sky above. The moon gave an even more better presentation of this night. Tojiro appeared outside Saienji Temple through Chaos Control, staring in every direction. He turned towards Saienji Temple and hovered towards the roof to think. He reached the top, his head rearing back in surprise.

Kasumi was already sitting on top of the roof, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her lonely eyes stared down. Tojiro could sense no reason or hope in her heart. He hovered over to her and stood right next to her. The cloaked demon stared up into the sky, opposite of Kasumi's senses. Kasumi stared out of the corner of her eyes. Tojiro kept his eyes locked on the glowing moon in the heavens above their heads. Kasumi stared back down like before.

"Aren't you going to promise?" she suddenly arose from her quietness. Tojiro slowly turned his head down at her.

"When things like this happen…there's always that one caring person who regrettably makes a promise to someone who's lost someone they cared deeply about…" she continued on, turning her head up at him.

His obscured face kept staring at her, and her glimmering eyes and grave face stared up at his.

"…Aren't you going to promise?" the priestess added on.

"Promises are made to be one sided. They're distasteful to me." replied the honest Cloakmaster, turning his attention back up at the moon.

"Because you can't keep them? Right? Is that the reason you've never made a promise? Because you knew it would fail?" she asked in a quiet tone.

"I don't make promises for a reason. Promises are simply lies. A promise is the IOU version of trust. First you put all your hopes and beliefs into one person avenging the death of another. Second, it ends up not happening." he went on.

"How do you know a promise is always forged out of the death of another? Or…is that just the way you think?" she asked, non-offensively.

"I don't make promises so I don't foolishly bind myself to another persons' word. Action has always spoken louder than words, Kasumi."

"Yeah. That's something I believe in as well, Cloakmaster-san." she said, staring back down. She shuffled her feet slowly.

"But…how does a person make their decisions? Why did Dominic have to…sacrifice himself?" questioned the confused priestess, tightening her hold on her legs.

"That's something everyone holds to their personal account, Kasumi. We never know what another person is thinking until they take action. At that time…the real truth about that person comes out." the Cloakmaster wisely explained to the Shade Priestess.

"Is there a truth to you, Tojiro?" she asked, turning her head up at him again.

"If life has no meaning, then what does death mean? I stand as death. The Cloakmaster of Darkness. I've been hidden by falsehoods all my life, that's why I shall get the revenge I desire for being given this curse. It is my only way in life. Vengeance or failure. Nothing else will matter until I end this conflict for good." he strongly replied.

Kasumi saw the Cloakmaster's fists angrily clench as he spoke his truth.

"What will you do after you defeat Akuma?" asked Kasumi.

"You inspire great confidence, Kasumi. But I never said the journey through the Nine Circles will be easy. He will be ready with a vast army of Hell's demons and monsters to stop me. Each Hell God wishes to obliterate me from history." he responded without a taste of fear.

His response gave Kasumi a tense and cold feeling. She suddenly found Tojiro squatting down close to her. Her eyes turned to his hooded head.

"But that doesn't mean I won't put up a fight." the Cloakmaster added with hope.

Kasumi slowly smiled at his genuine response, then hugged him. Tojiro's head stared over Kasumi's right shoulder, feeling tense by Kasumi's kind response, but in the darkness of his hood was another unfortunate sense that left him stricken with dread.

_**The Following Morning**_

"To _reach_ for it he said. What in the hell does it mean?" said Tojiro angrily, walking outside of the entrance to Saienji Temple.

"Whatever it is, he probably had a reason. Whatever this riddle is, it has to lead us to the location of the Nightmare Scythe, no question." replied the Shade Priestess, catching up to him.

"Ryu told me that once I collected these damn weapons they would pinpoint it's location. So why has nothing happened?" barked Tojiro.

"I have no idea. Right now, we need to focus on my father's riddle. What does it mean, Tojiro?" asked Kasumi, stopping in front of the entrance, with Tojiro staring forward into it.

"If anything, I do have some form of a hunch." he said, creating a red Chaos Portal with a wave of his right hand.

"Hunch? Is it a good one at least, Cloakmaster-san?" asked the worried priestess.

"Usually my guesses work out fine. So we have no reason to be concerned." he implied, turning to her.

"Okay. You've made it this far. So what's your hunch?" she added.

"We're going to a different universe…to a planet to see an old friend." he said, turning towards the Chaos Portal.

"And this friend would be?" asked the Shade Priestess, holding her hands out. Tojiro stopped in front of the portal, then turned halfway to Kasumi.

"We're going to meet a Spartan. Spartan-043; **Daisy**." he revealed.

With the journey for the Nightmare Scythe _reaching_ for a brutal climax, Tojiro and Kasumi storm through the Chaos Portal to the planet Sargasso to find the life of a Spartan Tojiro saved once. In return for that past favor, Tojiro seeks to find the knowledge if this possible coincidence of Dominic's final words will lead to another world…and in turn; the location of the most evilest weapon ever forged.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Planet Sargasso, 8:35 pm<strong>_

Appearing in the center of Daisy's hometown, the red Chaos Portal opened up by the fountain of the town. Both Tojiro and Kasumi stepped out, the portal spinning to a close behind them.

"This is it. Planet Sargasso." he announced.

"Another planet? I somewhat understood you the first time, but I thought you weren't even being serious. What on this planet is so important?" responded the shrugging priestess.

"You'll see Kasumi. Stay strong for me, okay?" he said, turning his gaze over at her.

Kasumi had her eyes set on the ground, understanding the Cloakmaster's words and point of reference. Tojiro set himself forward, walking past the fountain with Kasumi following closely behind.

"It's always dark now isn't it?" suddenly asked the Shade Priestess.

"And your point? Maybe the sun's tired." Kasumi was able to smile by the hilarity that his words held.

"I've simply noticed how whenever a situation presents itself to you, darkness falls."

"Yeah. I'm so hurt by the night sky." he replied carelessly.

"You're not even taking me seriously aren't you?" she snapped at him, crossing her arms and giving off a determined glare.

"So what if darkness follows me with every step I take it? I'm not offended by evil following in my footsteps. In fact, haven't I been doing that for a while now?" he implied, his voice shifting into a makeshift form of sarcasm.

"It…worries me." Kasumi suddenly said.

The Cloakmaster stopped in his tracks, turning around to her at the same time. "My father always spoke of you. He mentioned how you were powerful enough to prove anyone's thought and judgment wrong…in your own malevolent way of course. It…just worries me." the Shade Priestess carefully shared.

Tojiro's hooded head hid his expression, not like he would be surprised, but his glare was still distinct. "He…he always told how much of a monster you were, how you should have stayed in the Ninth Circle once Orion trapped you in that frozen land, and even on how you'll stay the same…forever." she continued, lifting her head up at the Cloakmaster in the process.

The pair stood far apart, more emotion was lying on Kasumi's side. Her feelings were lost and felt meaningless to speak their honesty, but this was Tojiro; a man without a heart.

"If you could make a wish Tojiro, upon any star in the sky above us; what would that wish be?" asked Kasumi. The Cloakmaster strangely stared up at the sky, appearing like he hasn't seen them before. He took some time, staring at the starry heavens. Once he turned his eyes back at Kasumi, an answer came.

"I'd rather wish upon a dream than wish upon a star." he answered honestly.

The Cloakmaster turned back around and continued walking. A breeze of cold drifted by, making Kasumi's long glistening hair drift in its soft, cool breeze. Her eyes were left widened by his unseen response. Her eyes changed to a look of dread. She felt deep inside herself that his answer was a mere guess, a shot in the dark, a pointless resonance of thought.

Kasumi ran after the Cloakmaster, keeping her pace close to his. Once she was walking behind the Demigod, her eyes were staring at the back of his head, expecting him to continue his recent belief of wishing. However, as the two made their way down a short hill that was a road, it became clear as fog that Kasumi wouldn't get an honest to heart answer from the Cloakmaster, one sided, is it not?

Even as the silence of this dark night slipped past them, a sense of urgency was amongst one of them. With time running out for Tojiro, the Nightmare Scythe must be found and with that power can Akuma and his fellow Hell Gods be destroyed. With that power, the lone Cloakmaster must traverse his way through the Nine Circles. The land where evil was first born.

A land of sheer darkness and chilling hatred, a land that Tojiro was once forced to escape from. All such words bring fear to Kasumi's heart, a form of fear this will be the final hours of Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. She stared at him with an uncertainty that his journey will only bring upon his very own end. She somehow managed to find it in herself that he would refuse to let any lowly demon or any vile Hell God take his life.

Not ever would the Cloakmaster of Darkness surrender to another who is only controlled by violence. Oddly enough, this was all Kasumi had to hold on to for hope. Nothing else would be able to make her think otherwise. She trusts in Tojiro's mission, but is that an excuse to worry for his fate? Kasumi set her dread filled eyes down at the ground they walked across.

"_Is this truly how I must spend my moments with him? Even on the final leg of this dangerous journey…must I spend worrying that I'll never see him again?_" explained the Shade Priestess's bundled up thoughts of nervousness.

No thought that brought itself to light would be able to clear the shroud that obscured Kasumi's feelings and determination. The loss of her father made her think. It caused her to heavily become endowed with the thought that this loathly demon before her, didn't have the power required to defeat the Nine Hell Gods. All these concerned thoughts rushed through her mind like a highway of heavy traffic.

"_There's no doubt that he's worried as well. Yoko. She disappeared right before our eyes and Tojiro has failed to speak her name, more or less even mention her name. Is…is that why we are here?_"

Her thoughts took a slight decline, believing this unwanted trip is nothing more than a rescue. There's no way she was jealous, absolutely no way she was jealous. Because that would be insane. There were some reasons in her mind that reminded her doubts to stay, however, now wasn't the time of _her _importance. The two were finally at the bottom of the road hill, making their way to Daisy's house in the distance.

Kasumi took a glimpse at the sky, seeing the plethora of glimmering stars that gently painted themselves in the dark azure sky. Kasumi suddenly felt a motivation build inside her, a sensation that she could not hinder any longer. As nervous as she was, and no matter how oblique she figured Tojiro's answer _was_ going to be, she needed his best response.

"Tojiro? I just began to wonder, what of Miss Yoko? Shouldn't she be as important as finding-"

"Yoko **_does_** matter." the Cloakmaster interrupted, continuing to walk. Kasumi looked at him with a strange face.

"I've been wondering what world she got herself thrown into, believe me. Wherever she may be, her luck is probably going to be better than ours. Yoko's strong enough to take care of herself."

Kasumi continued to give him a twisted look of worry.

"You're not lying…aren't you?" the young priestess asked with nervous temptation.

"No. I'm not. Making a lie is as promising as telling the truth to them right at the very moment. I'd rather deliver a painful truth than tell a dishonest lie. A clear difference lies between the two. Besides, since when have you become so worried about others?" explained the belligerent words of the Demon Demigod.

"I knew you weren't listening. I knew it." her quiet words slipping through her lips.

The Cloakmaster tiredly stopped, turning around halfway and looking at the Kasumi for her to continue.

"My feelings for others doesn't matter. It's how I think of you that matters most! Haven't you realized that there are people out there that care deeply for you!" she exclaimed, a fearsome glare printed on the priestess's face.

The Nightshade remained silent, and filled his mind with question.

"You should be worried about Yoko! After all that you two have been through together, she should be your prime concern! I know how you think Tojiro! It's obvious how you seek to guard the lives who are threatened by people who bring disrespect and grievance to their lives! That's why…you're…**you're always there to watch over them**."

Kasumi's voice changing to a slow, and grave tone at the end, her eyes staring at the ground before her. Tojiro remained still as well, actually listening to her every word.

"Doesn't Yoko matter _**anything**_ to you? Not even a little?" questioned the shocked priestess, staring up at him.

"I'm beginning to feel that you're changing. Which isn't a good thing to do. Just look at me. To be honest Kasumi, Yoko will be back with us once we find her."

"That's truly how you feel?" said the baffled priestess.

Tojiro turned away from her and continued walking towards Daisy's house, leaving Kasumi on her own. Until the obviousness hit her like a rock, she quickly hurried off to catch up with the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"So…what are we looking for exactly? Is this Daisy person an old friend of yours?" the priestess simply asked.

"It's somewhat of a story. At first, I thought of her as another human being, with any other problems that I refused to worry over. Although, I found her as a person with an unfortunate past like my mine. After that, I assisted her and she assisted me. I learned a lot from her." the demon answered, steadily walking towards the house.

"Just like that, huh? Are you telling the truth?" responded the curious Shade Priestess.

"Yes. _It is true_. Is that some form of a problem to you?" he reacted in defense.

"It isn't. Just asking." shrugged the priestess, staring off to the side with no disbelieving intention on her mind.

"I bet you are." whispered the Cloakmaster, keeping his gaze on the front door of Daisy's house.

He grabbed onto the handle, but his eyes formed into a glare. He reverted to his hedgehog form, and quickly took out Black Death from his holster.

"Stay back for a moment, priestess." said the Cloakmaster, pointing his left open hand at Kasumi.

The Shade Priestess stopped, "What is it? Is there something in the house?"

"Indeed. I don't like the smell of it either." said the Demon Demigod, stepping away from the door.

"Just take it easy and don't do anything-"

Tojiro blasted down the door with a blast of red Chaos energy from his eyes, blowing the door and much of the surrounding structure around it down.

"What were you saying? I believe I interrupted you?" said the serious Cloakmaster, looking over his shoulder.

"Just forget it." she wavered, lowering her head in disappointment to Tojiro's form of overreacting.

Tojiro hopped into the front blown up portion of the house, finding nothing thus far. A sudden red light from deeper within the house caught his attention. The Cloakmaster's orange eyes vanished, and blank white remained. He immediately charged down the hall, then sprinted to a halt, jumping off the wall in front of him, then continuing to sprint down the right hall. He finally arrived in the large kitchen, and came across something surprising.

Standing in a cleared out room was Daisy in her Spartan armor, pointing her Assault Rifle at a large silver armored Sangheili who was holding a human reverted Yoko Littner by the neck. Tojiro quickly fired, hitting the Elite in the head, killing it, then quickly running over to grab Yoko in his arms. Yoko stared at the blank white eyed hedgehog in disbelief.

"So you get yourself back into your obnoxious little human form and end up in the hands of an alien soldier that kills anything out of blatant orders. If I missed any small detail, go ahead and add anything." explained Tojiro.

Tojiro put Yoko on her feet. Yoko looked over at Daisy suddenly, removing her helmet.

"Sorry I couldn't answer the door. Once I heard an explosion I had a feeling someone with an attitude was coming to help." said Daisy, holding her helmet under her right arm and attaching her Assault Rifle to her back.

"I'm not surprised." said the dull voiced Cloakmaster.

"And as for Yoko here, I doubt she didn't give you any trou-" said the interrupted Tojiro as Yoko angrily kicked him in the back of the head, forcing him to face plant into the ground.

"You're an irresponsible hedge-rat!" growled Yoko, walking away with smoke simmering from her head.

"Somehow, I wager a hunch you _definitely_ deserved that." said the jokingly amused Spartan.

"Silence. Or I'll destroy the rest of your house." said the muffled Demon Demigod.

"Cloakmaster-san!" shouted Kasumi's voice.

Tojiro leapt to his feet, and then ran outside with Daisy quickly following in suit. Tojiro leaped outside, staring up at a Covenant Phantom drop ship. Standing under its gravlift was Yoko being held hostage by an Elite General. The gravlift swiftly picked them up, and took them into the ship. Tojiro quickly looked over at the surrounded Kasumi, three Hunters closing in on her.

"This is too simple. These bastards definitely can't be Covenant." said the Cloakmaster of Darkness, charging towards Kasumi's rescue.

One Hunter quickly turned towards the cloaked hedgehog, firing its fuel rod cannon. Tojiro kicked away all the blasts. Preparing Black Death in his right hand, the Cloakmaster yelled; "STRIKE OF DARKNESS!"

Tojiro bashed the weapon straight into the Hunter, blowing it to pieces, splattering its orange blood all over the ground. Tojiro quickly rolled to the left to dodge another Hunter from crushing him with its armored arm. He then jumped up at its face, pointing Black Death into the thin layer of its throat, blowing the aliens' head off. He swiftly put Black Death back in its holster, and in a blur went behind the decapitated Hunter to spin dash its corpse straight into another Hunter, knocking it to the ground.

Taking to the air, he spin dashed straight down at the incapacitated Hunter, and performed an explosive spin dash straight into it, blowing it to pieces. He stood up, the last two Hunters standing behind him. The two Hunters made irritable noises, causing the Cloakmaster to turn around, holding the Blade of Darkness backwards in his right hand. The two large aliens dropped forward, revealing Kasumi and Daisy to be the ones responsible.

"Thanks for the quick assist." responded the surprisingly thankful demon, sheathing the Blade of Darkness.

"Shouldn't you be heading after that girl already?" Daisy intervened.

"Already on it. But first, is the word _**Reach**_ any importance to you?" the Cloakmaster asked.

"Planet Reach? Yeah! Biggest home of the UNSC, why?" she asked.

"Perfect. Then the Scythe is on Reach. If these alien bastards know of it too, they're taking Yoko to the same place! You two hitch a ride and meet me at Reach! Yoko's of my concern." said the cloaked hedgehog, turning his back to the girls.

A fierce shower of flames blasted from underneath his feet and the Demon Demigod soared straight into the sky.

Tojiro's hood passed off his head, his quills shaking in the furious force of wind that blew against him. His blank white eyes set to lock once he saw the Phantom get closer to him. He prepared his Chaos Rasengan in his left hand, keeping its power at a limited state. Tojiro finally stuck his right arm forward, latching onto the side of the Phantom. With the hatches obviously closed, he prepared his Chaos Rasengan and drove it into the hull, drilling through the hull and breaking open a good sized circle.

He grabbed the sides of the hole and forced to create a much larger opening. The sudden act of an Elite General driving a syringe with glowing blue liquid inside surprised the Cloakmaster. The Elite drove it straight into Tojiro's chest. The Demon Demigod growled, his blank white eyes changing to a complete glowing red. Tojiro vigorously reached forward, but a small Grunt appeared standing in front of the Elite.

"DIE!" it screamed, firing the Fuel Rod Cannon it held.

The blast knocked Tojiro far off the ship. Leaving his tainted blood to fly off from the cuts and bruises he unrequitedly received, Tojiro readied the Chains of Fear. By throwing the kusarigama weapons straight up to the belly of the Phantom, the blades latched into the hull. The Cloakmaster then powerfully yanked himself straight back up to it. Quickly stopping himself from smacking his head into the hull, Tojiro ceased the repelling and remained hanging just a few inches from under the Phantom drop ship, not giving up, and definitely not running away.

As the Phantom ascended into space, a large Covenant Corvette awaited it in Sargasso's atmosphere. Seeing the massive ship, Tojiro could sense uneasiness slowly creeping its hands over his shoulders. The Phantom converged onto the Corvette's entry bay, passing through the shield doors and landing on the first level of the open hanger. Tojiro stuck his feet against the top belly of the Phantom, and held onto the chains of his weapons. Upside down, he quickly dislodged the blades and landed behind a set of Covenant weapon carriers. He quickly placed the Chains of Fear back in their holders.

His eyes stared down at the syringe, revealing the liquid to have fully entered into his system. Tojiro laid his back against the cover, cursing to himself. He removed the syringe from his chest. His ears warned him of a threat. The Demon Demigod looked around the corner of his cover, the image of an Elite warrior standing in front caught his attention. The Phantom that Tojiro rode in on set still. The hatches opened, and the Elite General came off, holding the unconscious Yoko over its shoulder. He carefully watched the Elite General passed by several squads of Jackals and Skirmishers, armed with either Needle Rifles, Plasma Pistols, and even Focus Rifles.

Tojiro removed the syringe from his gut, then readied himself. He snatched the Elite in front of his cover by the back of its head, pulling it to the ground and silently driving the empty syringe into the Elite's mouth. He stood back up, spotting one last glimpse of the Elite General passing through automatic opening doors. Shield doors suddenly closed the open hanger, the low gravity of space dissipated, making everything physical again. Tojiro heard the Elite on the ground growl. He angrily lifted up his right foot and crushed the alien's head. He then removed his metal leg, placing it back on the ground.

"How's that for a splatter?" taunted the demon warrior.

Tojiro back flipped onto a shortened path behind his position. Landing safely and quietly, he suddenly found several Grunts with Needlers to his right. The Cloakmaster heinously fired a single stream of red Chaos energy that shot through each of their foreheads, dropping each of them dead. Tojiro armed the Blade of Darkness once more, turning to the left and dashing down the curved walkway. He sliced through the waist of an Elite with a jetpack, causing its half cut corpse to fly off and smack into a Grunt, making the little alien scream in fear. Tojiro sliced and kicked ten Grunts out of his way, one at a time. He grabbed a Jackal, kicking it in the chest, forcing its head to pop off from the rest of its body.

He tossed the head to the side, then pointed the Blade of Darkness forward to shoot a focused beam of red Chaos energy with a swirling ring of crimson spinning around the entire beam. The beam blasted apart and obliterated two Elites, four Grunts, and one Hunter. Tojiro continued on the walkway, running over the mangled body parts that the aliens left behind, as well as the multi colored pools of blood.

Tojiro went on to _punt_ a Grunt like a football, cutting through an Elite straight down the middle, then quickly shooting off into diagonal directions across the ground to decapitate seven Jackals in a row. Making it halfway through the sealed off hanger, he looked down to see a storm of needles pin into his skin and result into one multiple explosion after another.

Skirmishes scoped in with their Focus Rifles. A sudden stream of violent flames shot towards a line of fourteen of Skirmishers that were standing on the opposite walkway on the other end of the hanger, melting them all into pools of guts and nothingness. Tojiro came out of the smoke, armed with the large Dragon Guardian Cestus. The glowing red eyes of the Dragon heads were vibrantly shining with Tojiro's synced power. He smashed the two large Cestus onto two Grunts, blowing them up into mists of blue blood. He pointed the Cestus forward. In the mouths of the Cestus, a sphere of black with a dark purple core formed.

"Dragon Incineration!" commanded the Cloakmaster.

Large bursts of purple flames shot forward, scorching through everything it touched.

All the Grunts madly ran away, waving their arms in the air. Tojiro charged forward, statistically stretching his legs forward to slide across the ground and uppercut two Jackals then quickly turning around to punch an Elite General in the chest. Tojiro looked forward seeing a Hunter smack him directly across the face. Tojiro flung towards one Phantom, smashing into it's nose. Two other Hunters joined their successful ally, and fired their Fuel Rod Cannons all at the same time.

Together, their insane power exploded into several clouds of green plasma, dangerously causing the Phantom that Tojiro crashed into to spark with blue flames. Finally, several Grunt squads fired their Fuel Rod Cannons, hitting the Phantom and causing it to explode into a vicious show off plasma flames. The Grunts happily skipped and jumped around, shouting in victory in their native tongue. A sudden Cloakmaster appeared before them, bashing the Dragon Guardian Cestus into the ground, causing several pillars of gold Chaos energy to explode up from the ground, killing the gutsy Grunts, along with the malicious Mgalekgolo.

The Deathly Demigod changed the Dragon Guardian Cestus back into their wrist band forms. Tojiro raised his right fist, creating a slick shaped barrier of gold Chaos energy to block a barrage of charged plasma shots. He lowered the barrier then leaped up into the air, firing multiple crimson red Chaos Spears out of his left hand down at the squads of doomed Grunts down in the hanger to Tojiro's right.

Landing back on his feet, he bashed through the shield of a cowardly Jackal, and broke its jaw. He tossed it's dead corpse out of his path, then went onto to grab the arms of an Elite Warrior and rip them both off. Tojiro faced a group of five Grunts in front of him. Curiously looking at the arms he fiercely _amputated_, Tojiro simply tossed the arms at the Grunts, causing them to all run away in fear.

"Interesting. I didn't think that would have worked." said the strangely baffled Tojiro.

An array of beams from Focus Rifles scorched against Tojiro with violently precise power. He quickly surrounded himself in his cloak, but the Skirmishes with their Focus Rifles refused to hinder their overpower of the Cloakmaster. The powerful beams continued to swarm and hit the blackened Tojiro. Inside, the Cloakmaster sweated intensively, his cloak wasn't going to take this much dense heat forever.

He quickly opened his cloak and shot a pair of angry red Chaos energy from his eyes. The blasts blew apart several parts of the Corvette's inner hull. The Cloakmaster's arms hung low, he quickly cart wheeled to the right five times, then leaping over the middle of the hanger, firing blasts of fire to blow the Jackals to burning chunks of flesh. The Demon Demigod landed back on the ground, turning around to block a thrust from a Hunter.

From behind, an Elite with a jetpack armed with a Concussion Rifle started firing carelessly at him. The Deathly Demon quickly jumped over the Hunter, and forcibly kicked the Hunter into the incoming fire, doing no harm to it whatsoever, but it still gave the Cloakmaster some well deserved cover. Tojiro quickly ducked from a swing of the Hunter's large arm. He watched the Elite fly up with it's jetpack, firing more rounds from its Concussion Rifle. Tojiro leaped back using his right hand to bounce off the floor. Back on his feet, Tojiro stuck his hands up, collecting the ten shots of the Concussion Rifle and mid-air. He clamped his hands together, causing the shots to form into one single ball.

With his pasted together hands glowing with a dark red aura, the Cloakmaster readily exclaimed; "Concussive Chaos Barrage!"

The sphere of Concussion rounds exploded into hundreds of red energized rounds of explosiveness. The rounds blew apart the Hunter, turned the jetpack Elite to a mist of blue, and showered throughout the rest of the room, blowing apart squads of Grunts, Jackal groups, and pairs of Hunters with grim effectiveness.

Tojiro lowered his hands by his side, turning around to use his left hand to literally block a swing from an Energy Sword wielding Sangheili. The blade laid wedged into the flesh of his arm. The Elite barked at him in its native language.

"Yeah. I don't understand it either." said the shrugging Cloakmaster.

Tojiro reached up, and tore one of the mouth parts off the alien, causing it to drop back in pain. The Elite was also forced to remove its blade from Tojiro's arm. Tojiro stepped on the right arm of the Elite, the arm that held onto the Energy Sword.

"But it definitely puts others to shame." the demon added, crushing the Elite's bone, then bending down to snap the Sangheili's neck.

Tojiro grabbed the Energy Sword off the ground.

"Thanks for the memories." readied the Cloakmaster, observing the weapon, stagnant in his diamond hard stance to the enemies seeking his evisceration.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-Tojiro raises his gaze to reveal the Tsukikagegan replacing his eyes.-

"Within the walls of a Covenant Battle Cruiser the Demigod of Darkness shoots and annihilates _all_ in his path."

-Tojiro punts a miserable Grunt into an Elite soldier, quickly assimilating both by sheer force.- "His rage and determination..."

-Tojiro takes the brunt force of Focus Cannons to his chest.- "Become clear as he races through a sprawl of Covenant troops to save the imprisoned Yoko Littner."

"Only he can do this." -Tojiro clashes with a swarm of Hunters. A falling Tojiro drops to the ground and runs in zig-zags to decapitate several Jackals in a row.-

-Tojiro takes the furious force of Fuel Rod cannons.- "To fight for Reach's location, the rescuing of Yoko shall give Tojiro his clearest resolve in order to claim the Nightmare Scythe."

-A storm of darkness implodes around the Cloakmaster of Darkness.-

-An imprisoned Yoko and Tojiro exchange glances from a shared cell inside the ship.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS **_

**CHAPTER XXXVIII: A SAINT MASKED BY DARKNESS  
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	38. Chapter XXXVIII

_**CHAPTER XXXVIII: A SAINT MASKED BY DARKNESS**_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku! He is my original creation and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners. **

**A friend of mine is the biggest Halo fan and supporter I'll ever know. His devotion to a wildly huge franchise that is epic in storytelling inspired me to get "Halo" styled advice for two chapters from Book IV of "The Aftermath Chronicles: The Revelation of Good and Evil." The chapters were explosive, gritty and sunk with war and carnage. Returning here and in the previous chapter was a delight, and I'd like to thank my fellow "Spartan" for helping me in the past...because this chapter's for you my friend!  
><strong>

A group of silver armored Elites with jetpacks, armed with Plasma Repeaters and Concussion Rifles charged at the Cloakmaster. Holding the Energy Sword in front of his face, and with his hood flinging off his head, the Demon Demigod's eyes filled with a fiery glowing crimson. Tojiro charged forward, flinging the sword left and right to smack away blasts of Concussion shots. Tojiro went on to slice three Elites in half from the waist down, then punch to the left, then used his right foot to deliver a painful deal of hurt to the throat of another Sangheili.

Tojiro quickly ducked from several Plasma Repeater shots, but wasn't ready for the slew of more Plasma rounds that repeated with extensive force that smacked him to the ground. An angry Elite charged at him, armed with two Plasma Rifles. It stood over the Cloakmaster, but Tojiro quickly drove the Energy Sword in his right hand into the Sangheili's chest, then immediately proceeding to jumping back to his feet. Tojiro cut off the arm of an Elite that charged from the right, but he was suddenly stabbed by the same Elite. Tojiro leaped back, but the Energy Sword remained embedded in his hand. Tojiro viciously removed the blade from his stomach, wielding it in his left hand.

"You just made this battle ten times easier for me." invoked the angry hell-bent demon.

The Elites violently fired their Plasma Repeaters, and even a group of seven Grunts stood behind the Elites, armed with Fuel Rod Cannons. The Cloakmaster was up in the air, holding the Energy Swords out to his left and right. The Grunts fired their weapons with violent decisiveness. Tojiro kicked away the globs of green with his feet, then crossed the swords over another. Charging down towards a space between two Elites, Tojiro swung the Energy Swords outward, decapitating the two Sangheili.

Landing back on the ground, he sped forward with super sonic speed, cutting the rest of the Elites in half, then sliding to a halt in front of the seven Grunts.

"Boo." he grumbled.

The Grunts suddenly broke up into fear at the death of their Elites, some of the fleeing Unggoy even ran into one another before they could even escape and get far enough from the mad Cloakmaster.

Tojiro leaped over to the other half of the shield surrounded hanger. He landed on top of a Phantom, shaking it. He back flipped off the Phantom drop ship, heading down towards an unsuspecting Hunter. He landed on top of the alien beast, driving both Energy Swords deep into its back, and forcing its dead corpse to smash to the floor. Tojiro turned around, quickly slashing away through five Jackals, and eight Skirmishers, all in one set of swift steps and lunges. Tojiro stopped, a storm of pink needles hitting him in the right arm, causing a painful set of red lightning to shock his entire body.

He dropped to the ground on all fours, growling furiously to himself. He was suddenly kicked by a vengeful Hunter, throwing him into a motionless Wraith, denting the front side of the Covenant's version of a human tank. Tojiro quickly reached himself back to his two metal feet, taking a storm of Fuel Rod Cannon blasts shot by three Grunts, including the Hunter that put him in his current position.

The blasts repeated and obliterated around him, resulting in a large cloud of plasma green to explode out from the momentous storm of merciless plasma bombs. The Grunts lowered their Fuel Rod Cannons, and the massive Hunter stepped towards the cloud of slowly drifting smoke. Unfortunately for the Hunter, the humongous visage of the Wraith came through the smoke and plowed through the Hunter and buried through the shocked Grunts.

Tojiro came out of the smoke, still standing, and still holding his dual Energy Swords. Seeking higher ground, Tojiro jumped back up to the round about walkway behind him. Landing on top of a Skirmisher, he quickly sliced it's head off then dashed off to the left, a clear path. Spotting a door up ahead to the left, he dashed for it. Passing by a set of crates, the sudden image of Concussion shots came at him from the right. Tojiro took himself to roll forward to dodge the damaging shots.

Appearing back on his feet in a crouched position, he stared off to the right, seeing a hovering Phantom to be the source of the recent firing. The side doors opened, revealing a group of angry Brutes to jump out both sides, fourteen in total. Tojiro strategized that if this threat was left alone, he would continue on to rescue Yoko and only come back to find himself surrounded. Tojiro took the initiative; jumping towards the hovering Phantom drop ship. He turned the Energy Swords off, auras of crimson red Chaos energy formed around his fists. Tojiro heavily smashed down on the front of the Phantom, drastically forcing it to crash down into the floor, killing seven of the Brutes below.

The Cloakmaster landed beside the smoldering wreckage of burning plasma and charred remains of the ship, standing back into a fitting state of posture. Tojiro quickly turned the Energy Swords, turning to the right to see two Brutes fire their Spikers at Tojiro. Taking several spikes into his legs and chest, the anger of the demon boosted him to charge forward and impale the two beasts.

However, the two beasts punched Tojiro at the same time, not feeling enough hurt to their system. Tojiro tossed the two swords forward, impaling the same Brutes, and knocking them down. The sudden image of a Brute Chieftain jumped over the two dead Brutes and swung its massive Gravity Hammer at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro prepared a barrier of gold Chaos energy by crossing his arms in the shape of an X.

The force of the hammer caused the Chieftain to stumble back, growling in fearsome anger. Tojiro quickly lowered the barrier, pointing his hands forward. The two Energy Swords embedded into the chests of the two dead Brutes behind the Chieftain came out, and spun sideways towards the Chieftain, slashing through its hips, spilling its dark purple blood onto the floor. Tojiro caught hold of the Energy Swords, charging forward, but the angered Brute leader charged and bashed Tojiro with a swing of its hammer. Tojiro was sent smacking into a corner section of a walkway above him and dropped back to the Brute Chieftain that desperately awaited him to get closer.

Tojiro pointed the Energy Swords down, and then flipped forward, his feet kicking the Brute in the face before it even had a chance to lift its Gravity Hammer. Tojiro landed behind the towering beast, quickly swinging the Energy Swords in opposite directions, one to the left and the other to the right, across the Brute's hips. The Brute Chieftain choked on the blood that spat from its mouth. Tojiro lowered his swords by his side, letting the Brute drop dead to the ground. From behind, Brutes fired their Spikers into Tojiro's back. He hastily turned around, using the swords to deflect the storm of spikes that never seemed to impede.

Swinging them forward, he released a surge of air to knock the storm of needles back, killing and butchering the last two Brutes to death. Tojiro sprinted to the right, then jumped forward, dodging an array of pink needles that attempted to skewer and explode all at once. Tojiro released a breath of red flames from his mouth, scorching through a Wraith, and blowing through ten squads of Grunts. Tojiro lowered his head, his back hunched, he stood in a weakened state.

A Concussion blast hit him in the chest, then the sudden appearance of another Brute Chieftain landed behind him, smacking the Cloakmaster with a vicious swing of its Gravity Hammer. Tojiro slammed to the ground, rolling to the feet of two Energy Sword wielding Sangheili. The Demon Demigod quickly lunged his Energy Swords and impaled the two Elites, permanently stiffening their bodies. Tojiro quickly turned around, swinging the two dead corpses' of the Elites at the Brute Chieftain. It swung its hammer, knocking the bodies away, but this plan only gave Tojiro a window of opportunity as he leaped towards the Brute, knocking the beast onto it's back.

Tojiro then drove the two Energy Swords into the Brute's chest with deadly accuracy to the beast's organs. Tojiro removed the two swords, stepping off its body, avoiding the annoying stench of death. Tojiro turned the Energy Swords off, leaping himself into a back flip, landing on top of a motionless Phantom, then leaping over to a set of automatic opening doors that were one of many throughout the Covenant Corvette's network. Tojiro kept the powered off Energy Swords tightly in his hands, preparing to turn them on at the slightest hint of overwhelming danger, _only overwhelming_. The Cloakmaster faced and handled these creatures before, but now the times have changed, and some of the pieces on the board have been checked and removed.

Tojiro had no time or room to make mistakes now; **he had to save Yoko**. Charging down the large hallway, he smashed a Grunt to the wall with his elbow, shattering its skull then flinging his right foot across the jaw of an oncoming Elite, knocking it against the wall.

Tojiro readied the Energy Swords, their blistering glowing fearsomeness, using the deadly combo to slash through three Skirmishers, cutting the arms and legs of a Brute, then driving the two weapons into the chest of an Elite, and split the alien literally in half. Through all the spilled blood, he managed to think. Of all times to think, he assumed this wouldn't be the best of times.

"_Yoko's in danger because of me…and she still doesn't understand. She'll never understand_." raced the Cloakmaster's thoughts, booting a Grunt into the ceiling with his right foot.

He ducked under a swing from a Gravity Hammer wielding Brute, then cutting the top hammer off, and kicking the hammer into the Brute's face with enough force to break its skull, and knock it to the floor. He jumped over its motionless corpse. The Cloakmaster turned down a hallway on the right, immediately skidding between the legs of an Elite General, then as he continued to run down the hall, he pointed his right Energy Sword back, releasing a bolt of red lightning which blew the Elite into nothing more than body parts and blood.

Tojiro turned forward, skidding to a halt, immediately crossing his Energy Swords together, creating a protective barrier of lightning in front of himself from a flurry of Fuel Rod projectiles. Tojiro remained still as a statue, refusing to let this force knock him back, he wouldn't allow it. At the end of this fight, he knew Yoko…would be there.

No matter threat he faced thus far, somehow he saw someone to be at the end of his ballistic trails of violence, and he would find a form of acceptance as well. Tojiro slashed through a door that refused to open, continuing on to cut five Grunts in half, one at a time, then leap over a golden Elite, cutting its arms off at the same time. Even as he continued to be drenched in his foes' blood, still the demon ran, and still he thought. Memories of his past that he shared with Yoko came vividly to his mind. The times she, with all her effort, was determined to keep him…safe. Tojiro's glowing red eyes fired up. He slid to a halt, a horde of Elites charging down the hall at him.

"_FINE! BE THAT WAY! It doesn't matter to you! It doesn't matter to me! I don't care what you say to me! I don't care what you think of me! Believe whatever you want; __**I DON'T LOVE YOU!**_" shouted the past of Yoko's words.

* * *

><p>Tojiro's Tsukikagegan appeared as he stretched open his eyes. He angrily fired a ringed beam of death out his eyes, splattering through the Elites and painting all sides of the hall with their purple blood. Tojiro growled with extensive hate. He was annoyed and discouraged with himself to let such petty thoughts take such quick control of his conscience. He quickly turned around, swinging his left Energy Sword, slicing an unfortunate Hunter's head clean off. He turned back forward, clicking the Energy Swords off, storming down the hall with a definite pace of carelessness. Even through this disoriented scene of awful horror, everything around him was invisible to his thoughts and sight.<p>

"_You never cared, haven't you? Everything always seemed so invisible to you. It was as if nothing mattered! No one mattered! Not…no-not…not even me._" said Yoko's distant words from the past.

Tojiro came to another door, this time it opened with clear convenience. He stormed down the hall once more. Yoko's been the type of person that seems to only understand one sign of free logic. Yoko saw the world through her own will. However, through Tojiro's actions, she was ashamed of how he viewed the world. A Hunter's large armored arm was severely cut off, then the massive alien was blasted down the hall by a blast of Chaos energy that streamed from Tojiro's eyes. He continued on, slicing down the middle of two Skirmishers, taking a storm of Focused Rifles to his body, and yet he managed to charge forward, yelling and screaming with fearless agony. Yoko actually despised him.

Tojiro cut through five of the armed Jackals with their Focused Rifles. Tojiro then ducked to avoid several plasma grenades. When a group of six Grunts readied a suicide charge by holding active plasma grenades on their hands, Tojiro was sickened deeper than the lengths of hell itself. She…truly couldn't understand.

At the end of the hall, where a door stood, from the other side, a vicious beam of red Chaos energy surged through the hall, annihilating the door in the process. He somehow never managed to understand Yoko either; because he never wanted to. Tojiro judged others on their most pertained form of decisions and actions, not simply by first opinions. Even with the power to read into peoples' minds, it didn't seem to show mercy to his beliefs.

The Cloakmaster doomed himself by selfishly putting his hide to the test, in attempt to preserve the life of someone who deserves true peace. Maybe that's why he never had time to judge people so quickly, particularly Yoko Littner. Tojiro walked through the smoking chaos that was at the end of the hall, his eyes returned to blank white. On the other side of a large work station area of the Covenant Corvette, several walkways and stations sat all around him. However, he felt the presence of the red haired Yoko herself, and it was close than he could imagine. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear up top on a slim walkway. Up ahead were four equally sized plasma pylons that formed a square.

The walkway he stood on lead straight to the other side of the large power room, and two paths to the left and right. However, several Yanme'e; otherwise known as Drones, flew up from the left and right, madly firing their Plasma Pistols at the Deathly Demon. Tojiro quickly took the shots like nothing, but as the shots continued his skin was getting worn and burned by the apprehensive firing of the trigger happy Drones. Tojiro took upon himself to halt his intimidation of being able to handle pain, and quickly spin like a tornado, creating a red tornado of Chaos energy around himself.

The footing he stood on shattered under his feet, and the tornado grew straight down to the ground, obliterating several consoles and seamlessly killing more Covenant that it touched. Bolts of furious red lightning beamed out from the ferocious cyclone of chaos, causing several consoles and the walls to explode with a simple touch of the override of electricity. The Drones were blown away already, but the entire room continued to take the hurt from Tojiro's manic power.

The power of his Chaos finally dispersed into a field of small red glowing orbs that filled the entire room. Several Grunts on the ground strangely looked at them. One touched one of the floating orbs but was surprisingly shocked by it. The Grunts, and only the Grunts began to insanely shoot at the floating spheres of sudden pain. Tojiro floated over onto the middle of the room, standing in-between the four plasma pylons. A drifting smoke of transparent red was simmering off of Tojiro's body. On the inside, his Chaos energy was rapidly having too many things to do.

First, heal his wounds, then he uses it to fight, including using it to protect himself. With every being, Chaos energy works like blood cells do, it even has the same name. Tojiro's _Chaos Cells_ were completely suffering with so much jobs to do, and his current state was a perfect example why. He turned the Energy Swords off once more, stepping forward, his metal legs still in operable use. Even through the Chaos energy he wasted, with every breath he took; it became apparent to how every second and minute would cost him greatly to increase his Chaos Cell build-up. Tojiro stepped to the automatic opening doors, passing through it. He stopped in his tracks. He punched his fists together, forcing the drifting red smoke to dissipate and halt any slow pain it was dealing to his skin.

As inches of information increased to pounds, Tojiro began to lose Yoko's presence. Having the ability to use a hedgehog form and possess Chaos energy, Yoko's trail was cold and free of darkness. Tojiro put himself into a sprinting position a few feet before another door up ahead in the hallway he was in. His lifeless eyes of freezing hate remained dismal until the door lit up. A swarm of twenty Drones flew down the hall. Tojiro's eyes angrily widened to a furious stare of death. He turned the Energy Swords on one final time, pointing them forward.

The Energy Swords were of course designed to have an open part through the center of it, giving the weapon its two sharp points. However, by infusing his Chaos energy into it, the middle open sections of the Energy Swords brimmed with red lightning. The Energy Swords changed to a glowing red, and the red lightning changed to gold. It sporadically shocked around the swords with uncontrollable pressure. The Drones in front of their swarm fired a horde of fully charged shots. Tojiro put the swords together, side to side, giving it the appearance of one single Energy Sword.

"PLASMA HELLSTORM!" roared the insanely angered Demigod of Death.

A fearsome storm of small glowing red spheres shot forward. In-between the storm of spheres that filled the halls, they were all connected with bolts of gold lightning that amplified the spheres' power. All at once, a monstrous explosion occurred, and ate through the entire swarm, destroying the walls at the same time. Flames of plasma along with Tojiro's Chaos energy scorched all the way down the hall with a monstrous image until it assimilated the door at the end of the hall.

It was the door into the bridge. The Elite General that captured Yoko was still holding her captive. Except, she was being bind by plasma made cuffs, and the Elite General held her in front of him. The Elite General was busy at the controls before it turned around to see the large cloud of smoke wander into the bridge. Yoko, equally as surprised, let her eyes shake and widen. Storming in a fit of rage, the Cloakmaster slid across the floor on his feet, halting at the entrance of the bridge room, armed with his glowing red Energy Swords that simmered with white smoke.

"Yoko…" growled the Cloakmaster, putting himself into a sprinting stance.

Suddenly, the Cloakmaster was lifted off the ground from behind and impaled through the chest with an Energy Sword. Yoko's eyes widened with shock and fear. The Demon Demigod slowly turned his gaze down at the two studded sword that was pierced through his chest. The Special Operations Sangheili stood holding the Cloakmaster up off his feet, and continued to push the sword forward. Yoko was turned away by the Elite General, who believed the pitiful Tojiro to be dead.

"Tojiro! Damn it! You're not going to seriously let these freaks beat you so easily, right? Are you a coward or not?" she vividly exclaimed.

The Elite General smacked her down on the console, keeping her subdued. Tojiro continued to gurgle and growl in etching pain.

"You're really serious about this? You better not be you stupid coward! Are you going to betray your beliefs so easily?! Don't you want to see me safe? Or are you too much of wimp to even convince yourself?!" she continued to shout.

Tojiro's eyes filled with annoyance, a rage he refused to keep hearing. The Special Operations Elite suddenly turned ablaze with flames, forcing it to cry and scream in agony, dropping Tojiro, and then dropping itself to the ground. With his Tsukikagegan present in his eyes once more, he stared forward at several Elite majors armed with Energy Swords. Tojiro, even with an Energy Sword embedded through him, sent a chilling shockwave forward, that literally froze all the Elites in ice, then at the same time; shattered to hundreds of pieces. A dark black aura crept around the Cloakmaster. The sudden appearance of fangs grew in his mouth. Yoko shockingly saw this.

"_Even in that hedgehog form of his, he's getting those teeth of that other monster he turns into! God, I think I pushed him too hard_." imagined the shatter wide eyes of the sharpshooter.

Walking forward at a steady, he held his Energy Swords down by his side. An Elite Ultra charged from both left and right, but the Demon Demigod easily dealt away with them by swinging his swords, decapitating them both at the same time. Tojiro shot a beam of red Chaos energy from both of his eyes, blowing through a line of unready Jackals. A stream of seven Focus Rifle beams shot from both the left and right. Tojiro held his Energy Swords up, stunningly causing all the beams to reflect and immediately silence the Skirmishers that foolishly fired at the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

The Elite General turned around, keeping his left hand suppressed on Yoko's back to keep her forced against the console. Tojiro neared closer and closer, no more Covenant was in the way now. The Elite General took Yoko, readied an Energy Sword and jabbed it forward. Yoko's eyes froze like she was overwhelmed with a pain of incomprehensible thought once she saw the Elite General drive the sword forward at her heart.

However, before the sword was even lifted, Yoko was sitting safely on the floor before the hologram picture of Planet Sargasso that was in the middle of the room. She looked forward, seeing Tojiro with both of his Energy Swords impaled into the Elite General, while the Sangheili had its Energy Sword pointed over the cloaked demon's left shoulder.

Tojiro yanked his weapons from the Elite's belly, then kicked its useless corpse to the ground. Sitting with her legs sideways on the floor, Yoko remained still. The creeping aura of darkness that remained around Tojiro made his appearance just as frightening. Merely sliding her left hand across the floor, Tojiro swiftly turned halfway around. Yoko jolted at his sudden response. Tojiro turned all the way around, his Energy Swords continuing to simmer as his increasing hatred climbed higher and higher.

"Tojiro…you're there, right?" she said with determination.

Tojiro took a step forward with his right foot, tightening the grip of his Energy Swords.

"Tojiro…you did it. You can calm down now. Please…" said the silent sharpshooter, still shocked by his resonating appearance of increasing fear.

Tojiro took one more step with his left foot. It was almost as his current state was lifeless. His mind could completely be in another place, so what was controlling the Demigod of Death now? Yoko remained on the ground. A thought in her mind told the sharpshooter that one single movement would enact his pulsating hate that seemed to never extinguish itself.

Tojiro immediately charged forwards at Yoko with no contempt in his heartless eyes of hateful wrath. Yoko jolted back. Tojiro swung the Energy Sword in his left hand down at her upper chest. She was able to avoid the fatal slash, though the plasma sword sliced the thin strap that connected her bikini together. In a frantic shock, she covered her chest with her jacket, sighing with relief. Tojiro held both swords up at Yoko, but a sudden beam from a Focus Rifle hit him directly in the face, then a series of pink needles storm and blew him back across the floor once they hit his stomach.

Yoko looked over her shoulder at the swarming number of Elite Specialists, Generals, Hunters, and even Brutes gathered from the main entrance into the bridge. Tojiro ferociously sat up. Yoko looked between Tojiro and the furious group of angry Covenant soldiers. In the front line, six Brutes fired their Spikers straight out at Yoko and the Cloakmaster behind her. Tojiro lunged forward at Yoko.

As if time slowed down, the red haired sharpshooter looked over her shoulder. The demented demigod continued to run at full force, not a single hint of slowing down appeared in his actions. Suddenly, Yoko looked forward, finding Tojiro standing defensively in front of Yoko. His cloak let out a large black wall that stretched to the left and right. All the spikes immediately vanished upon impact against Tojiro's barrier.

"Tojiro?" stuttered the female sharpshooter.

He turned his head over his right shoulder, his eyes appearing blank white again.

"I'm an idiot…for involving you. I…should never have…made you suffer. I…I was…wrong to be angry…at _**you**_." he said weakly.

The entire barrier vanished with immediacy. The two red Energy Swords turned back to blue, then turned off. Tojiro dropped to his knees, dropping the two Energy Swords, before falling forward to the ground. The Elite Generals, four of them stepped forward, lowering their Concussion Rifles or Plasma Repeaters. One of the massive Hunters strolled over to the corpse of Tojiro, preparing to stomp him into the floor. The Elite General stepped forward, halting it. A golden Elite Zealot stepped past the Hunter and Elite General, standing before Yoko.

It turned around, speaking to two Brutes, giving them orders. Yoko kept a tight grip on her jacket so it would _remain _closed. The golden Zealot Elite waved a hand sign, telling her to get up. The Brutes pointed their Spikers at her immediately. Yoko looked past the golden Zealot Elite, noticing two Jackals removing Tojiro's cloak.

"Leave him alone!" she angrily screamed, stepping forward.

She was only to be stopped once the Zealot Elite readied his Energy Sword inches to her neck, halting her definitely. The Jackals took away Tojiro's cloak, leaving his wounds to heal with time and low efficiency. Lowering his Energy Sword, the Zealot stepped out of the way, pointing towards the cleared entrance. Yoko glared with anger and distaste at the alien, but nonetheless she had no other choice.

Yoko walked towards the entrance while in front of her, Tojiro was being carried over the shoulder of the massive Mgalekgolo. Even in this situation where no hope was present, Yoko still managed to believe like Tojiro would believe. In some form of distant hope, a wager went off in Yoko's head like a new set of lights. It could be impartial, or even dismal. The true fact that Yoko first saw once she looked at the unconscious Cloakmaster that was draped over the Hunter's shoulder is that Tojiro's determination came this far.

Along with himself, his unrivaled confidence refused to dim or be shaken. There was too much at risk for him to give up, and so much to lose if he did. Yoko's conscious began to think and exchange a whole bank of questionable thoughts. They were thoughts she never imagined bringing up more than once. After all, even by looking at him, Yoko felt that Tojiro came this far for a reason…and to go through so much hell to reach her…his reason must have been noble.

The next place Yoko found herself was in the ship's holding cell area. One of the shield doors vanished, and the Zealot Elite shoved her into it. Yoko fell to the ground, rolling onto her knees, glaring at both the Zealot Elite and the Hunter. The Zealot turned to the Hunter halfway, then took another glance at Yoko. The Zealot pointed into the cell.

The Hunter growled, tossing the bloodied corpse of Tojiro right before Yoko's eyes. The shield door appeared, locking the pair inside. The Covenant supporters then walked away, the distant sound of the entrance into the cell room grew and shrank as the Zealot and Hunter left. Yoko turned her eyes to the still unconscious Tojiro.

"_There has to be a reason why he always does such things. There…just has to be._" thought the solemn sniper.

Yoko slowly scooted forward, using her left hand to drag herself across the floor, even as she remained on her knees and kept her right arm over her jacket to keep it sealed. Yoko reached her left hand forward, grabbing his left shoulder and rolling him onto his back. His black t-shirt was somewhat shredded. Gashes across the chest, along with torn sleeves. His baggy black cargo pants remained unscathed. Yoko blushed nervously, her eyes off to the side.

She removed her right hand from her jacket. Fortunately, the jacket only _slightly_ opened, but the sides of her breasts were still showing. Yoko carefully took Tojiro, and positioned him against the right wall of the cell. She continued to blush with overreacting embarrassment. Even the simple change of her subtle thoughts couldn't get her mind off of it. Tojiro suddenly stirred. In a fit of panic, Yoko jolted to the other side of the small cell, keeping her jacket closed.

A sudden mist of black surrounded the Demigod of Death. Yoko curiously looked at the strange phenomenon. The black smoke vanished, revealing Tojiro to be in his human form. Small bolts of silver electricity appeared around his body, arms and legs, vanishing as quick as they appeared. Tojiro's orange eyes opened up. Once he sat up from his slumped position, his hood fell back, and the Cloakmaster was awakened once again.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****"Beyond the outer reaches of hope, Tojiro claims to Yoko his indestructible desire for the Nightmare Scythe."

-Yoko covers her chest with her jacket.- -The Cloakmaster points down at Yoko as he stands high and mighty.-

"He seeks an unruly path. One that is alone and free of light, free of allies, free of friends," -Yoko's hands slam the metal floor of the cell, angrily denying Tojiro's lone wolf attitude with brimming irises.- "Closer and closer can Yoko feel it: The Cloakmaster's grand plan."

-In a Tokyo flooded by water and buildings capsized, Tojiro falls through the sky.- "Do endless possibilities...**truly exist?**"

-Tojiro is raised off the ground of the prison cell by an Elite Zealot.- -Yoko's stare remains off to the side.- "Tojiro's grand plan...for the legendary mythic power of the Nightmare Scythe. It continues to frighten Yoko with the greatest of ease." -Tojiro stands as Yoko's eyes quake in tense emotion: Seeing fangs and rage engulf the Demigod of Death's voice and expression.-

-Tojiro is thrown into a Chaos Portal masked with malevolence and madness; his hands reaching out as far as he can stretch...falling farther and farther away.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

_****_**CHAPTER XXXIX: GRIM FUTURES  
><strong>


	39. Chapter XXXIX

_**CHAPTER XXXIX: GRIM FUTURES  
><strong>_

_****_**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu. They are my original creations and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

**The beginning of this chapter certainly was enjoyable yet bothersome to write. Though looking at it now I liked the way it came out. Tojiro and Yoko's bond is something of mystical endeavors. Both warriors have their own idea of hope, and both have their own idea on the other. To what length then should Yoko go to ensure Tojiro to believe in her hope rather than "his"? Can he even be reasoned with? Or is the life of a Nightshade always left up to a Nightshade? Should a tortured demigod have peace? Or continue to face destruction every day of their life?  
><strong>

"You're okay. That's good. Not like I'm surprised or anything." noted Yoko, hiding her blushing face.

Tojiro glared suddenly. His eyes circled around the room.

"Captured? What the hell? What happened? How are we even in here!?" barked the Cloakmaster.

"You don't remember what happened?" said the surprised sharpshooter.

"All I remember is you threatening my beliefs. What the hell was all that about?" he complained, sending her a death glare.

"You weren't fighting back! I thought you were dead!" she responded, equally as loud.

"Yelling won't solve anything." noted Tojiro, rubbing his head achingly.

"You yelled first, idiot! Don't give me that useless crap!" exclaimed the offended red head.

"Besides that, who took away your-"

"DON'T YOU LOOK!" she shouted with vigor.

Tojiro lowered his right hand, appearing unimpressed by her sudden outburst.

"You were the one who lashed out at me anyway." mumbled Yoko, staring of to the side with an annoyed look on her face.

Tojiro suddenly focused his attention to Yoko's words. "I attacked you?"

Yoko's eyebrows rose, turning to Tojiro on the other side of the room with a worried expression. Tojiro let out a sigh of disturbance and disappointment.

"Well…doesn't this suck on many levels." he forcibly spat out.

"You…really didn't remember anything?"

"Nothing. Nothing after you shouted all those things. Maybe this damn Dragon inside of me is actually trying to take my body over." explained the guilty demon, staring at the palm of his right hand.

"There's no concern to have, Tojiro. I'm all right." she said with grace, lightening the mood.

"I nearly costed you your life. But I suppose your dignity is more worth it." he said, turning his head away.

"You just said that to make me angry, didn't you!?" she instantly barked.

"Forget it." he grumbled.

Yoko looked down, her eyes staring forward with a discerning gaze. Yoko sighed with easiness, resting her arms by her side, her jacket opened up by just a few inches. Tojiro, even by staring at the shield door realized this. Yoko was looking off to the side. Even though her chest wasn't _completely_ revealed, she could still feel embarrassed that Tojiro could still see _them_.

It's not like it would be some form of accomplishment for him. Seriously? Why and how would Tojiro do it in the first place? Only slight exposure was there, and Yoko was greatly thankful that full frontal exposure wasn't on the list, and it was all thanks to her jacket that helped her out, and shielded the front of her chest. Heat. Heat? Was that honestly all that there could be mustered up between these two? Even though such an awkward time came at such an unsettling time, there were questions that Yoko needed to ask, no matter how farfetched they were, believe it.

"Listen…Tojiro, back in that room where you came to rescue me…you said you were sorry. W-why?" she asked with deep importance in her soul.

Tojiro's darkened gaze turned to her, absolutely feeling acknowledged to answer her, yet he wasn't prepared to tell her such an answer. Yoko waited patiently with a distant, and concerned look in her golden eyes. Tojiro stared down at the floor, alleviated with his attitude.

"How long has it been since we first met?" he surprisingly responded.

Yoko's senses were tingled by the question, her eyes stretched a bit by nervousness.

"A long time. I never counted. Did you?" she responded with the same amount of nervousness she accumulated once Tojiro asked her the question.

"Same here. The reason is…I've never imagined to be by someone's side for such a time. It's unheard of. Not only for a Nightshade, but me of all Nightshades especially."

"You're not like those other freaks, Tojiro. You're much different." said the eager Yoko, keeping her tone lightened and soft.

"So you think so _too_? That's good, I suppose. You're somewhat not the first person to say that to me." answered the demon, staring up at the ceiling with simplicity.

"Who was the first?" Yoko strangely asked.

"Another member of my people. _**A true descendant of the Great Shade Empire**_." said the selfless Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"You found another person who's been living on Earth like you have? That's amazing!" exclaimed Yoko, cheerful for Tojiro.

"I would return the sentimentality if I was there to protect her. Once we get to Reach, she's my responsibility to carry. I shall protect her." the Cloakmaster assured.

"So it's a she? Was it that girl with you when we were down on the planet?" responded Yoko.

"Yes. She's been living as long as I am, except she's merely a child." said the Demon Demigod.

"Why do you call her a _true descendant_ though?" said the curious Yoko.

"In my mind, a _real_ descendant of the Great Shade Empire is one that continues to live on through eternity, letting the Chaos energy in their body bound them to immortality. However, when you die and get luckily resurrected, you're nothing more than a blank slate. That's why I don't deem my brother Akuma and the other Nightshades that follow him as true descendants of my people. They were all given their fates, but were resurrected, and given another chance at life." Tojiro explained with a tight tone of voice, staring back down at the floor.

"No wonder you're so mad. They're disrespecting your people's name…and you link that to your father and mother…don't you?" said the settled Yoko.

Tojiro quickly took a stare at Yoko, appearing surprised at her answer; because she was absolutely correct.

"Yes. That is why. And once I have the Nightmare Scythe…I'm leaving." he implied with ignorance.

"Leaving? Leaving to where exactly?" she responded prudently.

"Where do you think? In fact, it doesn't even concern you. My journey is mine, not yours."

"There you go again! All you care about is doing everything on your own and not letting anyone or anything help you! You only care about fighting on your own, thinking on your own! The whole world doesn't even matter to you!" Yoko exclaimed, standing up defiantly.

"I already told you, it's not your concern." he simply stated.

"I DON'T CARE! I want to help you!" barked the valiant sharpshooter.

Tojiro looked at Yoko with mystery and confusion.

"Does it bother you so much to let others help you? Especially in _their_ time of need? Everyone you've met along this whole freaking journey has shown nothing but kindness and respect to you! And what do you do? YOU SHOVE THEM OFF LIKE THEY'RE A PILE OF TRASH!" she screamed.

"SILENCE YOUR FOOLISHNESS!" his fierce voice echoed, as he stood ready on his feet.

Yoko stepped against the wall by his demented anger. The room's light flickered carelessly, even the shield door and all the other electric devices began to flicker and spark. Once they died down, Tojiro was silent, but somehow Yoko could feel that his anger was clearly loud.

"You and all the people I've met had more influence on myself than any I gave to you. Everyone I formed a bond with, or simply even met face to face are all of importance to my goals. The reason I fight alone is for the continuation of the people I've met and cherish."

"It doesn't give you a reason! There can't be nothing right about fighting everything on your own!" Yoko defended.

"DON'T YOU GET IT?!" he roared in offense of her question. Yoko was once shocked by his outburst.

"I involve myself in MY situations to make sure the ones I meet remain safe…AND STAY SAFE! I refuse to let anyone be burdened with my problems! It's the same with everyone, you fool! I'm protecting you from the danger that Akuma possesses! I WANT TO PROTECT YOU DAMMIT! You need to stay alive for me!" he shouted, his orange eyes formed into a hateful stare.

Yoko was left deaf by his deep words. Tojiro continued to glare at Yoko, no remorse in his cold orange eyes. The Cloakmaster's glaring eyes suddenly turned wide, dropping to all fours on the floor.

"Tojiro?" said the frightened Yoko.

Tojiro grabbed the left side of his face with his right hand. "Wha-w-what's going…on? What the hell…is happening?!" he exclaimed in agonizing hurt.

A red and black mist surrounded him, reverting the Cloakmaster to his hedgehog form. Once in his hedgehog form, the white tips of his six quills flashed red and white multiple times.

"My…Chaos. It's-" he suddenly choked out a disgusting amount of glowing red discharge of his Chaos energy.

"Oh my god, Tojiro! Tojiro, please!" exclaimed Yoko, quickly kneeling by his side.

"My Chaos Cells…are trying to reverse the act of using a Chaos Trigger. God…DAMN this hurts!" he yelled, punching the ground with a single pound using his right fist.

The shield door suddenly turned off, and in walked the Zealot Elite. It forcibly grabbed Yoko by her throat and tossed her over to a Hunter that was waiting outside the cell.

"Yoko!" he exclaimed hatefully, getting to his feet, but dropping back to the ground immediately.

The Zealot Elite turned to Tojiro. It violently grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up off the floor. A sudden white Chaos Portal with a black vortex in its center appeared behind Tojiro. "C-Ch-Chaos energy? No. Akuma…you accursed bastard." threatened Tojiro.

The Zealot Elite's eyes glowed red, a form of smirk appearing on its face.

"I'm really sorry I had to take it this far, Tojiro. I do wish whatever trash dimension you end up in doesn't get you killed." said the dreadful Akuma.

Tojiro continued to keep his grip held on Akuma's hard that held him off the floor.

"You won't need to worry brother. I'll make sure to visit you once I get the chance. Sayonara." he said, throwing the Demon Demigod into the Chaos Rift Portal.

Falling into its time changing darkness, the Cloakmaster was left unaware of what altered form of Earth he would end up on. With his Chaos Cells locked in a battle between another, Tojiro leaves without his cloak, and without his close friend; Yoko Littner. His eyes slowly began to vanish, leaving them blank white. He saw the entrance of the portal vanish, leaving him to fall through the vortex of hazy white and black, not until a shining white enveloped his body, and brought him to a whole another world of pain and unfortunateness.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Altered Dimension, Tokyo, Japan, 9:30 am<strong>_

With a clear blue sky, and peace only present in its endless limits, a large white portal opened up with a shattering boom. Out soared the Cloakmaster, surrounded by a stream of red Chaos energy, leaving a large trail of it to follow behind him. He opened his eyes, seeing a huge section of water surrounding the center of Tokyo, with Tokyo Tower, crooked and standing on an island. He crashed through a portion of the tower, smashing into the waves with powerful force to shoot up a massive stream of water into the sky. A boat passing by witnessed the scene.

A sprint of black swooped into the air, then landed back on the water. The scarred and drenched Cloakmaster stood crouched on the water, his blood spilling into the water. Taking in one single breath, his Chaos energy quickly managed to heal his wounds, but overall it was going to take more time. His cloak made his healing possible in less than twenty seconds, since it's nothing but his Chaos energy that continues to feed into it and store up his power. Now without it, fighting will become much more difficult. Staring forward with an amount of hate greater than this sea, Tojiro dashed, blowing massive amounts of water into the air. He sprinted straight through the ship, exploding it into a cloud of flames. The Demon Demigod spotted land up ahead, and a much clearer image of Tokyo as well.

"_What is this cursed land? It smells like Hell_."

Speeding to a halt on the water, Tojiro leaped into the sky. Passing over five buildings, he spun forward into a ball, finally landing on his feet. Putting himself into a straight standing pose, looking across the city. Looking behind him, he saw more chaos struck the center of the city.

"One scar leaves many in pain. That's not a first." he grumbled, setting his gaze forward again.

"Akuma believes me…to be a fool. I'll prove his idiocy is way too over his head." said Tojiro to himself.

He clapped his hands together, "Chaos Control!" he summoned.

His right arm suddenly shocked him with red electricity, forcing him to his knees, holding his metallic arm in severe pain. The electricity halted his suffering. Tojiro lifted his head up.

"He put a lock on my Chaos Control abilities. It was that syringe. It…had to be. That's why I'm stuck in my hedgehog form as well. The smart fool." grumbled the angered Cloakmaster, rising back to his feet.

He ran over to the edge, sprinting straight down the building. Mid-way through running down the building, he leaped to the building on the other side, clinging to it with his right clawed hand. The sudden ringing of police automobiles caught his hedgehog ears. He looked down, then down the street they were heading across.

"I smell a market, and a being of overused pleasure…mine as well slaughter the source." he said, back-flipping off the building.

Landing on the street with powerful force to crack and crumble the road, he immediately sprinted off down the street.

Arming the Blade of Darkness in his right hand, he leaped right over a police car, slicing it completely in half, then spin dashing forward with the Blade of Darkness stuck out, cutting through the next three cars. He got up ahead of the group, immediately causing all the squad cars to explode into a pile of flames all at the same time. Tojiro saw a trail of smoke coming from the market up ahead. He slid to an immediate halt after seeing a blue vehicle in his way.

Stepping out of it was a freelance photographer by the name of Yuusuke Tozawa. He stepped to the market, leaving his car to be tackled onto it's side after Tojiro rammed into it. Tozawa hastily jumped, keeping his camera in tight grip of his hands, fearing he would drop it. Tojiro stepped away from the overturned car, and sprinted over to Tozawa.

"You're insured, right?" the Cloakmaster quickly noted before leaping to the market doors.

"What the hell was that thing? Where were his eyes?!" exclaimed the photographer, not willing to care about his car, and letting his paparazzi instincts kick in by snapping shots of the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro blundered his way through the glass double doors, immediately bending himself backward to dodge a large metal spear. He stood back up, spotting a large hulking being of metal with large snake like arms. It's feet were flat, but had two large spikes that stuck out from it's feet.

"Blood…I want…all of it! I want everybody's blood!" its voice exclaimed in pain and madness.

A sudden light of red cut through the machine, blowing it into two equal halves.

"Have your own." muttered the Cloakmaster.

He looked around, staring at the unfortunate shoppers that were in the market at the time this machine attacked. They looked at the ebony hedgehog, staring at his blank eyes, his clothes, and especially his right arm. He turned around, seeing Tozawa at the broken down entrance of the market. Tojiro immediately ran towards the freelance photographer.

He quickly stepped out of the way, watching Tojiro run out of the store and leap straight up to the building rooftop on the other side of the road, taking pictures the best he could. Once on the rooftop, Tojiro clenched his chest with his right hand. He took a drastic step back, but wouldn't allow himself to fall. He clenched the ground with his right hand, dropping to one knee.

"_Why did this happen dammit? Why_?!" his thoughts roared with anger.

He suddenly found himself wrapped in a black mist. He roared with ferocity. His voice turned into a set of rumbling growls. The black mist vanished in an instant, revealing him in his massive Werehog form. His frightening visage was enough to drive away an entire city block. Staring at his body and feet, his shirt and cargo pants were most likely absorbed into his body until he would revert back into either his hedgehog or human form so they would actually _fit_. He clamped the ground, standing like an ape.

"_This just gives me too much reason to stand out. My Chaos energy is turning against myself and changing forms for me. It's such a damn annoyance_."

Preparing himself to leap off the rooftop, his ears told him otherwise. "A scream? That way?" he said, turning to the east.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness shot across the sky with one massive jump. He landed back on another rooftop, then ferociously leaped off it the second he touched down. Tojiro continued to leap from one building top to another with swift speed that made him as quick as a blur. He landed on a smaller building top, hurrying over to its edge, spotting a group of people chasing after a child.

"I sense an abnormal type of Chaos energy. There's no way that it can be coming from those people." he said. Tojiro saw the child, seeing it to be a young girl with raven colored hair.

"Forget it. I need to keep my mind on something." he added diligently, leaping off the rooftop.

The young girl quickly ran onto the sidewalk by passing between two parked cars. Tojiro immediately on the sidewalk in the girl's path, summoning a cloud of smoke from his powerful and frightening landing. The little stepped back, suddenly finding the group of people coming after her from behind. Tojiro looked forward, seeing their eyes to be glowing either gold or red.

"_It IS coming from them after all. It must be one of Akuma's curses or Vulcan's mind swipes that's making them act this way_." Tojiro thought quickly.

"Come on kid. Those are some pretty nasty people." said the massive Werehog, grabbing the girl by the back of her clothing with two of his left hand's fingers.

He put the girl on his back. "You'd better hold on." advised the demon.

He quickly leaped backwards across the air, ending up on a building rooftop, with the little girl holding tightly on his fur. He reached over his shoulder, grabbing the girl who began kicking and screaming. Tojiro set her down on the ground safely. She kept her eyes closed, believing Tojiro to still take act against her.

"Excuse me, have you ever thought of opening your eyes?" he asked, a sudden black mist surrounding him. The girl opened her eyes, seeing a surprised Tojiro, in his hedgehog form.

"Again, huh? Well, that's fortune for you." he said to himself.

"Umm, excuse me mister, but what are you?" she asked with curiosity.

"I'm still trying to figure that out. You can call me Tojiro though. Unless you have any nicknames of nonsense you plan on giving me, I don't want to hear them." he acknowledged automatically.

"That's okay! You were nice to me anyway!" she said with joy.

"Yeah. Glad to hear it." he noted with zero wit.

His ears perked up, turning his gaze to Tokyo Tower, sensing a Chaos Portal.

"You can get down from up here, right?" asked Tojiro, turning towards Tokyo Tower, readying himself to soar into the sky.

"Yeah. I guess. But hold on, what's your name!" she asked with a raised hand.

"If a child such as yourself wants some form of sympathy, the best I can give you is that you should look forward to seeing me again. Okay?" he explained, before shooting off the building rooftop like a rocket.

From atop Tokyo Tower, out came a cloaked figure. Tojiro prepared his right arm. The cloaked figure suddenly sensed the Cloakmaster's presence.

"AKUMA!" he roared, close lining the Devil Nightshade into the white and black portal. The portal immediately vanished, sending the two to whole another land; a land more fortunate than the one the Demon Demigod had just left.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-Tojiro weaves and creates a ring of fire to block an oncoming storm of lightning from blowing him into oblivion.-

-Alma Hanko extends her Staff of Judgment as she berates to the Cloakmaster of Darkness.- "At the end of his detour in an altered world of carnage, Tojiro returns to Omni-Earth, only to combat the Hell God he hasn't targeted."

-Tojiro is sprayed in the face by a black Chaos energy, crashing through earth and pain.- "In the duel with the heretic, Tojiro and Alma's battleground catches the attention of one odd individual."

-Tojiro extends his hands to create gloves of Chaos Lightning.- -Tsuruya, from North High School stands with an ecstatic smile with her hands clasped behind her back.-

-Tojiro shoots through a glass window of one of the classrooms and through the wall of the classroom across the hall.-

"As the girl drives Tojiro into further angst and annoyance the fray begins to level and obliterate the school walls," -Tojiro scurries with madness as Tsuruya continues to run her motor mouth. Tojiro's eyes widen in another scene that hunches his back.-

"The news of a **celebration** in Tojiro's honor is mentioned by the girl from North High." -Alma stomped the Staff of Judgment with extreme prejudice to call forth a beam of blank Chaos energy.- "Tojiro's darkest hour begins to be cloaked, even with the surrounding light all around him,"

-A nervous Mikuru speaks to the Cloakmaster of Darkness while a smirking Tsuruya stands beside her.- "A worthy celebration nears as Tojiro's destiny in facing the forces of Hell comes closer and closer."

-Alma watches a Chaos Blast erupt directly into her spine.- -Tojiro prepares a ferocious Chaos Rasengan between his hands.-

"Hope may be cloaked in shadow...but Tojiro's wrath remains forever embedded with the brightest fire."

-Vulcan, Cloakmaster of Machines releases a storm of Chaos Needles into Tojiro's back.-

-The two Hell Gods stand aligned as Tojiro remains twelve feet away, preparing Chaos Lightning Spheres in the palms of his hands.-

NEXT TIME

**THE EPIC MULTI-ARC ADVENTURE LEADING UP TO TOJIRO'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE NINE CIRCLES OF HELL!**

**SHADOW HOUR!  
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**_THE NIGHTMARE WARS CHAPTER XL: _  
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**_SHADOW HOUR PART I:  
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**_DEFIANCE  
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	40. Chapter XL

_**CHAPTER XL: SHADOW HOUR  
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_****_**PART I: DEFIANCE  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Alma Hanko and Vulcan Kikai. They are my original creations and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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**The epic "Shadow Hour" arc begins! This chapter drifts into uncertainty once a certain character from North High decides to intervene with shouting and delusions of grandeur. This arc will introduce a great deal of surprises, surprises that will forever change the course of The Nightmare Wars! All reviews are welcome!  
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_**Present Timeline, North High School, 1:15 pm**_

Violently shooting out of the portal, Tojiro was first to grab the Nightshade, a.k.a. one of the Nine Hell Gods by the neck and tossed the being straight down towards the front of North High. The cloaked Hell God smashed into the ground with immense girth, summoning a furious cloud of smoke on impact. Tojiro landed on the ground before the smoke cloud, rising up to a straight standing pose. Rising up out of the smoke cloud was Alma.

"What?" exclaimed Tojiro's conscious.

"I never assumed you to be so rash. However, you still look surprised. Is my presence that disappointing to your childish beliefs?" spoke the Cloakmaster of Heresy and Defiance.

"Only your presence. It's enough to make me gag. Was Akuma too afraid to live up to his short lived promise of trying to face me?" barked Tojiro with hate in his voice.

"I'm afraid he was lying to you. He already planned for me to come here and face you far before you even had a chance to figure out his plan. Foolish like always…Cloakmaster Ankoku." said the wicked Hell God, pointing the Staff of Judgment down at Tojiro. A storm of blue and white lightning shot out from the front of the Staff.

Tojiro immediately swung his arms around to create rings of fire, causing a malicious explosion once the bolts of lightning made their impact. Tojiro immediately slid backwards across the ground to exit the ebony cloud of drifting smoke. He spotted Alma charging down through the cloud at a diagonal angle, firing Chaos Spheres out of her right hand. Tojiro pointed his arms out, gathering the Chaos energy in his hands, then quickly punching Alma in the face once she approached him.

Alma was launched with intense speed through the black cloud. It was just enough speed to dissipate the entire cloud of obscurity. Tojiro set himself steady and ready, still sensing an angry aura coming from Alma. Tojiro immediately found himself high in the sky once a monstrous stream of orange Chaos energy nearly swept through him with ease. By hovering in mid-air, Tojiro quickly looked forward to see the charging Alma right in front of him. He raised his fists into an X, blocking a vicious swing from her Staff of Judgment, then quickly dodged her hand from swiping away at his face. With her nails dripping with purple Chaos energy, Alma quickly lunged forward with her left hand, but Tojiro grabbed it with his right hand, immediately shocking her body with a surge of red lightning.

Alma pointed the Staff of Judgment in Tojiro's face, releasing a fearsome amount of black Chaos energy to spray across his face. Tojiro went plummeting back down to earth, but somehow managed to land on his feet. Staying still, the Cloakmaster was crouching on the knee of his right leg, keeping his left stood sturdy on the concrete ground. With his head lowered, glowing red Chaos energy was dripping, even spilling, from his damaged face.

Alma dove down, pointing her Staff down, making a desperate attempt to impale Tojiro into the ground. Unwilling and ill prepared, he quickly dove forward, sliding on mistake to avoid such a fate, leaving Alma to penetrate the ground with damaging force. Alma removed the Staff of Judgment from the ground, turning to Tojiro who remained on the ground, coughing like an extremely sick patient.

"Wha-what the hell is with me today?" he questioned in distinct agony, coughing uncontrollably afterwards.

"Your end is here, Cloakmaster. Say goodbye." she said, pointing the Staff of Judgment, automatically summoning a ball of red and gold lightning on the front.

Tojiro vanished in a blur, immediately reappearing behind Alma, delivering a fearsome Chaos Kick to the back of her head. Breaking through the wind, Alma smashed through the front entrance of North High. Tojiro landed back on his feet in a prepared stance, revealing the left side of his face to be reduced to bone.

The teeth were changed into fangs on the burnt bone side, while on the right side where his flesh remained, his teeth were normal. Alma immediately appeared crashing upwards through the ground in front of Tojiro, delivering a Chaos Punch. However, Tojiro flipped himself backwards across the ground by using his arms. He then used his legs to grab Alma's arm, and shoot her into the sky. Once back on his feet, Tojiro turned around, and stared up into the sky.

He powered up a ball of red lightning mixed with his Firebending. Alma was able to halt herself, immediately taking a dive back down at the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Wave Wind Inferno!" shouted the Cloakmaster of Darkness and Death.

He fiercely stuck his arms up at the diving Alma to release a beam of fearsome crimson Chaos energy with a stream of fire that spun around the entire beam. Alma suddenly halted at the sight of the menacing beam. She held her Staff with both hands, immediately creating a sphere of yellow Chaos energy around herself. Tojiro's Wave Wind Inferno wrapped around the protected Alma, forming into a sphere of its own. In just moments, rays of gold spanned out from the sphere and exploded into a storm of reigning fireballs that fired out from every direction.

Tojiro swung his hands, releasing blasts of Airbending to distinguish any fireballs that came near the school. However, the unaware Cloakmaster was soon pummeled by a huge golden Chaos Sphere that Alma smashed directly into Tojiro. The ground exploded with immense chunks of earth. A monstrous cloud of tan smoke swept around the entire school. Alma appeared out of Chaos Control above the cloud of chaos.

She smirked with brimming confidence. "_The Cloakmaster must be dead. His energy is already weak enough. That blast had to at least incapacitate him_." thought the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

She held the Staff of Judgment down towards the drifting cloud and swung it. All the wandering smoke immediately dispersed, revealing nothing but the school, no Tojiro in sight. Her eyes angrily formed into a darkening stare.

Somewhere in the school, in some random hallway, lie the Cloakmaster of Darkness. He was sitting against the wall, holding his right arm with drastic pain. He looked down the right hall, then quickly turned his gaze down the left.

"_I'm surprised the lousy old hag hasn't sensed me yet. Luck has once again put it's hands on my shoulders. How damn convenient can this war get_?" his thoughts raced aimlessly.

He noticed several wires and small tubes that gave his arm power were damaged to a dangerous point. He bathed his hand in yellow Chaos energy, causing small static bolts to twitch from in-between his fingers. He placed his left hand on the most prominent damage, which was a chunk of the metal on his forearm was completely gone. Metal parts began to gather and reform, connecting several wires, even the small tubes were being connected back to each other.

"After all this time, I should've kept this arm of mine under better protection. Without it, I won't be able to draw a single breath." he said to himself.

After a short while, he removed his left hand and rested it on the floor.

"HEY THERE!" exclaimed a girl, bending down to Tojiro's right.

* * *

><p>In an instant, he jumped back to his feet, aiming Black Death at her. Tojiro let out a tiresome sigh shortly afterward, seeing the girl as <em>harmless<em>. Her hair was knee length and a forest green color. However, what struck the Cloakmaster confused is that she was wearing a maid outfit.

"I've never seen anything like you before! My name's Tsuruya! What's yours? Oh never mind that, what class are you from? Are you preparing for the festival too?" she continued to exclaim and exclaim, and did I mention she was exclaiming?

"Well…let's see; my name is Tojiro. I don't go to this school. And what festival are you trying to refer to?" he replied calmly, yet somehow annoyed.

"Wow! That's amazing! You must be failing here, huh?" she replied.

"Sure. Lie to yourself." the Cloakmaster grumbled with annoyance.

A quick shaking to the hall caught their attention. Tojiro assumed the worst…Tsuruya assumed nothing.

"Wow. They sure must pretty excited in the concert hall. And all for this Tojiro guy that helped protect the school. Crazy, right?" said Tsuruya, delivering a cute formed expression on her face.

"What? Me?!" he exclaimed.

From behind, the hallway wall on the right exploded, shooting glass and debris onto the floor. Tojiro turned around, seeing Alma to hover her way inside.

"Awesome! She a friend of yours?" asked the excited Tsuruya.

"Not really." replied the Cloakmaster, quickly turning around to charge and grab Tsuruya in his arms bridal style, sprinting down the hall madly. Alma angrily charged down after them.

"Say, you're really fast at running! You should join the track team! I can help you out if you want!" continued the still excited Tsuruya.

"You wish. And how come you're keeping your arms around my neck?! You think I'm gonna' drop you or something!?" he exclaimed with bother and annoyance.

"Not really. I just assumed the first thing I thought of!" she responded, putting on another expression of joy that fit her perfectly.

"This is Hell." grumbled the Cloakmaster.

Alma suddenly appeared up ahead, releasing Chaos Spears of green at the running hedgehog.

Tojiro quickly leaped up, latching his feet onto the ceiling, and continued running. Alma watched as Tojiro passed right over her head.

"You must be a magician, right? We could use one at the festival! You feel like helping out?" asked the _still_ excited Tsuruya.

"_To drop or not to drop? What a decision_!" Tojiro exclaimed in mental thought. Tojiro quickly jumped back onto the floor, turning down a hall to the right. He made it to another hall, turned the corner and left, and sprinted to a swift halt. He put Tsuruya down on her feet.

"That was amazing! Where'd you learn to do that! Do you have magnets under your feet? Or maybe magic's better?!" she continued to talk, laughing uncontrollably at the end.

"Actually, this festival of yours, are you the only one dressed up in that getup?" he asked, looking around the corner.

"Of course not! Me and some other girls have jobs to serve noodles and fresh water to anyone that-"

"Can you just take me to your clubroom or whatever you call it?" asked the bored Tojiro, standing before her.

"Sure! This way, please!" she exclaimed, grabbing his left hand and running down the hall they were standing in.

The door into the clubroom where the maids were swung right open, and in walked the smiling image of Tsuruya, dragging in the Cloakmaster behind her.

"Tsuruya, umm, what are you doing here so early?" asked an innocent voice.

Tojiro's eyes and ears noticed such a voice, even if he couldn't see her! Tojiro used a gust of Airbending to close the door shut. The girl in the room was none other than Mikuru Asahina, and just by Tojiro's action, she began to well up in fright.

"It's okay Mikuru. Remember me? The guy who brings unrequited misfortunes? Tojiro!" said the Cloakmaster, walking back up to Tsuruya's side.

"Huh? I-it is you! Thank goodness, I thought you were trying to kidnap me. So you've already met Tsuruya?" Mikuru kindly said, letting her stress slip away.

"Yeah. _Unfortunately_." whispered his second word.

"Anyway, the school's preparing a celebration for you! The whole school board wants to meet you!" included Tsuruya.

"Heh?!" the Cloakmaster responded.

"And guess who proposed the idea! It was-"

"Haruhi freaking Suzumiya. Of course! Why not?" he blathered in annoyance.

"Yep! She sure does want to respect her fellow brigade member, I can tell." Tsuruya continued lengthily.

"How quaint. Regardless of her plans to make me uncomfortable, this school's in danger. It's not safe to do anything or go anywhere." the Cloakmaster turned serious, real fast.

"W-what?! What do you mean? What's happening inside the school?" said Mikuru, beginning to sound worried.

"Relax. I'll handle it! Just make sure you stay somewhere safe, and don't leave the school. Seriously. No leaving. This means you." he said, pointing the thumb on his right hand to Tsuruya.

"You won't have to worry, I'll take great care-" a sudden blast forced Tsuruya, Tojiro, and Mikuru to the ground.

Tojiro was first to get back on his feet. "So much for staying safe." he mumbled annoyingly, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness.

With crumbling pieces of debris that dropped from the entrance to the club, Alma stepped in, an expression of distaste written on her face. Tojiro immediately jabbed the Blade of Darkness into the ground, creating a protective barrier of gold Chaos energy to shield himself and the two girls that were standing behind him from a merciless array of Chaos Spears that shot out one by one.

Tojiro quickly lowered it to release a blast of powerful wind from his left hand. The blast hit Alma square in the gut and threw her through the wall behind, falling down to the courtyard in front of the school.

Tojiro immediately looked over his shoulder, seeing the frightened Mikuru holding dearly on Tsuruya. His half scarred face turned from anger to deprived and shocked. Tsuruya had her right hand on Mikuru's head to calm her down.

"I apologize. If you wish to leave unharmed, hurry somewhere safe. My fight with Alma is going to continue for a while. Please seek shelter." said the level headed Tojiro, quickly running through the large hole in the room, then leaping through the hole Alma was blown out of.

Tojiro immediately felt the rays of the sun shine against him, but also managed to notice a large wave of spiked ball projectiles made out of purple Chaos energy. They hurdled up at him with deadly intent. One smashed against his left shoulder, another directly to the forehead, and one more in the left leg, forcing him into an unwanted forward flip. Alma stomped her Staff down on the ground. A spewing surge of purple Chaos energy shot straight out of the ground, creating a hole in the earth.

Tojiro quickly sliced the Blade of Darkness through the beam, slicing through its stinging power with a slow and clean swing. The beam completely vanished into a storm of small purple spheres that hovered around like particles of dust. The Cloakmaster landed on the ground, his right hand placed on the ground and his legs spread to the left and right in a prepared stance.

He held the Blade of Darkness in his right hand, holding it down. "You _should_ feel guilty. Haven't you realized how much pain you bring those you meet?" Alma projected carelessly.

"This conflict doesn't concern them, you selfish egotistical scumbag. It's between you and me." threatened the half angered Cloakmaster.

"But it does! If they are EVER threatened…you run to their rescue with the utmost of importance and compassion. Where's your proof now?" questioned the highly selfish Cloakmaster of Defiance.

"It is their business on how they view me! I've deemed myself to protect their lives from evil such as you! Stay away from this school and everyone in it. Or face the fate I shall give the rest of your pitiful band of Nightshades." enacted the willing Tojiro.

"You pointlessly take it upon yourself to believe what you do is holy? Surely you jest." said Alma, an ugly smirk Tojiro wished to remove, along with the rest of her head.

"I don't need to prove ANYTHING to those who I protect!" he roared with ferociousness.

Tojiro immediately shot forward streams of red Chaos energy with black sharpened tips on the front. Alma spun the Staff of Judgment like a windmill, deflecting all the beams, creating bright surges of silver from each impact. Tojiro lowered the Blade of Darkness, and impaled it into the ground. Tojiro prepared himself into a sprinting position. A fierce aura of red with an outline of black circled around the Cloakmaster. Alma immediately pointed her Staff of Judgment forward, releasing bolts of sporadic blue Chaos Lightning.

Tojiro dashed forward in his spin dash form. He obliterated through all the bolts of lightning, but was shot into the air once he was mere inches away from hitting Alma after she released a surge of purple Chaos energy from straight underground. Tojiro immediately managed to get himself back in a right side up position, taking the initiative to fire several arrow shaped projectiles of red Chaos energy down at Alma. Smirking with confidence, she raised the Staff of Judgment up. The sudden blur of Tojiro passing straight behind her, and hovering made her shocked.

"CHAOS BLAST!"

A furious red beam shot straight into Alma's back. Tojiro was unwilling to use the expansive dome form variation of the Chaos Blast, knowing it would consume his Chaos energy at a fast rate. Alma was skidding face forward across the concrete until her gritty ride came to an abrupt end, much to Tojiro's dismay of course.

Alma immediately rose up, turning around to fire a storm of green Chaos Needles at Tojiro. Taking his right hand and pressing it into the earth beneath his feet, a slanted wall of earth and concrete rose up to guard the Cloakmaster.

He immediately kicked the chunk of earth out of the ground, sending it flying forward. However, he charged after it, leaping up over it. He flung himself into a front flip, stretching his arms back to grab the huge slab of earth and with a vicious shout, he smashed it down upon the Cloakmaster of Defiance. The huge cloud of brown smoke was cleared once a force of air dissipated it. Standing in the middle of it was Tojiro, reverted into his Werehog form. His fangs clenched were clenched with fury, his eyes full of glowing red, all because of what stood ahead of him.

Alma still appeared unharmed, smirking wickedly at the Demon Demigod. Tojiro readied himself in a stance of preparation. His arms were left to hang down, but he began to prepare a Chaos Rasengan in the palms of his two hands.

"You have no rightful power in this world…Tojiro. What do you fight for? And why? How can you so foolishly assume-"

"SHUT UP!" he roared, firing a pair of red beams from his eyes.

Alma strictly rose the Staff of Judgment in a sideways fashion, creating a shield of light to deflect the blasts. Tojiro's eyes simmered with red mist, his silver fangs gritted. Alma's expression was stone cold as she lowered her Staff back down.

"How can you so foolishly assume you have a say in what others think of you? Are you that sure what their opinions are of you? Or are you truly telling the truth when you say their word doesn't matter?" she questioned vigorously.

"I always mean what I say dammit! SILENCE YOUR TONGUE AND FIGHT ME!" he roared, creating a massive fearsome red Rasengan which he held up with both of his hands.

Alma stared up at the massive sphere of raw Chakra and Chaos energy, as it formed a perfect sphere of destruction. Tojiro yelled at the top of his lungs, lunging the huge Rasengan straight at Alma. A sudden silhouette flew down in defense of Alma, creating an equal sized sphere of gold Chaos energy to match that of Tojiro's Rasengan.

The two forces smashed together in a fearsome show of red and gold that exploded into flames of yellow and orange. Tojiro swung his arms down by his side, coughing in pain to himself, fighting the urge that his Chaos energy was disappearing from him. In the clearing smoke, a monstrous beam of gold shot towards Tojiro. He immediately created a dome of whirling green Chaos energy to protect himself, causing the entire gold beam to explode on mere impact, shooting off small comets of green that exploded into the ground with evil intensity.

"Chaos Needle Blast!" shouted Tojiro with vigor.

The whirling green air dome exploded into over a thousand Chaos Needles that heinously shot forward in a single massive hell storm. Alma flew up, summoning a massive cross of blue Chaos energy that absorbed all the Chaos Needles into the center.

A green light with a spherical shape appeared in the middle, then fired a single beam of Chaos Needles that remained tight together, blasting into Tojiro with a monstrous force of hurt. Together, Alma stood with the other cloaked figure who came to aid her from Tojiro's Chaos Rasengan of amazing proportions. Tojiro rose up from the ground, glowing green needles embedded into every inch on his back. He remained on all fours until he forced himself to his feet.

"You still fight a fool's war…Cloakmaster Ankoku." said the voice of Vulcan; the Cloakmaster of Machines.

A swift aura of red dissipated all the green needles in Tojiro's back. He took to his feet, turning around to face the two Cloakmasters. Vulcan's hood remained on, but his face was still visible.

"Nothing has prepared you for this fight, hasn't it? Last Hell-Shade?" said the confident Vulcan, raising his right hand up, sparking bolts of gold Chaos Lightning around his fingertips. Tojiro, unwillingly was reverted into his Darkrai form.

"Well, well. Akuma's plan must truly be enough to end Tojiro here. How fortunate." said Alma, pointing the Staff of Judgment forward.

"I agree. Let us finish this." said Tojiro, preparing Chaos Spheres of lightning in both of his hands.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-Vulcan and Alma look forward with scars and prints of dirt and bruises. A lingering tan smoke cloud surrounding them: The visage of Tojiro's silhouette appears behind them. Their shocked expressions turn around.-

-A fearsome green dome explodes in all directions.-

"As Tojiro remains outnumbered by two Hell Gods...the odds continue to topple upon Tojiro's shoulders." -A transformed Darkrai Form with its original colors swapped to their opposites hovers with an exploding aura of positive Chaos energy.-

-Alma stands atop the head of a massive golden hawk.- "The battles that are waged between these legendary warriors seem to rupture our very world, bringing it to a dark and cold feeling of fear."

-Vulcan slams his hands on the ground to summon a pair of mechanized gorillas.- -Tojiro roars to the air whilst in Werehog Form.- "Julius Tsuiho enters the brawl to reclaim what was once his,"

-A maddened individual from Hell's pits, Jason Hi enters the fray. Julius runs forward with hands charged with orange electricity.-

"Hell's greatest deities surmount and usurp their fellow Cloakmaster in an attempt to rid him of mounting a counterattack."

-Tojiro looks to see the dark silhouette of Vulcan appear in front of the sun's spraying light.- -He roars in madness, releasing an attack that combined his arms together into a twisted drilling device of both shine and rust.- "To fight onward and upward...Tojiro's feral wrath begins to rise in the wake of their visceral fight..."

-A giant golden cannon releases a grand beam of orange Chaos energy with an aura of yellow Chaos energy surrounding it.-

-As a fearsome line of Dark Chaos energy lines the inside of the blast, Tojiro raises his wounded head.-

-The four Hell Gods look on to see the hunched back and crooked arms of a ferocious Hedgehog...bathed in static, dark crimson fur.-

NEXT TIME!

_**THE NIGHTMARE WARS**_

_****_**CHAPTER XLI: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART II: FEROCITY  
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	41. Chapter XLI

_**CHAPTER XLI: SHADOW HOUR**_

**PART II: FEROCITY  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Vulcan Kikai, Jason Hi, Alma Hanko and Julius Tsuiho. They are my original characters and thus are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

**Shadow Hour hasn't even fell into total darkness and Tojiro finds himself outnumbered by the Hell Gods. This fight isn't about Tojiro and his vengeance to rid the world of the Hell Gods forever...but it's a tribute to the element of vengeance as a whole. No matter how much bruises, scars and lost limbs are given/lost, the idea of vengeance reigns supreme over Tojiro and even the Hell Gods themselves.  
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Vulcan immediately pressed his hands into the ground, summoning two mechanized apes to appear out of flashes of golden light. Tojiro shot forward, spinning forward like drill to blast through the first mechanized simian to completely obliterate and then driving both of his Chaos Spheres to the face of the second raging ape to tear its face in half. Tojiro went on to pummel the ground with his lightning spheres to create a tidal wave of thunder that danced across the earth to the two Nightshades.

Alma stomped her Staff down to create a storm of drill shaped projectiles that were made up of green Chaos energy, and bared red glowing tips. The eight projectiles hit the lightning wave to cause it all to halt. Vulcan launched off the ground, creating large gauntlets of glowing gold Chaos energy around his arms.

Clenching the large shining fingers of his immeasurable power, Vulcan smashed the ground in the middle of the halted lightning storm to shoot up streams of green and red Chaos energy into the air. Tojiro quickly crossed his arms in the shape of an X. The streams gathered together into one massive Chaos Sphere and shot towards Tojiro with immense speed. Tojiro created a barrier of blue lightning around himself in the shape of a Chaos Spear.

With Tojiro completely encased on the safety of the inside, he shot straight up the humongous Chaos Sphere. By triggering insane power from the inside, the spear turned grew streams of silver across itself.

"Nightmare Technique; SPEAR OF SHOCK!" Tojiro echoed from within.

He impacted the huge green Chaos Sphere, causing the entire projectile to change from green to silver, and exploding with a brimming hot green light. A malicious surge of wind wiped down throughout the school, breaking all the windows on the outside of the school. Vulcan landed back on the ground by Alma's side, an ominous cloud of brown smoke surrounding them all.

"You're far too slow." said Tojiro, his dark silhouette appearing behind the two.

Alma and Vulcan quickly jumped out of the smoke cloud, sliding to a halt that was further away from the front of the school.

"How long has it been…since I've been this angry?" said the deathly tone of the Cloakmaster.

In the clearing smoke, it revealed a much different being. Tojiro was still in his Darkrai form, but all that was black was now white. Instead of a white fog like ghostly substance that billowed from his head, it was now black. His bright blue eyes was now pure glowing blue. The red spiky growth around his neck was also blue. Preparing a storm of silver lightning on all sides, Tojiro pointed his arms forward, ready to make this fight a long worth while one…one he will definitively remember.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness had triggered the first stage of the Nightmare Form in his Darkrai form. He clenched his fists, suddenly releasing large clumped up bolts of silver lightning out forward. The front shaped into the heads of dragon, with gleaming blue eyes. Vulcan immediately summoned a massive gold hand to shoot out of the ground to halt the two beams, but they were far too strong. Tojiro continued to amp up his power, until he purposely launched forward to blast apart the huge robotic arm of gold into bits of metal and flame.

Alma charged into the sky, immediately having to face the blur of a white Darkrai to give a direct sky blue Rasengan into Alma's chest, immediately shooting her back to the ground below. Vulcan created a summoning to spawn a large silver snake of metal to catch Alma on its head. The snake looked up, releasing a blast of fiery red flames up at the Nightmare Form powered Tojiro. Tojiro stuck his arms out at it, immediately releasing a storm of a thousand blue Chaos Spheres out from his hands. The spheres overcame and decimated the metal snake's fire, blowing it to pieces and enveloped Alma and Vulcan its extensive blast as well.

Tojiro lowered his arms, appearing unphased by his sudden transformation. Alma appeared Tojiro, driving her Staff of Judgment straight through his back and out the front. He immediately turned around, but Alma vanished along with her Staff. Tojiro was punched the second he turned forward by a fierce Chaos Punch sent by Vulcan. Tojiro spiraled down through the air, ultimately forcing himself to blast waves of Airbending down, giving him an immediate boost back up to the sky for a much needed counterattack.

"BOOM OF CHAOS!" shouted the demented voice of Tojiro.

Claw shaped surges of dark Chaos energy etched out of thin air and clenched onto Vulcan, launching him straight at Tojiro. The Demigod of Death released a vicious Chaos Blast that amounted into a single magnificent beam of crimson red Chaos energy to complete his combo. Vulcan soared straight to the ground, banging into the earth with a violent boom that echoed across the sky. Tojiro immediately flew down, encasing himself in layers of blue electricity that formed the shape of a Chaos Spear. He immediately hit Alma dead on, creating a momentous explosion that launched bolts of blue lightning into the air.

Alma was caught in the grip of a massive flying hawk made completely out of golden armor. Standing on its head was none other than Vulcan. Tojiro spotted the infernal beast, wanting to demolish it with vicious force. A blue light flashed and wrapped Tojiro in its brightened flash. As the light vanished, it revealed a white furred Werehog, the wrists of his large arms were glowing blue in a spike pattern, while the tips of his six quills were glowing blue as well.

With his eyes full of glowing blue, Tojiro shot himself down like a spear shot out of a cannon. The giant golden hawk fired a humongous gold of gold with a smaller black stream of Chaos energy running on the inside of it. Tojiro prepared a whirling blue Rasengan in the palms of both his hands. The black beam of energy shot forward, creating a massive claw like hand to take shape and punch Tojiro straight down into the ground with immerse force. Alma hovered off the top of the flying hawk, releasing a thunderstorm of red lightning bolts down upon the spot where Tojiro crashed.

* * *

><p>The bolts of fiendish lightning gathered into one deadly force of clattering electricity. Once it impacted the ground where Tojiro lie, it caused the earth to explode up from underground, with the bolts of lightning shooting off in every direction with a fearsome show of sound and power. Alma lowered her Staff of Judgment and held it in her right hand, staring down at the destruction she had created.<p>

"Nothing. I sense nothing of Tojiro's Chaos energy. Do you?" asked Alma, avoiding Vulcan's presence.

"I'm glad you've finally noticed what I am." said the dreaded Cloakmaster of Darkness.

The two Cloakmasters looked over to see two huge Rasengans smash down, immediately blowing apart the golden hawk and forcibly smashing both Alma and Vulcan into the earth below. The humongous Rasengans in Tojiro's hands continued to dig through the earth the more he pushed down. It finally erupted into a whirling storm sphere of wind and blue Chaos energy that spanned farther than the entire campus of North High. Luckily, however, the malicious sphere of power wasn't close enough to damage the school. Tojiro fell through the air, landing on the ground, immediately dropping to his left knee, but keeping his hands pasted on the ground, keeping himself prepared for whatever counterattack that may come.

A sudden array of glowing bar shaped projectiles of purple Chaos energy shot out of the large smoke cloud. Tojiro immediately gripped the ground, creating a large wall of earth to defend himself. However, right before his eyes, a fist punched through the earth wall and hit Tojiro directly in the face, also shattering the entire wall of earth at the same time. Tojiro kicked and smacked across the ground until he came to a painful halt that cut and bruised his flesh.

Tojiro immediately jumped onto his, sitting in a squatting position.

"So, you two weren't enough now were you?" said a familiar voice.

Standing in front of Alma and Vulcan was Julius. His hood was down and a cold glare was left in his eyes. With portions of the white fur on his arms turning a deep colored red, Tojiro managed to get back on his feet.

"The Chains of Fear…rightfully belong to _me_. Hand them over along with your life." demanded the Cloakmaster of Purgery.

"I think not." said the dark voice of the Werehog turned Tojiro.

Tojiro immediately shot massive beams of ringed red beams of Chaos energy out of his hands. Julius readied himself, but a large minotaur suddenly appeared before Julius to protect him from Tojiro's rage, causing the pair of beams to explode on impact. Tojiro lowered his arms, snarling with hate, the power of his Nightmare Form was continuing to strengthen him. In the clearing chaos, the sudden image of the minotaur charged out. Tojiro quickly grabbed the beast by it's horns, but still the Cloakmaster of Darkness was pushed across the ground on his feet. He managed to burrow his feet into the earth, stopping himself completely.

"That is all the mighty Demigod of Death has to offer? How pathetic of you!" said the minotaur, revealing it to be Jason Hi; the Cloakmaster of Fire and ruler over the Seventh Circle of Hell.

Tojiro immediately used the knee of his right leg to force Jason back, then quickly delivering his clenched right fist into Jason's chin. Jason soared into the air, but Julius charged forward with his hands bathed in orange electricity. Tojiro blocked the attack which sparked light from the impact.

Tojiro quickly used his right arm to block another attack, then he struck Julius straight into the earth by jumping up and smashing his right foot directly into Julius's skull, and planting him into the earth. Tojiro immediately leaped backwards through the air, landing on the roof of North High. Up in the sky, the silhouette of Vulcan appeared in the sun. His arms transformed together. He planted them together to form a large mechanized drill. He immediately drove straight down towards Tojiro.

"Golden Sun Demolisher!" shouted Vulcan, clashing straight into Tojiro with marvelous power that put a huge hole in the ground Tojiro stood upon.

The two crashed onto the top floor, immediately ending up in an emptied classroom. With his arms transformed back to normal in flashes of gold, Vulcan raised his right hand up, preparing to slash away at Tojiro's face. He swung his arm straight at Tojiro's face, but Tojiro managed to quickly stop his attack, still cutting three distinct scars on Tojiro's face. With his eyes glowing a fiery blue, Tojiro fired a single breath of silver flames from his mouth, blowing Vulcan straight off him and high into the air above the school campus. Tojiro quickly shot up through the hole, making it even larger. He was wrapped in a drill shaped surge of silver Chaos energy.

"CHAOS IMPLOSION!" thundered the Demigod of Death.

Tojiro impacted Vulcan with deadly precision, creating a magnificent show of silver meteors to fall down from the explosion that spawned from impact. Both Alma and Jason created barriers around themselves to protect each other from the frightening storm of chaos and hell from above. Tojiro landed back on the ground, immediately releasing a green beam of Chaos energy from his left eye and a yellow beam of Chaos energy from his right eye. The two beams combined into one malicious combo of wind and lightning.

Jason reverted to his human form, preparing the Nightmare Claws on his hands. He drove the gleaming claws into the earth to cause mounds of flaming earth to curve out of the ground and block the beam. The sheer impact was still powerful enough to blow apart the massive defenses that Jason summoned, shooting chunks of flaming rocks amongst the ground. Alma quickly appeared behind Tojiro. The Cloakmaster immediately lunged forward to avoid her attack by dropping an immense golden cross that would've impaled the Demon Demigod.

He came right up to Jason, who quickly blasted Tojiro into the air with a vengeful blast of black flames from his mouth. Tojiro was sent into the air like a rocket, trails of black smoke coursing from his body. Tojiro was reverted to his hedgehog form, his fur still quite, symbolizing he was still in the first stage of his Nightmare Form.

Jason aimed both his hands up at the soaring Cloakmaster, bending all ten of his fingers. In-between his split apart hands formed a black sphere of darkness with a flaming red and orange core. Vulcan landed next to Jason, automatically summoning a large gold cannon of several mechanizations that puffed out steam. Jason jumped on top of it, standing over a hole where he could release the sphere of evil he held.

"Goodnight, Cloakmaster!" exclaimed the maniacal Cloakmaster of Fire. He pushed the sphere into the circular hole.

"DRAGON SPHERE OF HELL!" roared Jason with vengeance.

The cannon fired a momentous beam of orange with a complete aura of yellow that surrounded it. On the inside of it was a long thin black stream of dark negative Chaos energy. The unconscious Tojiro slowly drifted through the air, not fully aware of the chaos that came to take his life from him.

"_Tojiro…please live…for me_." said the voice of a female.

The beam impacted, resulting in an uncontrollable spinning sphere with black trails while the entire sphere was fiery like a storm of flames. Jason appeared out of Chaos Control by Vulcan's side, while Julius stood crouched by Alma's side, all staring up at the chaos they created.

"The Cloakmaster of Foolishness…that's always been his fitting title." said Jason with sheer confidence, smirking for as long as he could.

In the clearing smoke, a single stream of transparent red came down, and impacted the golden cannon, exploding it with a large red growing dome that resembled a Chaos Blast. The four Hell Gods were thrown to the edge of North High's Entrance. They all remained on their feet until they slid to a slow, yet sudden halt. Standing in the middle of the impact ground that pushed them back was a figure encased in a fiery red aura of Chaos energy. Once it cleared, it revealed Tojiro in his hedgehog form, pledging a static dark crimson fur over his body.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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-The super transformed hedgehog that was Tojiro stopped in mid-flight, spanning his arms wide to create a ball of red lightning; shooting forth a concussive lightning bolt out at the opposing Hell Gods. "Despite increasing odds, Tojiro unlocks a grand power of the Nightshade kind..."

"Further and further Tojiro tests the limits of his own dwelling body to fight off the decisive Hell Gods," -A falling storm of orange meteors rains down; Julius summons a deflective barrier to defend himself and his fellow corrupted Nightshades.- "Ever so more is the power of Tojiro's Chaos energy. Ever so more does it continue to climb..."

-Alma summons a rain storm of Chaos Spears to fall upon Tojiro from the sky. The Cloakmaster of Darkness raises the Blade of Darkness to wield a maelstrom of dark red Chaos energy to defend himself.-

"It is at the time of this battle that Tojiro must accept what he has become, what he _must_ become...in order to **save the world**."

-Tojiro roars to be left alone with fangs mixed along with his teeth.- "Must a new reign of order begin?" -Tojiro formed into a spiked ball in spin dash form.-

"Must Tojiro be the destined one to break the balance between good...and evil."

-The Cloakmaster of Darkness shoots straight through a humongous beam of golden Chaos energy.- -From afar, Cloakmaster of War Kuro Senso, watches in sadness at the rage that continues to rise...and never give up.

-Carefully she looks upon the scene of the winded warrior, confused and puzzled...at how such a monster...**refuses to die**.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER XLII: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART III: DECLARATION  
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	42. Chapter XLII

_**CHAPTER XLII: SHADOW HOUR**_

_**PART III: DECLARATION  
><strong>_

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters of this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku Vulcan Kikai, Alma Hanko, Jason Hi and Kuro Senso, otherwise known by her true name, Yumi Amaya. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
><strong>

**And they are the only other characters that appear in this chapter as Tojiro's personal war continues to excel with the Hell Gods. If anything should be taken from this chapter besides all the destruction and brawling it's the relevance of the chapter title. Where oh where in this chapter...is the declaration for this war..._set in stone by?_**

With a glowing red line in the shape of a circle around the symbol on his forehead, it ran across his forehead to create an edged point. There was also a glowing red line that streamed down his cheeks, as if it appeared he was crying. The Cloakmaster opened his eyes, revealing the white of his eyes to be black, while his orange eyes changed to glowing gold.

"_He actually…managed to reach the second stage_!" sprang the surprised thought of Vulcan. With blood dripping from the now claw shaped fingers on his left hand, Tojiro stood in the second stage of his Nightmare Form; the Pain Form.

"You…better…leave me…THE HELL ALONE!" roared the furious Tojiro, fangs in mix with his teeth.

"What strategy do we partake on now, Vulcan? We actually managed to force Tojiro to resort to his Dragon forms' powers. I've always wanted something like this to happen! Shall I behead him first, or possibly remove his legs?" said Jason, raising his right hand forward before his eyes, the Nightmare Claws shining and gleaming.

Tojiro clenched his hands together, his golden glowing eyes forming into a stare of abominable hatred.

"Thunderstorm of a Thousand Fears!" he commanded.

A series of red tornadoes that were surrounded in electrifying Chaos Lightning shot down towards the ground with explosive force. Vulcan created a mechanical dome of silver with multiple spikes around it. Inside, Julius and Alma appeared out of Chaos Control. The dome of protection shook with uncontrollable power as the furious technique that Tojiro summoned continued to smash and beat against the ground and the dome the Hell Gods used for shelter.

The dome suddenly shattered altogether once Tojiro punched his fist into it, blowing the entire dome into shreds. Tojiro was first to grab Jason, throwing him far towards the city in the distance. He quickly grabbed the right thrusted fist of Vulcan, and then pointed his left hand into Vulcan's face to quickly shoot a Chaos Spear, knocking Vulcan into the sky. Tojiro took a series of purple needles to his chest, then ducked from a vertical slash of red Chaos energy released by Alma.

Tojiro immediately fired a golden stream of pronged Chaos energy into Alma, which first dug into her flesh before exploding into light, leaving her to stream across the sky with a long trail of grayish smoke. However, the sudden appearance of Julius releasing a steady blast of Chaos Lightning to Tojiro from behind set the Cloakmaster firing off into the heavens as well. Tojiro set his eyes towards the city, noticing it to be nearing closer and closer. However, with his back towards the ground far below, he stuck his head up to see Julius flying after him.

Tojiro let gravity take its course as his path in the air began to curve downwards. Tojiro managed to spot the black image of Vulcan standing atop a skyscraper. He had his weapon ready; the massive mini gun known as the Annihilator. The front port opened up, creating a visual phenomenon of intense glowing gold to summon inside the weapon. Slices of wind gathered in circles on the front of the barrel, as well as small lights of gold.

"SUFFER IN SODOMY!" he roared, releasing a disastrous beam of golden Chaos energy at Tojiro.

Tojiro formed up into a ball, a black aura surrounding him. Black spikes suddenly stuck out to give him the appearance of a spiked ball. Tojiro shot towards the oncoming beam with all his might and speed. Upon the dreadful impact of intense friction, Tojiro managed to cut straight through the middle of the beam. As he continued to spin and roll through the entire middle of the beam, Vulcan remained with his eyes left wide. Tojiro finally hit Vulcan where he stood, taking a massive assortment of the building's roof along with him.

Spraying chunks of stone and earth off the top of the building, Vulcan was sent flying at a ferocious speed, crashing through at a diagonal angle through three more buildings. Tojiro exited his ball form, leaving the black spikes to dissipate into fog. Tojiro clenched onto a skyscraper, immediately dashing up it with supersonic speed. He looked down, seeing streams of orange Chaos energy with pointed spear shaped heads.

He immediately back flipped off the building, letting the orange streams of hellish power continue to pass up the building. The shocking appearance of Jason above Tojiro made his eyes widen as the Cloakmaster of Fire delivered a stinging Chaos Kick to Tojiro's gut with the heel of his right foot. Tojiro shot down like an anvil falling from the sky.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness plummeted into a street of unaware drivers and citizens on the sidewalks. Tojiro impacted the ground with enough force to create a shivering set of cracks to race across the ground and shoot debris off into the air, along with a dashing cloud of smoke that dashed through the street. The force of impact was powerful enough to even shatter the windows of several buildings, causing more people to panic in fear. Tojiro shot straight up from his pain, spin dashing straight up against Jason's face, throwing the Cloakmaster of Fire in a curved spinning path through the air.

Tojiro stopped in mid-air, exiting his spin dash form. He spanned his arms and hands out to the left and right. A bolt of red lightning shot from in-between his palms. Alma appeared in the sky with Tojiro, while Julius appeared far behind Tojiro. Enemies to the front and back, this next technique would greatly affect his chances of victory. Somehow, however, in the eyes of that hateful demon Tojiro, victory wasn't so important. The simple sight of these four Hell Gods falling by his hands and suffering until they die became more relevant, and persuaded Tojiro's ill mind of hatred to take whatever action possible. His mind overcome with pain thanks to this unsettling transformation, thinking his moves through became absent to him.

"Cross…Seal…Reveal!" commanded Alma, holding the Staff of Judgment high.

A large black mirror appeared before her, causing a flurry of Tojiro copies, all using the same technique the real Cloakmaster was preparing. The Demon Demigod growled with anger, blood dripping from his mouth. The army of flying clones tackled and swarmed around Tojiro, all forming up into a large square that remained hovering. The large black mirror that Alma created vanished, and she tiredly lowered her Staff of Judgment.

"Jul-Julius! Hurry! Finish him before he-" he words were silenced.

* * *

><p>She and the other Hell Gods watched as numerous rays of orange light poured out one by one with increasing speed. The array of blasts finally led up to an explosion of orange light and dangerously harmful flames.<p>

Julius created a spherical barrier around himself that drove back any ember filled meteors which smacked against his protective barrier. Tojiro was revealed to still hovering and still as powerful as ever. His arms were seething with orange Chaos energy, even giving it a liquid presence that seemed to drip off from his hands.

"_He's actually reversing the lock that Akuma set on him. The Chaos energy in his body is becoming discharged to the point where its evil power is able to eat through anything! Tojiro has definitely learned much when I last faced him_." thought the Cloakmaster of Defiance, looking over her shoulder at Jason, who suddenly sped right past her with a face that spelled revenge.

"Incineration Consumption!" exclaimed Jason, releasing a large half sphere of orange Chaos energy out from his right hand.

The half sphere captured Tojiro inside of it, and then turned into a full sphere. Numerous black spikes suddenly broke out from all sides of the sphere. It quickly shattered into a flash of orange light. Jason shielded his eyes from the burning glow. He lowered his arms, suddenly seeing the visage of the angry Demon Demigod punching him directly in the face. Jason shot off between two buildings until smashing onto the roof of a smaller skyscraper.

Tojiro quickly turned around to block a violent swing from Alma with her Staff of Judgment. Tojiro's eyes coursed with clear distaste, dying to unleash his unholy vengeance against those who were causing him his irritating pain. Tojiro pushed Alma back through the air, readying the Blade of Darkness in his left hand. Alma pointed the Staff of Judgment forward, releasing a humongous barrage of black Chaos Spears with glowing red tips.

"Wind Needle Blast!" exclaimed the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

He pointed the Blade of Darkness into the sky, creating a spinning circle of dark red Chaos energy around himself, defending him from the impeding repetitiveness of Alma's Chaos Spears.

Tojiro triggered the explosive wave of Chaos Needles that broke his sphere barrier apart, shooting the vile darts of pain in every single direction. Alma was swift to create a golden curved barrier to protect herself from the storm of pain. Tojiro immediately pointed the Blade of Darkness at Alma, preparing a growing sphere of black and red Chaos energy on the tip of his blade. Julius launched a tether of purple Chaos energy that wrapped around Tojiro straight down the roof and down seven floors of a single skyscraper.

Tojiro crashed onto the final floor on his back, a large trail of debris leading from the very top and to a cloud that surrounded him for where he lay. Vulcan miraculously appeared behind Tojiro, firing the Annihilator with hellish accuracy. Tojiro quickly implemented to jump to his feet and start running around the huge room, leaving the bullets to blow away stone columns and decimate whatever stood in Vulcan's raging destruction. Tojiro quickly tossed the Blade of Darkness into his left hand, spinning it like the blades on a fan. Tojiro began to slow down, which gave Vulcan the unnecessary disadvantage.

Every bullet was bounced off Tojiro's vastly quick spinning technique he used with his blade. All the bullets ricocheted off the room, shattering windows and ripping through the floor as well. Tojiro directed himself towards a window. Vulcan growled with anger, opening the front barrel up, turning his weapon into its cannon mode. Tojiro shot through the glass, then fell down, leaving a gigantic golden beam of Chaos energy to shoot out of the building section that he just jumped out from. Tojiro glued his feet to the building, dashing down it with intense speed and focus. He kept his courage and strength vigil for this destructive battle that may cost him his life. It's a good thing, however.

From down below, Vulcan crashed out, firing another golden beam of monstrous proportions up at the running hedgehog. Yet…Tojiro really had nothing to die for either. Tojiro leaped off the building, passing over the huge beam of Chaos energy. Tojiro went on to plummet both his feet straight into Vulcan's skull, shattering over twenty windows on the impact. Vulcan shot down to the ground below in a split second, creating a fearsome explosion that shot chunks of concrete into the air, damaging the street with chaotic force and momentum. The over powered hedgehog of crimson fur stared down at the vicious cloud that continued to sway through the streets, ceasing to vanish.

A set of purple spikes suddenly riddled themselves into Tojiro's back, resulting in the form of a multiple set of purple explosions of incredible power. Tojiro soared straight upward, his eyes shut. Julius launched a horde of arrow shaped projectiles of green Chaos energy at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro was quick to react, pointing both his arms out and firing a single crimson red Chaos Sphere of immense proportions. The sphere smashed through Julius's projectiles and into the Cloakmaster of Purging, causing him to quickly shoot down and smash through three separate buildings at an diagonal angle.

Tojiro quickly flew down onto a building rooftop, dropping onto his knees in pain.

"Damn…this honestly sucks at the highest point in heaven, and it annoys me to the farthest star in the sky." the Demon Demigod said to himself.

He stared up, seeing a large gold fist summon out of the ground, and smash him into the rooftop. Hovering above in the air was Vulcan, smirking with a sense of victory. However, Tojiro remained standing under the large fist, holding it up. Tojiro growled with vengeance, unwilling to accept such a form of pain. Tojiro used his right arm to unsheathe the Blade of Darkness then quickly progressed to driving it through the large golden palm, causing it to yank back. Tojiro shot off the ground, slashing through the arm then smashing a whirling blue Rasengan into Vulcan's chest.

Vulcan sporadically spun through the sky at an unstoppable speed, until gravity forced him to smash through a single skyscraper, creating a menagerie of debris and smoke to fly out from both sides. Tojiro remained hovering in the sky until he was forced to turn around, deflecting the attack from Alma and her Staff of Judgment.

Tojiro immediately gripped Alma by her throat, turning around to smack an incoming Jason. Tojiro then got rid of the Cloakmaster of Defiance by tossing her straight into a hovering Julius who remained standing tired and weakened on a building rooftop. The suffering Cloakmaster of Darkness gripped both sides of his head, shutting his eyes in merciless agony. He suddenly opened his eyes, blood coughing out from his mouth, and splattering out from his eyes. Vulcan appeared out of Chaos Control, charging upwards from below.

Tojiro looked down, blocking the attack with the Blade of Darkness, but the force of Vulcan's speed knocked the bleeding Cloakmaster higher into the sky. Even with blood pouring out from his mouth and eyes, he still kept vigil, letting the pain drastically inflict his body. Tojiro halted himself in mid-air, roaring, revealing his dragon like fangs in his mouth. Vulcan created a pair of large golden mallets of mechanized proportions.

Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, quickly transforming the rings around his wrists into the Dragon Guardian Cestus. He took swift action to make sure he was protected by sticking them both out to the left and right, stopping the two mighty mallets from smashing him into mush. Tojiro coughed like a sick old man, his Tsukikagegan ever present in place of his red filled eyes. Vulcan kept his arms out, struggling to put his hands together, fighting against Tojiro's sheer will that seemed completely unbreakable. Alma hovered far above, staring down at the trapped Tojiro. From above, she prepared _her_ Tsukikagegan.

The white of her eyes turned glowing red, and in the color of black formed two rosary like crosses in her eyes. Jason did the same. His Tsukikagegan was in the shape of a circling vine of thorns, completely black of course. Flames grew around his fists, forming into the shape of a reptilian creature. He charged across the sky, straight towards the Demigod of Death.

"Spinning Cyclone of the Flame God!" exclaimed Jason.

A horde of flames surrounded him, shaping into a Chaos Spear, marked with streams of red. Tojiro stunningly looked down in front of himself at an diagonal angle.

"Dragon Rage Blast!" thundered the furious Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Streams of black with dragon heads shot out from Tojiro's body. The six streams of dark Chaos energy circled around Tojiro, continuing to spin around him until they all formed a sphere. Jason impacted the dark sphere, resulting in a fearsome explosion that came from Tojiro. Clouds of black and red shot into a large dome shape, obliterating Jason's attack. Both Jason and Vulcan went sent flying down to the city below, smashing through anything they came close to. Tojiro lowered his arms, the Dragon Guardian Cestus reverting back to their bracelet forms.

Tojiro managed to catch his breath, yet dry blood was all that he could taste and see. His eyes were dreary. He appeared soulless even, as if he would drop out of the sky and die wherever he would fall. He refused to let such a pathetic fate be handed to him so willingly. It was against everything he believed in. Tojiro slowly wandered through the air, but was immediately punched in the face by a vengeful Chaos Punch sent by Jason himself.

Tojiro spiraled down to the earth, smashing across the rooftop of a skyscraper, then continuing on to smash into a transporting truck that was empty. It was resorted to become as flat as a pancake thanks to the momentum that sent Tojiro speeding down at such speeds. Alma appeared above the Cloakmaster's position. She pointed the Staff of Judgment straight up, creating a large black spear head, wavering around it was crimson red Chaos energy.

"It is time to meet your end." whispered the fork tongued Cloakmaster.

Alma pointed the Staff of Judgment down, causing the deadly tool of overdone death down at Tojiro. With blood curling from his eyes, Tojiro's body released a large golden beam with white beams wrapped around it. The beam encountered Alma's death tool, exploding on impact, shooting shards and chunks of black steel in every direction. It tore away at buildings, smashed through the earth below, and obliterated anything it fell on. Tojiro gripped his hands onto two slabs of earth that stuck up from the ground, using this leverage to drag himself onto his quivering legs that began to bleed.

Watching above on a silent rooftop was another Hell God; Kuro Senso. In her human form, her long silver hair drifted slowly in the surprisingly calm winds of battle. She discerned the chaos below her with a frivolous feeling. Her blood red eyes looked so gentle and careless, but yet she felt sorrow for the Cloakmaster.

"How? How can such a being…_**exist**_? Why…doesn't he die?" she questioned in restless solitude.

With a body torn by concrete, contusions punched as hard as anvils, his fields of nerves shutting down in a massive blackout and blood spilling slower and _slower_ from his temple, nose and mouth, the Last Nightshade remained conscious…and refuted the act of his legs buckling underneath _all that pain_.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
><em>

__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-Jumping back to avoid a slew of lethal Chaos Needles, in mid-air a warped image of Tojiro shoots right before his eyes at super speed, delivering his metal fist into Jason's face, pulverizing the Cloakmaster of Fire.- "With the power of the Pain Stage running out it continues to infuriate and exhaust power from imbalanced body of Tojiro."

-An in-flight charge from Alma delivers a fierce left kick up into her chin-. "His silence only makes the Hell Gods bitter in hate for their fellow Nightshades' strength."

-Alma is speared by her own Staff of Judgment through the stomach and is sent to the concrete land below, throttling her nervous system and organs.-

"To the shortest extent of grandeur does Tojiro keep the fight at equal odds..." -A Wind Needle Blast explodes in all directions, Tojiro releases a monstrous pair of dragon headed flame beams from underneath his feet and towards his foes.-

"Quicker and quicker does the two sides of opposing Nightshades further their wills and limits..." -A stagnant Kuro Senso vanishes with Chaos Control.-

-A visually angered Vulcan shouts at the confusion created by Jason, in result to Tojiro's increasing power.- -Within a building missing an entire half fraction of its infrastructure, Tojiro painfully regurgitates several spits of his twisted blood.-

"The lonely soliloquy spoken by Yumi leaves Tojiro in even further silence, continuing only but one ideal for the Demigod of Death..."

-A large golden rocket shoots toward Tojiro.- -A shouting Vulcan points to the sky as Tojiro approaches.- -Armed with the Chains of Fear, Tojiro grits his teeth and prepares to unleash his wrath for the rest of the day.-

"That no matter the bonds these Nightshades may have had to him..." -Tojiro cuts and cleaves Vulcan's chest with the Blade of Darkness.-

-Jason Hi flies airborne while creating a blazing form of matter born of Chaos Fire in his fist.- "No matter how they may drown him in pain and hatred..."

-Tojiro prepares a whirling Rasengan and kicks it airborne like a soccer ball.- "Tojiro's destiny is to be the one being that can do what no other should be able to do..."

-Tojiro stands defensive of Hakufu Sonsaku, Koukin Shuyu and Bachou Moki in modern day while he stands sweated in blood.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER XLIII: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART IV: NOBILITY  
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	43. Chapter XLIII

_**CHAPTER XLIII: SHADOW HOUR **_

_****_**PART IV: NOBILITY  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Julius Tsuiho, Jason Hi, Vulcan Kikai, Alma Hanko and Kuro Senso otherwise known as Yumi Amaya. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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**So "The Nightmare Wars" has reached 1,400 views! Excellent! I thank all my readers who visit and read this expanding saga and hope you continue to enjoy it! In a way how this chapter ends it delivers to Tojiro a reaction that only he can enact on. It's something only a person such as Tojiro can be confused by, but it only fuels his determination even further. It gives him more of a grand resolve to continue believing in his will of wills. How long, I wonder, will it take for that will to be tested? What is Tojiro Ankoku's "breaking point"? The "Shadow Hour" Arc takes a decisive turn next chapter with Part 5!  
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Tojiro was sent bouncing and tumbling across the ground with agony once hit by a plume of flames shot by Jason. Tojiro slammed through a burned through hole of a transport truck then once hit the ground, he was viciously grabbed by the throat and tossed straight into a light pole, courtesy of Julius Tsuiho. Tojiro rolled to a halt after the violent set of acrobatics he was forced into stopped. His body fell numb and tightened. Still, he managed to grip the ground and put himself back on his feet. He faced forward, automatically having to jump into the air to avoid a set of six streams of flames which Jason launched.

Tojiro immediately shot out tentacles of lightning from all ten of his fingers. Jason was quick to create a barrier around himself, letting the electrified hell damage everything around him. Tojiro remained hovering in mid-air, immediately putting his left hand to his mouth, coughing up more blood. It escaped and spilled through his fingers, a sudden black visage covered his body. Jason lowered his barrier, his Tsukikagegan present with hatred.

"_What is that damn kid doing this time_?!" exclaimed the impatient thought of the Cloakmaster of Fire.

The black fog vanished, revealing Tojiro to be in his human form yet he still remained in the Pain Stage of his Nightmare Form. His hair was now a crimson mixed black, and his golden eyes remained pertinent. He lowered his bloody left palm from his mouth. His teeth were gritted, and he hoarsely breathed through each inhale of air. Jason smirked with a daunting idea. He slammed the ground, summoning several fire hounds to shoot out of melted spots that formed out of the ground.

Tojiro clapped his hands together, creating waves of five green spheres of Chaos energy. The forces collided, but Tojiro's five spheres exploded into a slew of Chaos Needles. Jason quickly jumped back to avoid the horde of pain, but Tojiro's sudden appearance came straight for him, punching him straight in the face with his metal fist. Jason smacked into the ground face first then continued on to bowl through three automobiles. Tojiro released a blast of blue flames from his right hand. The flames of overpowered hatred formed into a spiral pattern. Surrounded by cars, the hungry flames exploded into a mixture of bright blue, snuffing the explosive fires that came from the pile of cars Jason was laying with.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder, then turned his head back forward, only to see Alma charge straight at him. Tojiro swung both of his feet straight up. His left foot knocked the Staff of Judgment out of Alma's left hand, while his right foot kicked her straight up the chin.

Tojiro managed to grab hold of the Staff of Judgment and toss it straight towards Alma, impaling her in the gut, and sending her smashing into the concrete road below. Vulcan and Julius appeared over by Alma's position, which she clearly appeared unharmed. "Are you two all right?" asked the Cloakmaster of Purgery, looking at the two wounded elders.

"Just…fine!" exclaimed Alma after Vulcan removed her Staff from her belly.

Alma slowly rose up, and glared at Vulcan, angrily snatching the Staff of Judgment away from him.

"Next time such a thing happens, I won't be around to help your rusted behind!" barked the annoyed Alma.

"Excuse me you old bat, but the Cloakmaster of Darkness isn't one to wait." implied Vulcan, crossing his arms.

"And you're right!" said Jason, landing in front of the three to create a large orange barrier of flames to block an enormous golden Chaos Spear from blowing them all to bits and chunks of flesh.

Tojiro lowered his left arm, and then dropped down to the ground. Jason lowered his barrier, preparing the Nightmare Claws on both of his hands. Tojiro crashed into the ground, causing five slabs of earth to slant up the moment he landed on his feet.

"Chaos Rivet: Lightning Dance!" exclaimed Jason, running forward, then delving his Nightmare Claws into the ground.

A horde of blue lightning bolts formed, scattering across the ground until they formed into the shape of a tidal wave. Standing over forty feet tall, the wall of electricity converged onto Tojiro. The Demon Demigod prepared the Chains of Fear. He began swearing the kusarigama and himself like a tornado, until a tornado of lightened green Chaos energy actually formed around him.

Tojiro launched himself towards the wave of lightning, head on. He shot straight through it while the funnel top of the Chaos tornado was facing forward. He exited the form then launched the Chains of Fear down at the four Hell Gods. Vulcan and Alma stepped out of the way, both grabbing a chain. They both tugged with all their strength. Tojiro pointed his feet forward, preparing a hellish surprise for his four foes. Jason noticed this. Jason launched off the ground, however, Tojiro wouldn't allow it.

With unstoppable vigor and hatred he yelled; "DRAGON'S INFERNO!"

Tojiro released two humongous shots of red and orange flames from the jets under his metal feet, consuming the four Nightshades in its burning radius. Tojiro shot backwards through the air with Airbending, retracting the reached out Chains of Fear. He landed in a crouched pose, his head lowered and the kusarigama weapons were back in his hands. He rose to a free standing pose, placing the Chains of Fear back in their tube shaped holsters. He wiped the blood from his eyes then spat some from his mouth, but it turned into a horrid sounding set of coughs and gags. He once again dropped to the ground, yet he kept himself on his right leg, while the knee of his left leg remained on the cold concrete.

"T-t-thi-This can't…be happening." he mumbled in silence.

The color of flames were like his blood, horrifying and unyielding. They continued to consume and ravage whatever they touched. They really were like Tojiro…weren't they? Tojiro stared forward, seeing large black silhouettes fly out of the storm of flames. It didn't take him long to notice that they were cars or large chunks of earth. Tojiro quickly slammed his left hand on the ground, causing huge spears of black Chaos energy to spout diagonally out of the ground. The rocks shattered on impact, while several cars were left to impale straight onto the spears or simply explode upon impale.

Tojiro sped to the right, jumping towards a building then activated the jets underneath his feet. He shot straight up the building side, while the four Cloakmaster Hell Gods flew up after him. Tojiro looked down, coughing at the same time. He quickly set his gaze back up. On the left and right near the top of the building, two large golden arms broke out and lunged downwards at the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro vigorously leaped over one, then jumped towards the other, landing on the index finger, then quickly jumping onto the building side to continue making his way up the building on foot. Alma fired a golden beam of Chaos energy up at Tojiro, then launched several black buzz saws shaped out of Chaos energy.

Tojiro turned himself around, running up the building backwards. He released a large silver beam from both of his eyes. Jason used Chaos Control to appear in its path. He created a red barrier around himself to disperse Tojiro's beam. Jason quickly vanished to let Alma's beam pass its way up and hit Tojiro dead. Tojiro was surrounded by it's vile power, but then the sight of the black buzz saws came up at him. Tojiro knew a lost limb could be in order. Tojiro took the initiative and took a chance.

"Wind…N-N-Nee-Needle…BLAST!" he shrieked in horrid agony.

A humongous green sphere of Chaos energy expanded outwards, blowing through the building, destroying half of the skyscraper by shooting masses of debris, glass and whatever remained on the inside all over the sky. The Hell Gods remained still, having barriers of Chaos energy to protect them. The chaos seemed to cease once the noise of destruction passed over. The Hell Gods noticed the green sphere of Chaos energy that protected Tojiro was gone, alone with the Cloakmaster of Darkness himself, but they were also struck by surprise even more to see a large fraction of the building was blown away by Tojiro's desperate attempt to continue fighting.

"He continues to rise in power! What the hell is giving him all that Chaos energy anyway!?" barked the Cloakmaster of Fire.

"His Pain Stage, you fool. It feeds the body with Chaos energy and causes your blood to rush faster…but if you haven't noticed already…the risk is far too great to pay." explained the observant Vulcan. Kuro remained watching the chaos encompass the city. She stood on a building apart from the heavily damaged one where Tojiro was last seen.

"Even for Tojiro…such a price can't be paid." said the solemn Cloakmaster of War.

Kuro unfolded her arms, vanishing with the use of Chaos Control.

The quiet Nightshade reappeared in a torn apart hallway. Wires that sparked electricity hanged down from the ceiling, and vents were even sticking down. Walls and columns were either destroyed or cut through by Tojiro's Wind Needle Blast. Kuro looked on, touching one of the burnt walls with her right hand. She looked through the room, everything turned to crisp nothingness.

She still felt something coming from within the room, however. Kuro silently stepped into the room, passing over mounds of ash and burnt tables and office walls. She suddenly stopped once she was Tojiro rise up from the ground, heinously coughing up unwanted blood that his body just decided to throw out. Kuro watched his suffering through her cold eyes.

Tojiro's dark crimson hair remained, and his gaze was locked on the floor. He slowly lowered his left hand from his mouth, then pointed it at Kuro, firing a black beam of dark Chaos energy. Kuro swiped her left hand to send it blasting through a wall. Kuro slowly lowered her arm, taking a more longer gaze at Tojiro.

"You've definitely made a difference in the world. Somehow it was a change great enough to shake the entire planet. How do you feel after knowing that?" she announced to the Cloakmaster of Hatred.

"Nothing at all. What else do I have to think about!?" he roared, stopping to cough and gag.

Kuro's eyes appeared differently this time. She felt pity, no. She just felt sorry. Her eyes was the only proof to reveal it. Tojiro removed his left hand from his mouth, letting his fingers drip with his vile blood of evil.

"You should know by now…how you proved everybody around you right." Kuro automatically responded.

"And what would that be?" Tojiro said under a muffled breath of anger.

"_**You change lives**_. That power is more stronger than any other imaginable." Kuro answered with a cold expression.

Tojiro's gold eyes didn't change. Kuro closed her eyes, placing her right hand on her chest. The Cloakmaster of War left through the blink of an eye by using Chaos Control. Tojiro spat out some grisly blood, then turned around after noticing rays of gold to be shining on the ground around him. He turned to face a large golden rocket shot through the wall.

Tojiro readied the Chains of Fear, tired and wasted of strength. His hatred, however, would be his fuel. Tojiro launched himself towards the rocket, clinging the kusarigama blades into the tip of the rocket. He then flung it over his head, smashing through more of the inside building infrastructure.

"Here he comes!" shouted Vulcan.

* * *

><p>The large golden rocket came surging down at Jason and Alma. Alma first created a large circular gem stone. It appeared to have a black on the front. Once it blinked, a golden beam shot straight out from the pupil, and exploded against the rocket. The red gem stone vanished in a red mist. The furious explosion forced both Alma, Jason, and Vulcan to be pushed back through the air by the powerful impact of force. Through the ebony cloud of wandering air, Tojiro charged down. He punched Alma out of his way, kicked Vulcan straight in the jaw, then grabbed Jason by the throat, tossing him straight towards an unsuccessfully Julius who was charging Tojiro from behind.<p>

Tojiro quickly turned back forward, blocking a powerful fist thrust by Vulcan. Tojiro blocked three kicks from Vulcan, ducked down from a swing from Alma's glowing gold Staff of Judgment. Tojiro took several purple needles in the back. He blasted a surge of violent air into both Vulcan and Alma, shooting them down to the streets below. Tojiro turned around, delivering a whirling red Rasengan with a black core, straight into the chest of Jason.

Julius, being a few feet behind Jason was still enwrapped by a large surge of powerful Chaos energy and chakra that came from Tojiro's attack. Jason roared in agony as the blast finally sent him and Julius smashing straight through five buildings in a row until meeting their doom in the ruined streets of chaos below. Tojiro was adamant to turn around, blocking the combined Chaos Punches sent by Vulcan.

Tojiro pushed him back then unsheathed the Blade of Darkness to cut across Vulcan's chest four times, then quickly finished by smashing the Chaos energized blade down on top of him. Vulcan shot straight to the ground below, the booming of the impact echoing out with a crack across the wind. A single stake of steel suddenly impaled Tojiro's left arm, then five more hit him in the back.

Currents of electricity connected them all together, resulting in vicious explosion of crackling mid-air thunderbolts of yellow. Alma appeared down below the explosion, holding the Staff of Judgment tightly in the grip of her right hand. Julius appeared by her left side, hovering in the air with his fellow Hell God.

"I'm sure Kuro would have enjoyed this battle if Akuma gave her the order." said the agonized Julius, holding his left arm.

"She was already here, young one." said the demented Alma.

"What? You sensed her? Where is sh-"

"She already left. I doubt Akuma would even care if she left without orders or not." noted the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

"Then she doesn't deserve to live, right? How come Akuma brought her to life anyway? She belonged to her own self-acclaimed family of riches, but yet Akuma allows her to join _us_? We're all related to Tojiro's family _**except for her**_!" exclaimed the easily annoyed Julius.

"Yumi wandered the world in search for Tojiro after the night he saved her from the men who murdered her family. She even became a Nightshade, in hopes that her power would entice him to the point of no return." said the calm and cold faced Alma.

"So what if she wanted to _**marry him?!**_ It didn't work anyway! Man! You make it sound like hell, you do realize that, right?" stated Julius, crossing his arms, nearly cracking a smile.

Alma smacked Julius on the back of the head for his response.

"Instead of worrying about Kuro's love life, focus on Cloakmaster Ankoku! He's weakening with every minute we waste!" said Jason, flying high above the bickering Nightshades.

In the clearing smoke of gray, Tojiro caught sight of Jason, preparing a fist full of flaming friction, literally! Tojiro created another Rasengan. This time, he let it out of his hand and then kicked it like he would a soccer ball. The whirling sphere of hurt smashed right into the Cloakmaster of Fire, enveloping him into its growing size which soon exploded into thin lines of red and black. Jason fell down towards Alma and Julius through a series of backward flips. Jason managed to stop himself in mid-air, halting in place on by Alma's side.

The three Nightshades sent their hateful stares up at the Cloakmaster of Darkness, merely to mask the planning that stirred within their minds. Vulcan was able to surprisingly summon a gigantic metal fist to smack Tojiro straight down the three Hell Gods below. At the same time, they leaped up at him with vengeance.

Tojiro looked on, seeing the image of their faces, full of such hate and anger. Was this truly…his end? The sudden image of four silhouettes caught his eye, and he watched these four knock away the three Hell Gods back into the ground. Tojiro summoned the conscious to open his eyes back up and land on the ground, gripping his right arm immediately, feeling a stinging surge come from within.

"Tojiro!" called a sudden voice. He looked forward seeing the reincarnation of the Little Conqueror; Hakufu Sonsaku.

Along with her was Ryomou Shimei, Bachou Mouki, Cho'un Shiryu, and Shuyu Koukin, standing a few feet behind Tojiro.

"Good thing that weird hooded guy gave us the heads up! We're here to help!" said Hakufu, winking to Tojiro.

"Ryu…thanks a lot…dammit." cursed the Cloakmaster with a hopeless expression.

A sudden ray of purple needles shot down at the group. Tojiro immediately turned around, pointing his arms up at the storm of death. A large red dome of Chaos energy formed out, protecting everyone that had just arrived.

"Tojiro? Are you okay?" asked a deliberate Hakufu.

Tojiro ignored the question, wiping his bloodied cheeks, yet streams of blood continued to spill from his eyes. Hakufu and the others hurried to Tojiro, faces of shock formed on Bachou and Koukin as they saw the bloodied face of the Cloakmaster.

"Step back…please." he said, limping forward, keeping his back straight even as his spine was beginning to strain against himself.

Blood curled off from his fingertips, and sweat dripped along with the blood that came from his face.

"P-pr-Pr-Protect…ev-…I…m-mu…shall." he muffled in a lifeless voice.

"Tojiro, stop! Look at you! You're covered in blood-"

"Silence." his dead voice echoed, stopping Hakufu.

"Tojiro, she's concerned. We've all come to help you because of it. So please let us help." Koukin stepped in defensively.

"You'll…suffer. I won't…let you." he replied.

"Please Tojiro! You helped Hakufu sensei before! We can help!" bequeathed a desperate Bachou.

Tojiro shot off the ground, his barrier dissolving in the process. Vulcan and Julius appeared out of Chaos Control in Tojiro's path. Vulcan let out a flurry of golden Chaos Spears, while Julius sent out a barrage of black Chaos Spears. Tojiro clapped his hands together, creating a black circle barrier to form around himself, deflecting all the Chaos Spears upon impact, creating flashes of white light to shine with every projectile that hit Tojiro's spherical barrier.

Tojiro heard from below several booms that hit the earth. He saw Shiryu block a vicious swing from Alma, but quickly knock her back with a smack to Alma's head by heavily swinging her right leg against the Cloakmaster of Defiance. Alma was shot across the ground until crashing through a building wall. Koukin jumped back, blocking several burning punches delivered by Jason. Koukin slid across the ground on his feet, on his knees. His arms were slightly burnt by Jason's merciless power.

"Now…YOU DIE!" roared the Cloakmaster of Fire, preparing the Nightmare Claws on only his right hand.

Tojiro was blown away by a combined blast of black and gold Chaos energy shot by Vulcan and Julius. Tojiro unwillingly took this chance to assist Koukin. He unsheathed the Blade of Darkness and drove it straight through Jason's back, pinning the Cloakmaster of Fire into the ground. Tojiro removed the blade, grabbed Jason by the back of his head, and turned around to toss him across the air. Alma flew in, knocking away Ryomou, throwing the girl in the maid outfit against a car.

"Ryomo!" exclaimed the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

He glared forward, grabbing the Staff of Judgment which Alma attempted to bash across the side of Tojiro's skull. Tojiro shocked a series of red bolts of Chaos Lightning onto Alma, resulting in an explosion that sent her flying back across the street.

"Leave them alone dammit! I AM YOUR FOE!" he roared, showing his dragon fangs.

Hakufu and Bachou watched at the monstrous aura of determination that glowed around the Cloakmaster. "He's more than a fighter…isn't he?" said a speechless Bachou.

"No. He's definitely more than that. He's a guardian." answered Shiryu, keeping her Japanese sword unsheathed and held in her right hand.

Tojiro was first to raise the Blade of Darkness to form a large black slanted barrier, blocking a barrage of black Chaos Needles, causing ripples of red to spread across Tojiro's barrier with every impact. Jason suddenly broke through the barrier, but Bachou intervened, kicking him straight across the side of his skull. Tojiro then fired a spear of red Chaos energy into Jason, reacting into a cloud of fiery flames of Chaos energy. Tojiro was forced to jump from Alma impaling the bottom end of her Staff of Judgment into the ground, causing a large wave of blue Chaos energy to shutter across the ground. Koukin and Hakufu were thrown off the ground and tossed across the concrete. Tojiro pointed his left hand back at them.

A gust of wind caught the two, preventing any further pain to be inflicted upon them. The air safely put them down on their feet. Hakufu and Koukin looked forward, only to dodge out of the way from Tojiro's corpse. Ryomou kicked Jason in the chest, then locked both her legs around his neck to toss him into the air. Ryomou landed on the ground immediately afterwards, quickly leaping up at Jason with speed. Jason, however, shot an unwavering surge of flames straight at Ryomou.

A black blur came by, catching Ryomou, and pulling her away from the cyclone of disaster. Tojiro landed back on the cold hard ground, skidding to a halt. He gently put Ryomou on her feet. She ignored her ridiculously torn clothes, looking at Tojiro turn away from her and leap back into action. Hakufu leaped into action as well, directly kicking Alma in the back of the head. Alma, however, quickly flew back and punched Hakufu in the chest with a powerful Chaos Punch, tearing the cloth piecing off her belly, and ripping away half of her skirt.

Hakufu was thrown into Koukin who reluctantly caught her. Tojiro turned away, shooting a massive set of fireballs from both of his hands. The slew of deathly flames formed dragon heads on the front, then started spinning together in a spiral formation. Alma and Vulcan stood back to back, creating gold Chaos energy around their hands. At the same time, huge spheres of whirling gold Chaos energy spanned out simultaneously.

The flames were easily distinguished. Jason came charging through the cloud of black smoke, kicking Tojiro across the right side of his skull, then continuing on to delve his Nightmare Claws at Bachou. Hakufu was intensely swift to knock Jason down to the ground, but he quickly countered by rolling back across the ground and by leaping forward onto his feet, he drove three of the five claws into Hakufu's belly.

Her eyes turned wide, never feeling the cold sense of steel inflict her body before.

"HAKUFU!" yelled Koukin, madly charging at Jason.

The Cloakmaster of Fire vanished through Chaos Control, smirking with vengeance. Tojiro appeared over by Shiryu's side, to quickly summon a wall of earth to block a merciless storm of green Chaos Spears. Even as they tore away through the barrier, Tojiro angrily kicked the huge slab of earth to smash away at Julius.

"TOJIRO!" roared Koukin, holding the bleeding Hakufu in his arms, on his knees.

Tojiro used Chaos Control to make himself, Shiryu, and Ryomou appear over by Koukin's side. Tojiro smashed his fists together to form a large black dome of Chaos energy that would protect against any form of destructive Chaos energy. Tojiro turned to Koukin, and seeing the closed eyes on Hakufu's face, Tojiro's golden eyes stared towards the ground. He coughed and choked, turning away from the sight that burned a hole in his conscious. He wiped his mouth of blood, knowing in his mind that the pain wouldn't leave him, and the disgusted taste of his blood would continue to spill forth.

"This…is why I told you not…to intervene. You'll…risk yourselves…dying to protect me." said the Cloakmaster, turning back to Koukin, continuing to look down at Hakufu's lifeless face.

"You have to do something! You can heal her can't you?!" exclaimed a certain Bachou.

Tojiro turned his eyes to her, making her gasp quietly at his dead expression.

"She…did that…to herself. I never wanted any of you to be harmed just so you could see me live. I don't need help. It's not going to be worth the toll of suffering I must pay for if one of you die. That is why I let no one fight for me…it only brings sadness and despair to others…and that's not fair. My problems are mine to bear…not yours. So please stay-"

"Tojiro…shut up." said Hakufu's voice.

"H-H-Hakufu!?" said Koukin in a distraught tone.

Hakufu rose to her feet, her controlled dragon powers have now taken place. Her eyes were changed to orange, and they stared at Tojiro with determination.

"_Good thing Hakufu managed to master her dragon back then. It'd be much worse now if she hadn't_." thought the aware Ryomou.

Hakufu limped over to Tojiro, wearing a confident smile on her face. Deep in her eyes laid a power that refused to give up, and somehow Tojiro purposely blinded himself to ignore such a thought. Hakufu stopped in front of Tojiro, bending over, breathing and breathing, attempting to absorb enough air so she could speak. Hakufu finally stood tall, looking into Tojiro's cold eyes that were glowing gold. They blinked in uneven patterns, sensing a form of invaluable words to come from Hakufu's mouth.

"You should be lucky to have friends. You know that? It honestly doesn't matter one bit how you feel protective over us. Can't you see…in our eyes…that we refuse to give up on you? We don't care about dying because as long as we're able to fight by each others' side, nothing else matters. _**Because we're together**_." she announced with valor.

つづく

_To be continued_

__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-An ill fated Jason Hi is punted directly across the jaw, parading across the earth on impact.- "Tojiro finds the heart of Hakufu Sonsaku brighter than his own stubbornness."

-Tojiro is wrapped by a black fog.- -Ryu, uncertain, looks to Tojiro while the pair stand on the rim of Mt. Fuji.- "Tojiro can only believe with every passing moment that his journey through the Nine Circles escalates higher and higher,"

-An enormous Chaos Blast dome of energy combusts,releasing a light show of beams in all directions.-

"As Tojiro fights to end his handicap battle with the Hell Gods, Tojiro's strenuous mind is only cornered by the ideals of Ryu Kaze."

-Alma held forth her Staff of Judgment.- -Tojiro dived down at Vulcan with a devious kick that fit his face of rage.- "The journey continues as Tojiro must take the next step to claim the Nightmare Scythe, to claim his destiny, and destroy it to form his own."

-With a gigantic Rasengan split by Blue positive Chaos energy and Red negative Chaos energy, Tojiro charges down without mercy, without a heart at the Four Hell Gods.-

"Tojiro must claim his birthright: The Nightmare Scythe. Or die **trying**."

-Ryu watches a truly certain Demigod speak a most shocking truth while clenching his metal hand, shutting his eyes for the journey ahead.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER XLIV: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART V: DEVOTION  
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	44. Chapter XLIV

_**CHAPTER XLIV: SHADOW HOUR**_

**PART V: DEVOTION  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Julius Tsuiho, Jason Hi, Alma Hanko and Vulcan Kikai. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

**Part 5 and the Shadow Hour Arc continues! The chapter title speaks for itself as Tojiro continues to either derail from his mission and fight out of vengeance or form a new resolve and go about saving humanity in the most righteous of ways. Which is true to Tojiro's mind? What would you commend to if you were in Tojiro's shoes? Any and all responses are welcome in the reviews section!  
><strong>

So much for invaluable. Tojiro blinked his eyes several times, staring off to the side. He suddenly placed his right hand on Hakufu's belly, causing a blue light to appear. The others looked in mystery at Tojiro's sudden action. Hakufu looked from her belly to the Cloakmaster. Even as the fatal wounds were miraculously healing, Hakufu wasn't surprised by his sudden healing abilities, but the sole expression on Tojiro's face. He was crying…crying his lonesome tears of blood.

Even for a Nightshade, as his skull began to crush on himself, the solemn tears streamed down his cheeks. Hakufu couldn't believe her eyes. The surprised look on her face was left frozen. The heartless Demigod of Death…was actually crying from the benevolent words from a fellow comrade. Tojiro finally took away his right hand, turning his back to the group.

The large barrier vanished, and he immediately leaped off the ground. Koukin, Bachou and Ryomou all stepped up to Hakufu's side, discovering that her wounds were completely healed! Hakufu continued to stare forward, in question.

"_Tojiro…actually…does care about us_." she said in distant thought. A smile formed on her face, and her orange colored eyes returned back to their greenish blue tint. Hakufu couldn't do more than simply form a smile on her enduring face.

Tojiro smacked Jason into the ground with a Chaos Kick to his jaw. Tojiro then blocked a blast of black Chaos energy from Julius, who the Demon Demigod quickly shot back, but Julius teleported out of it's way. Julius appeared behind Tojiro. The Cloakmaster of Purgery was fooled once Tojiro vanished in a puff of white smoke. Tojiro came down from above, in his Werehog form. His fur retained the dark crimson red color, and his pupils were still glowing gold.

"ONE THOUSAND FISTS OF CHAOTIC DEATH!" yelled the Demon Demigod.

Tojiro's fists formed elegant lights of golden Chaos energy around them. Tojiro stopped in mid-air, stretching both of his arms back and forth, violently pummeling Julius with one thousand Chaos Punches. Tojiro finally ended the mayhem by clapping his hands together and directly smashing them down on Julius, shooting him down into the earth, creating a gigantic dome of gold Chaos energy, blended with a fiery inferno to span out and ravage the two buildings on the left and right.

A black fog enwrapped Tojiro, reverting him back to his human form. He landed on the ground, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness with his left hand. The two set of Nightmare Claws suddenly split through Tojiro's back and out of his chest. His eyes widened with surprise. "You were foolish to use the Night Glare to copy this weapon as your own." said the snickering Jason. Tojiro suddenly hit Jason with the back of his head, forcing Jason to step back. Tojiro ran forward, the ten claws removed from his body. Tojiro slid to a demeaning halt, turning around halfway in the process.

"FIRE STORM OF CHAOS SPHERES!" yelled the ravaged Cloakmaster of Fire.

He pointed the Nightmare Claws up, keeping his palms exposed. A huge swarm of one hundred orange Chaos Spheres appeared over Jason's head. They all shot towards Tojiro with deadly intent to incinerate and destroy.

"Chaos…BLAST!" shouted the vigor of Tojiro's power.

A huge dome of red exploded forth, shooting multiple beams of red in every direction. The beams blew away Jason's multitude of Chaos Spheres. Hakufu and the others were forced to seek cover from Tojiro's insanity, dodging falling debris, flying cars that were asunder in flames, and even bits of sharpened steel. Vulcan charged for Tojiro, bashing him across the face, kicking him in the gut, then grabbing him by the face to toss him across the air for Alma to smack him with her golden glowing Staff of Judgment.

Tojiro shot back at Vulcan by boosting himself with Airbending. Tojiro performed a dive kick straight at Vulcan, but the Cloakmaster of Machines skidded to the left, leaving Tojiro to hit the ground. Tojiro turned halfway around, bending his spine back to dodge a sideways swing from Vulcan's furious fists. Tojiro quickly punched Vulcan directly in the gut, then grabbed him by the throat. Tojiro jumped backwards through the air, heading for Alma.

"Phantom Climax!" she yelled, pointing the Staff of Judgment forward.

The jewel in the center of her staff shot out blue and red beams of positive and negative Chaos energy. The beams combined into a large black sphere. It then released a single white beam with a red stream of Chaos energy going through the entire middle. Tojiro tossed Vulcan at the beam, then by pointing his hands down, Tojiro ascended higher into the air with Airbending. Vulcan was hit by the violent blast of Chaos energy, shot down to the ground by Julius's unconscious body. Tojiro pointed his arms down at Alma, releasing black Chaos Spears from the palms of his bleeding hands.

Alma created a silver barrier, but the Chaos Spears shattered through her barrier and pelted against her body with deadly force and deathly accuracy. Tojiro finally flew towards the stunned Cloakmaster of Defiance, spinning around her. Once passing behind her, he shot a single gold Chaos Spear that struck her in the back. Alma went crashing down to the position where both Vulcan and Julius were, unconscious.

Tojiro quickly flew up, dodging a dragon made up of flames. Jason shot towards Tojiro, delivering a fiery Chaos Sphere of Chaos energized flames into Tojiro's stomach. Tojiro shot down to the ground, managing to grab onto a light pole, and swing under it, launching himself back towards Jason.

"RASENGAN!" roared the Demigod of Death, smashing the swirling sphere of blue chakra into Jason's chest.

Jason shot across the air with intense speed. Tojiro, however, quickly launched out both Chains of Fear to wrap around Jason's legs. Tojiro turned around, swinging Jason across the sky and down into the other three Hell Gods, shooting a mountain of smoke into the air.

"Now…FOR THE FINAL BLOW!" echoed the Cloakmaster of Darkness. He stuck his left and right arms out to the side. A glowing blue Rasengan formed in his left hand while in his right formed a blood red Rasengan. In a flash, Tojiro shot down towards the four beaten Hell Gods.

"COLOSSAL RASENGAN OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT!" thundered the rage of Tojiro. He put the two Rasengans together, forming a single gigantic sphere with one half blue and the other red.

Tojiro roared to the heavens, smashing it down upon the four Hell Gods with all the strength he could summon. A glint of light sparked, immediately summoning a humongous sphere of swirling red and blue flames to expanded out, blowing apart the buildings they came close to. A single beam of white shot into the skies, tearing the clouds apart. Hakufu and the other fighters shielded themselves from the mass form of wind that couldn't knock them over. Ruined cars shot out, either passing right over them, or stopping at an instant once landed. The whirling sphere of fiery blue and red chaos vanished, the beam of white light shattered apart into particles of silver glitter. Hakufu quickly hurried forward.

"Hakufu, hold on!" called out the nervous Koukin, chasing after her.

Hakufu came to the clearing smoke, nearly falling into a ditch. She waved her arms back and forth, until Koukin came in and pulled her back.

"That was close! You should stop running into danger like that!" Koukin expressed, letting go of Hakufu's arm.

"Okay! Okay!" she complained, turning back to the so-called ditch.

The entire ground, along with a good half of the two buildings on the left and right were completely carved out into the shape of a half sphere. The shape resembled a Rasengan, and how it seemingly breaks through anything it manages to hit. Hakufu was first and the utmost adamant to leap into the magnificently, yet destructive, hole that carved into the earth. She landed with ease, hurrying to the center, coming across the bloodied and scarred Cloakmaster of Darkness.

She kneeled down by his side. Blood stained his torn up corpse, she didn't even know if she could touch him. Hakufu threw the thought away, seeing Tojiro as an honored fighter. She rested his head on her lap, and by this time the others were running over to Hakufu's side. His face was scathed with bruises and dirt marks, but the blood stopped spilling from his mouth and eyes.

"No…no! Tojiro, wake up! Come on, you're stronger than this!" she exclaimed with frantic hands that sought to wake him up.

Blood started to curl down from the crown of his head. Hakufu quickly wiped it away with angry eyes.

"Hakufu, is he all right?" asked a belligerent Koukin.

"I don't even know! I can't tell!" she said in fright.

"Is he even breathing?" Bachou implied quickly.

Hakufu took her advice. Hakufu lowered her head and used her right ear, hearing something faint.

"He's definitely breathing!" Hakufu quickly announced, sitting back up. From Tojiro's perspective, his eyes were hardly even open.

"_Darkness…how quaint_." his thoughts spoke. He watched the others crowd around him…and he could hear their voices fade as his eyes began to close.

"_I can't…lose…now. I don't…I won't…die…heeere_." he mumbled weakly in thought, his eyes shutting sealed, letting the darkness envelope him, letting the screaming voice of Hakufu and the others fade away from him.

After the chaos and destruction, Tojiro was thrown into a vast world of darkness and solitude. His senses were taken from him without regard or care. Nothing mattered. He could still feel the burning of his insides curl and twist, knowing this was a sign of his Chaos energy trying to rebuilt itself.

* * *

><p>Within such emptiness, he heard uncertain voices reach his ears. Light managed to pierce his eyes, and after his unholy time in the world of unconsciousness, he awakened, staring at the ceiling of a room. His eyes were back to orange, and his hair was back to its blackish hue. Strips of white bandaged crossed across the left side of his face. With only his right eye revealed, he feverishly sat up, finding a blanket crossed over his body. His left arm was also covered in white bandage. Annoyed, yes. Bothered, no. Tojiro rolled the blanket off his legs.<p>

"You're awake!" exclaimed the sudden voice of a small shrieking blonde haired girl that appeared behind the couch.

Tojiro's eyes widened freakishly by her surprising appearance.

"Please tell me this isn't Hell." Tojiro grieved.

"I've come to take you back to Yukinari's house! So get up and-"

"Hold on right there." he said, clamping the palm of his right hand onto the girl's face. Tojiro tilted his head, finally noticing this girl's familiarity. It was Tomoka Lana Jude.

"First, you're going to tell me where in this world of blasphemy and pain am I. And then, you're just going to let me get up. As…slow…as…I…want. Got it?" he demanded, his tone changing to a slow pace in his last sentence, just so Tomoka would understand.

He removed his hand and placed it over his left while resting them both on his lap.

"This hooded guy came over to see if you were alright, and so you were! After that, he decided to tell this girl Hakufu that brought you here to keep you over at this hotel until you would wake up! Hakufu helped with your bandages and threatened me to keep watch over you, or she would beat me into the ground until I couldn't breath, and so-"

"You know what, to hell with what I said. I'm just going to get up." Tojiro interfered, covering Tomoka's face with his right hand once again.

Taking great care of his body's healing process, Tojiro rose off the couch, his arms shaking as he used the couch as support to get himself on his feet. Tomoka ran around the coach, revealing Ebi, the strange little creature that resembled a large plump seal with the face of a cat and a bobbing antenna.

"So, where is Yukinari anyway?" asked the Demon Demigod.

"He's at school right now with Kirie and Miharu. They'll be back at Yukinari's place before you know it!" she continued to exclaim.

"Very well…then we shall go. Hurry it up." he said, heading for the door. Ebi perched with it's strange noises, yet it marked excitement.

"Indeed! Let us hurry! Let Tomo lead the way!" she continued to bolster loudly, running through the door that Tojiro opened.

Tojiro followed after her, closing the door behind him.

"Downstairs we go!" Tomoka called out again, running down the stairs, taking a sharp right down the next flight.

Tojiro cautiously followed after her, still feeling his legs sore and robbed of nearly all his Chaos energy. The two made it outside after a few moments later. Tojiro's half bandaged face stared up at the sky, finding it to be gray. Cold and silent, Tojiro ignored the presence of the world around him and followed after Tomoka who was already traveling down the right sidewalk, knowing Yukinari's house was to be his next destination.

Tomoka ran up to the front door of Yukinari's house, with Tojiro slowly walking up the front door as well. "And so we are here!" shouted the excited Tomoka.

"Halt it right there. You said Yukinari and the others are at school, right?" said the cloaked demon, standing in front of the door, then looking down at Tomoka.

"Yes! Why do you ask?" she replied, looking up at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro placed his right palm on the door.

"Strange I sense them inside the house." Tojiro removed his hand and opened the door, slowly.

He stepped inside, taking his time. Tomoka, with Ebi on her head, followed in suite. Tojiro shut the door, causing Tomoka to jump, as well as Ebi.

"What was that for? Why must you make loud noises!?" she shouted in annoyance.

"Calm yourself." noted the Cloakmaster, ignoring her, walking further into the house.

Suddenly, Tojiro was hit on the head with a steel pipe. Tojiro sighed, turning his head to the left, seeing a frightened Koyomi, holding it, with her eyes closed and her head lowered.

"Koyo! How could you!?" exclaimed the valiant Tomoka.

Yukinari suddenly came out from the kitchen.

"Tojiro? You're back!" called a relieved Yukinari, hurrying over to him.

"Hey, how come you're not at school? Don't tell me you're rebelling!?" Tomoka questioned with vigorous determination.

"They cancelled it actually. I don't know why, but they're preparing for some kind of big storm." Yukinari informed.

"A storm, huh? Well, as long as it's not loud, I just might find time to meditate." said the aloof Cloakmaster, walking over to the couch, sitting down on it.

"What about Kirie and Miharu then?" asked Tomoka, approaching Yukinari.

"They're taking a bath. They should be done soon." he replied, heading back to the kitchen.

"Have you lost count yet on how many times you still cling to life, Cloakmaster Ankoku?" said a commanding voice.

Tojiro turned his attention to behind him, seeing Ryu Kaze.

"How demeaning. An even bigger failure than I am. What do you want, Dragon Wind?" responded the aggravated Tojiro.

"You. Obviously. Akuma set a lock on your Chaos Control powers, yes?" Ryu identified.

"Yes. That much is true."

"And you were transferred to an altered timeline where the future version of Haruhi Suzumiya you were to die some time soon?" Ryu continued.

"Yes?" mumbled Tojiro, annoyed.

"And how your holy lock allowed you to live even as you transformed into the Pain Stage of your Nightmare Form?"

"You know Ryu, I should just kill you." the Cloakmaster deemed, removing Black Death from it's holster and pointing it at Ryu.

"WOW! Can I hold it?!" shouted an excited Tomoka.

"Now listen Tojiro, I simply wanted to assure we're on the same terms. I've come to remove the block on your Chaos Control powers. After that, you must hurry to Planet Reach." Ryu informed with an immediate tone.

"_**Reach**_, eh? Sorry. But I need my cloak back, Ryu. I won't be so able to fight as well without it." Tojiro demanded, turning to the door, strolling towards it.

"Of course. You know its location, I take it?" Tojiro opened the door, ignoring Ryu's question.

"Of course." he answered solemnly.

"You just got here! Why do you have to leave?" Tomoka questioned with confusion in her eyes.

"We apologize. Make sure you tell the others we had to leave. Give them my regards." Tojiro intervened, stopping Ryu from answering Tomoka's worrisome question.

"Okay. Be sure to visit! Tomo will be waiting!" she called out.

The Demon Demigod nodded his head, heading out the door, with Ryu following behind. The door was close shut by Ryu waving his staff after passing through it. Ryu stopped by Tojiro's side. The Cloakmaster removed the bandages from his face, no scars were present on his face.

"Let us make our leave, shall we?" Ryu presented, pointing the Golden Dragon Staff up, enwrapping the two cloak wearers in a blue flash.

Moments later, they reappeared on the outer rim of Mount Fuji.

"What are we doing here? I do believe you said you were ready to give me my Chaos Control powers back." Tojiro harshly enacted.

"I wish to settle something with you." Ryu swiftly interjected before Tojiro had another chance to utter a word.

Tojiro turned his dark gaze at Ryu, unappealing to believe this wouldn't happen.

"You know what you _should_ be capable of. Thus far, I've seen what you _are_ capable of."

"And I take it you're foolishly disappointed. Why? Am I not living up to your expectations? Believe it or not, but I hate saving this world from its own destruction." explained the surreal demon.

"That I've already foreseen. Then for what purpose does your Dragon serve you? It has a conscious for a reason, and that is why you possess that ability." continued the stoic Ryu, staring forward to the city in the distance.

"_Ability?_ What ability are you speaking of?" responded the persistent Cloakmaster.

"Yoko was trying to tell you once you met up after she returned from an altered dimension. _**The Tsukikagegan**_. You possess it. It can only be learned by Chaos users who hold an animal form that has its own consciousness; thus a spirit and soul. The Dragon form inside you is smarter than you perceive it to be. It knows your thoughts and feelings. People feared this technique because when the Tsukikagegan is used, you're practically taking power from that creature inside you. And the more power you borrow from it, the more chance of its consciousness taking over your own becomes more probable. That is what I wish to settle with you." explained the lengthy seriousness of the man known as 'Dragon Wind'.

"You only wish to settle something as simple as _that_?"

"I pray you are taking this serious Cloakmaster Tojiro. You're giving the Dragon enough chances as it can get and-"

"Yet it still hasn't made a move. I'm not going to throw this all away over the loss of my own feelings. Albeit I have any left." mumbled the irritated demon.

"How come I was expecting you to say that?" responded the curious Ryu.

"Because your foresight can't see farther than your own contempt form of logic. Now…give me back my Chaos Control powers." demanded Tojiro, turning to face Ryu.

"First tell me this then if you are so wise; using your cloak as an excuse…is that truly all you're planning to retrieve?"

Tojiro's eyes tightened in form. Tojiro turned back to the city in the distance, somewhat shocked.

"Am I right?! Tojiro!" Ryu said, looking at the Cloakmaster.

Tojiro stared off to the left, hiding his expression. Ryu was left surprised, unaware to suspect this from Tojiro.

"My cloak or _her_. Which do you think I would choose?"

Ryu was left clueless by Tojiro's words, waiting for the Cloakmaster to continue on with an answer.

"I'd take the initiative of course…_**and choose both**_." the Demon Demigod revealed.

Ryu was stunned in his own way. He gazed towards the sky, sighing heavily.

"Yoko has had somewhat of an affect on you. Has she not?" wondered Dragon Wind.

"I don't know what to assume anymore. Not even my own wants." said the drastic voiced Cloakmaster.

"And what of your needs? Are they yours? Or the Dragon's?" denounced the official Nightshade.

"Still going on about that, huh? This cursed Dragon inside me isn't what put me in this spot. I never wanted to use its power! I wanted to use my own!" barked the furious Cloakmaster of Darkness, facing Ryu with apprehensiveness.

"And still you lie to yourself." answered the precautious Ryu.

Tojiro backed away, turning back forward, his head hung low and frozen.

"Yoko's changed you. She changed you to the point to where you can barely say an honest word about her. Are you truly…that lost in her?"

"I don't need to worry over anyone else's life. Death exists for that reason." the Cloakmaster randomly implied.

"Death has always been in your favor…and you controlled it like a puppet. No one that stood against you lived to-"

"There is only _**ONE**_ individual that I would _**NEVER**_ think of murdering! _ONE!_" shouted the insanely ravaged expression of Tojiro Ankoku, stepping up to Ryu with a rage filled soul.

Ryu was left blank, never hearing such a sentence from the heartless demon before. As Tojiro stepped away from Ryu, turning towards the city in the distance once more, he looked on with vigil in his eyes.

"Who is it?" asked the real Nightshade, in a calm and virtuous tone.

Tojiro remained silent, his fists clenched by his sides.

"After all the time I've spent in solitude and disillusion, my happiness seemed completely lost. Even now as I stand here and waste my time talking to you, I still think it's impossible for me to find true peace." he began to explain with disdain trenched by his deepening voice.

Ryu listened on closely to Tojiro's honest words.

"But…" continued the Cloakmaster, unclenching his fists, "…I managed to at least come to one truth."

Ryu waited, "And what is that?"

Tojiro lifted his head towards the horizon, keeping a sudden hesitance to himself, until the force in his spirit began to speak.

"She may not know it now; _**but I can honestly believe that I'm in love with her; Yoko Littner**_." confessed the Cloakmaster.

Left with a face of disbelief, Ryu's cloaked head and face was probably glued still. Tojiro turned his distinct glare of anger and hate to the man named Dragon Wind.

"You can aggravate every inch of belief out of me, I don't care. I'll always have something to back up what I believe in. You can take away my soul, but you won't have my spirit. Ever. Nothing can spoil my goal. My goal of vengeance and hatred shall only be completed once Akuma and his disrespectful followers of nihilism fall before me. I lived long enough to try and throw my hatred at someone. I needed to blame…someone," he began with regret inching around his ribs.

"This curse of mine gave me the hatred to unleash it upon anyone I deem as meaningless. So unless you wish to deny me and this boring world it's salvation; dissolve the lock inside me…so I can go rescue Yoko, retrieve the Nightmare Scythe, and then…_**go to Hell**_." spoke the beliefs of the Cloakmaster, holding out his right hand to Ryu.

The cloaked Ryu was beyond baffled, and you could definitely assume that his obscured face was left flabbergasted. Taking Tojiro's form of a promise into thought, Ryu pushed the top of the Golden Dragon Staff against Tojiro's stomach. Tojiro lowered his right hand, taken back by Ryu's choice.

"Then…so be it: Ol' Cloakmaster of Darkness." said the virtuous man in the cloak.

A mix of black and red formed on Tojiro's stomach, causing him to ache. Ryu slowly pulled the Golden Dragon Staff away. A stream of warpy colored blue energy was stuck to the front of Ryu's staff. Taking a close look at it, Tojiro remembered it to be the same energy that was injected into him. Ryu brought the staff close to his gaze, then grabbed onto the top of it, dissipating the energy for good. Tojiro was left in a bent posture, shortly and steadily standing himself back into a mild pose.

"On Reach, you shall find the portal that leads to _**Paragon**_. Through it, you _will_ find the Nightmare Scythe." informed the true Nightshade.

Tojiro readily stood forward towards the distant horizon of silence.

"To Reach…I shall go." he summoned. By pointing his right arm forward, a red and black Chaos Portal appeared.

"_So begins_…_**the end**_." thought the trailing conscious of Tojiro.

He leapt into the portal, leaving Ryu behind to watch it vanish into nothingness. Ryu took one final gaze at the sky high clouds, his mind so filled with endless thoughts that they spread amongst every inch of his body.

"Take care…to what you believe in…Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku."

つづく

_To be continued_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-With a unconscious Yoko Littner in his arms, Tojiro dashes down a hallway with a red sphere surrounding himself.- -Two Covenant Shade Turrets turn away from another and open fire in another scene.-

"Far from his mission to begin his one-man invasion through Hell, Tojiro sieges a Covenant Corvette cruiser to rescue Yoko." -Tojiro watches as a storm of golden Chaos energy streams erupt from the ground, blowing several squads of Grunts into the air.-

"As far as his will can take him, Tojiro reluctantly goes to battle with an entire ship's crew before dropping down to the very planet that spurs his attention."

-Five Jackals are swatted like flies by the force of a Gravity Hammer swing.- -A swarm of drones are electrocuted and burnt into onyx fried corpses.-

"With time reaching its peak it is only a matter of moments," -Yoko and Tojiro fall towards Reach, with auras of Chaos energy surround them.-

-Tojiro, down on one knee looks at an awakening Yoko in her jail cell; her hand resting on his left cheek.-

"Until Tojiro finds **Paragon** and retrieves the Nightmare Scythe."

-Tojiro reverts to Werehog Form and elbow drops a Phantom drop ship into the ground and into a storm of plasma fire.-

"The search to find the hidden Chaos Portal on Planet Reach begins _**now**_."

-Tojiro erupts with a Chaos Blast to annihilate three Phantom drop ships in one pulse in the middle of space.-

-Planet ground, Tojiro and Yoko tiredly bask at the sight...of Planet Reach.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER XLV: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART VI: INITIATION  
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	45. Chapter XLV

_**CHAPTER XLV: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART VI: INITIATION  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. He is my original character and thus owned by me. All other characters, universes/places belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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**Five more chapters to go until Chapter 50! After that it shall only be three more until I pass the fifty-three chapter epic "The Unity of Dimensional Wars." All the views and reviews have been excellent and are another reason this story will keep going on until the "Nightmares" end. The crescendo has not came yet but I believe it would be fair for YOU the reader to recognize, in its entirety, when this story reaches its grandest peak. There will be many: But which one shall spell the greatest fallout? All reviews are welcome with gratitude!  
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_**Nearing the Planet of Reach, Covenant Corvette, 9:30 am**_

Dashing out through the spinning vortex of ebony and crimson, Tojiro shot towards the drifting Covenant ship. He blasted surges of air out of his fists, boosting himself further towards his destination. Tojiro directed himself towards the open landing pad that the Covenant Corvette housed in the middle of the ship.

"Certainly is the same ship. All that needs to be done is for me to find Yoko." he planned.

Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form on his conscious will, spinning through the empty space, ending up landing on the open landing pad. He was quick to close line two Brutes to the ground, then taking them by the back of their heads to splatter their skulls together into a mess of blood and bone. Tojiro charged forward, swinging his right hand to claw through the stomach of an unsuspecting Elite Zealot. Tojiro cart wheeled to the left to dodge the swing of two Energy Swords held in the hands by an jet-pack wearing Elite in silver armor.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder with caution. Lunging forward, a Brute Chieftain slammed its Gravity Hammer upon the Demon Demigod in his most favored form. Tojiro easily grabbed the club of the hammer. Tojiro blasted a perfect hole in the Brute's chest with a stream of red Chaos energy from both of his eyes. He kicked the mutilated corpse away, quickly leaping backwards through the air to smash the Gravity Hammer down upon the jet-pack Elite, splashing into a disgusting burst of purple blood. Tojiro blatantly knocked away the Elite who had its gut sliced through with the Gravity Hammer, then continued on forward towards a hovering Phantom drop ship.

Tojiro kicked two Grunts out of his path with both of his feet, then bashed away five Jackals with a swing of his Gravity Hammer. By smashing the Gravity Hammer into the ground, Tojiro somersaulted himself over the Phantom drop ship, and onto a twisting pathway that was constructed behind it. With swiftness he ran, and with violence and dismemberment did he remove those who stood in his way.

Slamming Grunts into the ceiling by kicking them up, Tojiro eliminated seven of these cowardly nuisances. Tojiro set his eyes forward, dodging several shots of charged up Plasma bolts shot from a squad of Jackals. Tojiro landed back on his feet, witnessing a massive Hunter to bowl straight through the Jackals without care. It quickly slammed its large metal arm across Tojiro's face, implanting him into the wall on his right. The Hunter persistently pointed it's Fuel Rod cannon point blank into Tojiro's face. Filled with glowing red, Tojiro's eyes snapped open with hungry anger. Tojiro used Chaos Control, vanishing out of the Hunter's sight.

The Hunter halted the blast, searching around it. However, before it had a chance to even turn around, Tojiro landed on top of it. He ferociously grabbed its head with his right hand and teared it completely off. Several orange Lekgolo dangled from under the severed head. Tojiro jumped off the back, tossing the head away. He turned away from the giant Hunter as it smacked to the ground, dead as a doorknob. Tojiro set forth, desperately charging towards the first door he saw.

Opening automatically, Tojiro sprinted on through, immediately having to jump back to avoid the blast from another Hunter. Tojiro slid to an immediate halt, his right hand on the ground and the Gravity Hammer in his left hand. The Hunter stepped back, revealing several Grunts to walk on in front of it. Tojiro stood back into a casual posture. All the Grunts suddenly revealed activated Plasma Grenades on all their hands. Tojiro's eyes widened.

"DIE! DIE!" "KILL THE DEMON!" "WAAAAAAH!" exclaimed several of the Grunts in their group of fourteen.

Tojiro pointed his left fist forward, firing a tornado beam of wind. The forceful surge knocked all the Grunts back, causing them to all stick together. Tojiro charged forward. Using the Gravity Hammer like a golf club, he smacked the wad of Unggoy towards the Hunter, knocking it down, yet the sphere of Grunts continued bouncing down the hall.

"Chaos Control Technique: Frostdown!" he exclaimed with power and acute focus.

A light wad of blue Chaos energy enwrapped the ball of Grunts, causing the Plasma Grenades explosions from happening. Tojiro calmly and slowly got out Black Death. He adjusted straight down the narrow hallway. Several shields were in the way, as were some Covenant. Tojiro shut his left eye and mumbled; "Release." He fired one single shot.

The Frostdown technique shut off, and the helpless screams of the Grunts echoed out. The single shot Tojiro fired hit one single Plasma Grenade, igniting a violent set of firework like explosions to embellish the entire hall. The wall of plasma flames eradicated through all the Covenant that remained in the section of the hall. As it ravaged on towards Tojiro's position, the Cloakmaster of Darkness remained still as walls. Tojiro stomped the flat end of the Gravity Hammer down on the ground, causing a miraculous storm of wind to shoot forward and dissipate all the flames. Immediately afterwards, the Cloakmaster waited no longer to shoot down the hallway with intense speed.

Tojiro, after sliding to a perfect halt, faced the hall down to the right, seeing a group of frightened Grunts run into the room behind them after the Cloakmaster's eyes of dread aimed at them. Tojiro growled with annoyance, sprinting down the hall without a second thought. The doors began to close, and Tojiro's feet began to carry him faster. The ground was heating up with every step he took. The doors shut tight. The Demigod of Death lunged for the door, smashing through it with a strained expression that spoke hatred.

The doors exploded forward, shooting the Grunts all over the room. Tojiro tossed the Gravity Hammer to the ground, quickly charging towards a group of six Jackals. Tojiro punched four in the head, breaking their skull and killing them with precision. He grabbed two of the shields then tossed them forward at a huge group of thirty Covenant. He fired a beam of Chaos Fear to the left shield. With the two shields flying forward at the same speed, the stream of Chaos Fear bounced off the two shields, slaying every single Hunter, Elite, Grunt, and Jackal in the large room. Tojiro lowered his arms, taking a moment to observe his surroundings.

"Yoko. Yoko. Where in this accursed dump could she be?" pondered the demon, taking this malignant situation with all seriousness.

His eyes scanned every inch of the room as he continued to progress forward. Taking a sudden halt to his feet, Tojiro glared forward at a Grav-Lift. Continuing forward, Tojiro made it adamant to stop in front of it. Tojiro looked to the hologram panel that was on the right.

"Interesting…" he murmured.

Tojiro pressed one of the holographic buttons, changing courses for the Grav-Lift. He stepped into it, and descended into a lower part of the ship instead of going higher. As he slowly came down into a large darkened room that was only illuminated by the Grav-Lift, Tojiro stepped out onto a small platform. Everything in front of him was blank and dark, but there was plenty of sound. Plasma armaments preparing to fire echoed through his ears, the growls of Hunters and Brutes could be heard. Tojiro huffed with ignorance.

"Bring it on." he urged in a fit of prepared of rage.

A horde of twenty charged Plasma Shots, seventy needles, twenty Plasma Grenades, and fifteen Fuel Rod cannon blasts all shot out at the same time. Tojiro let the chaos inflict its deadly hell upon him, creating a mass storm of plasma energy, eventually culminating into one single explosion of blue plasma flames, mixed with several smaller explosions that popped out from all sides. The entire room lightened up, revealing a large amount of Covenant troops to have filled the room. Ammo and storage holders were scattered everywhere, obviously making it the weapons and armaments storage room.

Within the chaos of burning plasma, silence sat in wait. The desperate minds of the Covenant troops that filled the room were restless thanks to this sudden sense quietness. From within, however, a curdling grow was born. Tojiro lashed out of the smoke in his Werehog form, armed with the large and ever powerful Dragon Guardian Cestus that covered his large fists.

Tojiro struck a Hunter across the ground with his right one, then smashed together four Grunts together in a splash of their luminous blue blood. Tojiro bashed down sixteen Elites in a row, then aimed the two Dragon head weapons to unleash a pair of red cyclone spinning Chaos energy. The two beams combined together after obliterating over fifty of the Covenant forces, resulting into one single dome of exploding Chaos energy that resembled a Chaos Blast. Tojiro lowered his arms, making the Dragon Guardian Cestus return to their bracelet forms. Tojiro smashed the ground to remove a slab of metal. He flung it forward like a frisbee, killing over ten Jackals, slicing seven Hunters in half from the waste up and then exploding against a set of Plasma Batteries. Tojiro quickly created a dome of black Chaos energy to protect himself from the several dead corpses that flung at him, but more importantly, he was protected from the flames of plasma that filled up the entire room, eliminating what Covenant remained.

Surrounded by ferocious flames, Tojiro appeared in dismay. However, this wasn't good enough to make him give up so easily. Tojiro punched his fists together, causing a wave of quickening wind to span out in all directions. The monstrous flames were set to rest, clearing Tojiro's path. The black barrier of Chaos energy dissipated, and Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form. Unwilling to let an inch of tiredness hit his body, Tojiro strolled forward, ignoring the thought of giving up.

Time wasn't on his side this time, he had too much to lose, and not enough to gain. Tojiro made it over the field of rotting corpses, burning or dismembered, he passed over all of his victims without care. Tojiro managed to halt in his loneliness. He turned his head to the right, seeing a faint blue glow coming from another room. Inside, he spotted a glass tube, and inside it was his cloak. Feeling its very Chaos energy just by looking at it, Tojiro hurriedly ran towards the door. He passed through the narrow door, and stopped in front of the protected cloak.

Grasping the glass tube with both hands, he was fed with a dangerous amount of voltage that he precariously accepted. Tojiro dug the claws of his right hand into the glass, carving it open. Once he broke his right hand into the protective barrier, more dangerous plasma energy was burning across his body. Opening his right hand, a small vortex of red Chaos energy called to his powerful cloak. The cloak remained still. With his eyes straining from pain, Tojiro lowered his head in agony.

"C-Come on!" he barked, lifting his head back up.

The energy in the tube suddenly turned red and exploded into a flash of light that illuminated the room. Once the light had vanished, the cloaked hedgehog came out of the room, his eyes as white as the moon. He flipped the hood over his head, the visage of black didn't appear, so his facial appearance would remain recognizable. Tojiro, with more power rushing through every inch of his body, hurried to the exit of the room, off to rescue the life of Yoko Littner.

In front of a door, stood a curious group of fourteen Unggoy, conversing! The doors they stood by violently exploded, blowing them to bits, and sending their remains all over the room. Tojiro charged headlong into the room, finding out it was a room of holding cells! Tojiro hurried over to the shield door of the cell on the top right of the one level room. He ran to a halt, seeing; Yoko Littner, unconscious.

"Yoko!" he exclaimed, pounding the shield doors.

He stepped back, grumbling in annoyance. He unsheathed the Blade of Darkness and drove it through the shield door, drawing away its energy to lower it. Tojiro ran over to Yoko's body, but stopped.

"_Oh, right_." he thought.

Tojiro snapped his fingers, and then hurried over to Yoko's body. He turned her over, and Yoko's signature flame bikini was already on her.

"I can't believe I had to waste a Chaos Control on _that_." he mumbled in disappointment.

His bothered face turned to surprise once he took care to hear Yoko's voice mumble.

"Yoko! Yoko? Wake up, quickly!" he demanded, nudging her body as he held her.

Yoko's carefree golden eyes opened up. They were only half open, giving Tojiro a distinctive look.

"You…w-why did you…how did you…" she mumbled tiredly.

"They drugged you with something to shut you up didn't they?" asked the Cloakmaster.

I think so. It was some…blue syringe kind of thing." she replied weakly.

"What? Blue Chaos energy in a syringe? Yoko, please tell me I'm wrong." he blatantly spoke out.

"N-N-No. I would never…lie to you." she said, putting her right hand the left side of his face.

Yoko managed a calm and caring smile. "Whatever happens next…no matter what it is, I'll trust you. Knowing you, I bet you're not even thinking about how much I trust you, right?" she continued on.

"_Akuma must've definitely used the same type of Chaos energy to turn my powers against myself. With Yoko, she hasn't even got use to her Chaos energy. I need to get planet side and find safety on Reach_." the surprisingly concerned Tojiro questioned consciously.

* * *

><p>"T-T-Toj-iro?" said the groggy Yoko.<p>

Tojiro picked Yoko up in his arms bridal style, turning around.

"Just hold on tight, Yoko. We'll be out of here in no time. You're going to have to stay with me, alright? Keep your eyes open, got it?" he ordered with drastic demand.

Yoko's face was left blank, unable to cope with Tojiro's forceful words. Tojiro quickly ran out of the cell and ran right, heading for the exit that he blew apart. Skipping over several piles of debris and rubble, Tojiro jumped from the ground to the left wall, passing over a section of the floor that was burning with plasma. He transitioned back onto the floor, taking a sharp left down another hallway. Tojiro came to face the hallway filled with Drones. Immediately creating a sphere of red around himself, Tojiro sprinted down the hall with supersonic prowess.

Nearly every Drone that ran against his barrier was shocked to death, similar to any ordinary bug zapper. Finally emptying the hallway of the pests, Tojiro made the barrier dissipate. Tojiro took an immediate halt, stopping in-between three paths. An intersection. Perfect. Tojiro took the right hall with no hesitation.

Tojiro sprinted all the way towards another Grav Lift room. Tojiro put Yoko down on the ground up against a single weapon crate. Tojiro hurried over to the middle Grav Lift, then over to the left one, checking each of the panels for where each lift would go. Tojiro went to portal before the last on the right, not finding the desired way out. He went to the portal next to it, gasping.

"This one." he mumbled.

Tojiro pressed the activation button. He reverted himself into his human form, and hurried back over to Yoko. Picking her back up in his arms, Tojiro dashed for the activated Grav Lift, surging straight up it. Tojiro took a quick gaze at Yoko. Her eyes were still open, and her expression changed from dismal to hopeful the minute his blank eyes met hers. Tojiro huffed, setting his gaze above. Finally making it into the middle hanger from where he arrived, Tojiro landed on the ground. The shield doors suddenly turned on, blocking all chances of simply flying out into space.

"Damn. Of all times." cursed the ignorant Demon Demigod.

Hovering in place was a Phantom drop ship, firing its turret directly at the pair. Tojiro stomped his right foot on the ground to summon a slanted shield of gold Chaos energy to block all the shots. Tojiro managed to turn the shield into a large dome of Chaos energy, blocking sudden shots of other plasma weapons that came from behind and from the left and right. With care, Tojiro set Yoko down on the ground.

He once again took shape of his hedgehog form, removing his cloak in the process to cover up her body. Tojiro then placed his right hand on her belly, creating a blue glow to shine. Sweating from the forehead and cheeks, Tojiro's blank white eyes turned to glowing silver. He shut them in pain, yet his focused was kept vigil. Tojiro was using his very own _**life force**_ energy…to break the vile energy that coursed in Yoko's veins.

"It's a rather good thing that life force always remains pure in all beings. How…pointless." murmured the glaring Cloakmaster.

He finally removed his right hand, standing back up. "Now, only time is needed."

Tojiro used Chaos Control to vanish out of the protective dome, leaving Yoko inside so his life force energy would rid her body of the Chaos energy that's killing her. Spotting him with accuracy, the Phantom drop ship began to fire wildly at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster dashed to the right, then to left, and continued this frantic pattern by running in zigzags. At the very point when he was close enough, the Cloakmaster of Darkness leapt at the Phantom drop ship. Tojiro spin dashed up the top of it. Once over the middle, he was able to bounce up, changing into his Werehog form. He elbow dropped the Phantom into the floor, shattering it into large pieces that scattered amongst the area. Tojiro back flipped out of the chaos, swiftly reverting to his hedgehog form.

Arming the Blade of Darkness, Tojiro pointed it at two Shade Turrets that stood side by side. Releasing an unwavering scar shaped blast of red and black Chaos energy from his sword, Tojiro unleashed it upon the persistent turret controllers. The scar cut through the turrets, blasting them to nothing but small bits of nothing. Tojiro landed back on the ground, facing twelve Brutes, and five Brute Chieftains. Tojiro slid forward across the floor, cutting through the belly of two Brutes on the left.

He dashed towards a Brute on the right, cutting off its arms to stop it from hitting him. He kicked it to the ground, then jumped back to avoid the slamming force of a Gravity Hammer. Tojiro fired a stream of flames, burning away three Brutes, and six of the Brute Chieftains. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, then reverted to his Darkrai form.

"Chaos Spear of Lightning!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists.

A large field of light blue Chaos Lightning encased Tojiro in the shape of a large Chaos Spear. He charged forward, disintegrating the few remaining Brutes then quickly shifting courses to head for six Shade Turrets and nine Ultra Elites. Tojiro smashed into the group, releasing tentacles of blue electricity to shoot across the room from the impact.

In the clearing smoke of destruction, the Darkrai turned Demigod hovered over the burnt corpses of Elites as well as the ravaged Shade Turrets sat burning around him. Tojiro was quick to dash out of the way to avoid three Fuel Rod Cannon blasts. Tojiro stopped, taking several Spiker rounds in the back and the left arm. He turned around, punching a charging Brute Chieftain across the face. He snatched its Gravity Hammer away from it's grasp and smashed the weapon down upon the beast, leaving a bloody stain on the floor.

Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form. He stared out the corner of his eye. The Demon Demigod vigorously turned to the right to leap back from an Ultra Elite, impaling the ground with duel Energy Swords. It stood back up. Behind it grouped seven Elite Zealots, armed with Concussion Rifles or Focus Rifles. Too ignorant to stand and glare at this threat, Tojiro launched himself forward. Tojiro used his size to pass under the Elite Ultra. Jumping towards two Zealots, Tojiro decapitated them simply by unsheathing the Blade of Darkness. Tojiro dodged to the left from a flurry of Concussion Rifle blasts. He took into the air, shooting a single large beam of red Chaos energy to blow apart the Zealots that remained. Tojiro was suddenly impaled once the Elite Ultra flew up with its jetpack.

Tojiro kicked the Elite Ultra away, then tossed the Blade of Darkness straight to the Elite Ultra's chest. The blade pierced through the alien warrior, impaling it into the floor upon impact. Tojiro landed back on the ground, grabbing the Energy Sword that was embedded halfway in his small body. He tossed the weapon off to the side without a second discretion. Tojiro's ears rose.

His senses warned him of the barrier he created to protect Yoko. Tojiro turned around, seeing several Plasma Grenades being tossed at it. Tojiro's eyes filled with a glowing sense of red, and with it formed his Tsukikagegan. Amplified by the powers of his Dragon that is sealed inside within him, the Deathly Demon of Despair charged towards the barrier. He shot over the barrier in one leap, facing a whole slew of Grunts on the other side.

"Chaos…QUAKE!" he yelled with hatred, raising his fists up.

Tojiro smashed his clenched hands once he hit the ground, causing spewing streams of golden Chaos energy to explode out of the ground, blowing every single Grunt to kingdom come. Tojiro rose back into a straight standing posture, not appearing tired or weak. The Cloakmaster used Chaos Control to appear back inside the dome, kneeling down by Yoko's side. Tojiro rested his right hand on Yoko's belly once more, scanning over her body.

"Looks like it's working. The Chaos energy that was injected into her is deteriorating. Perfect." explained the Cloakmaster to himself.

Yoko turned her head to Tojiro, her eyes half open.

"Yoko? Are you feeling better at all?" he said, retracting his right hand and resting it on the floor.

Yoko suddenly slapped Tojiro across the face. His head was turned to the right, and his eyes were formed into a deep hateful glare.

"That _must_ mean yes, right?" he said, turning his head back to Yoko.

He was suddenly taken by surprise once Yoko sat up to wrap her arms around Tojiro's neck, embracing the ebony hedgehog. Even with the Tsukikagegan, his emotions appeared through his widened eyes.

"Idiot. Coming back to save me. I thought you never made promises?" she questioned, her eyes shut as she continued to embrace the Demigod of Death.

"I'd rather be a fool than an idiot. Remember that." he replied.

Yoko broke from the hug and with Tojiro's help, was helped to her feet. Taking an immediate turn around, Tojiro took out Black Death from its holster to kill three Elite Zealots that arrived in front of the blank cell.

"Looks like they're onto us. We must hurry." he pointed out, putting Black Death back in its holster.

Tojiro swiftly picked up Yoko in his arms without question, sprinting out of the door with determination. Tojiro ran through the doors, coming up to face a squad of five Heavy Grunts, and two Elite Ultras. He breathed out a large breath of fire by sticking his neck out.

The Covenant obstructers were burnt into a melted pile of remnants that could make the strongest stomach controller lose all their meals just by looking at it. Tojiro jumped over it, and once landing on the side, slid to a quick halt. He took aim down the left hall. "Do you even know the way out?" she asked loudly.

"Hopefully!" he replied with unsure reluctance.

Tojiro made it through another pair of automatic opening doors, sliding to an immediate halt once passing into; the middle hanger. The shield doors that led into outer space were still on. Tojiro set Yoko on her feet, reverting to his human form. Tojiro ran over to the middle of the room, with a hesitant Yoko following after him. Tojiro stopped, setting his orange eyes to above.

"How are we going to get out? Up through there?" Yoko asked, unwilling in the Cloakmaster's plan.

Tojiro wrapped his right arm around the back of Yoko's waist, making her yelp and blush a light pink.

"Are you insane!? I can't breath in outer space, you blockhead!" she barked.

"You have Chaos energy inside you now, remember? It protects your lungs and all your insides. You'll be able to breath no matter what kind of fear you hold." he explained, sticking his left hand straight up.

"Really? Since when can it do that? You should've said something earlier!"

"Think of this news as a certification. I don't know! Just stay calm!" he exclaimed back.

Yoko wrapped her arms around Tojiro's waist. With flames blasting from underneath his feet, Tojiro shot straight up towards the ceiling. Preparing a whirling red Chaos Rasengan in the palm of his left hand, Tojiro struck through the obstruction of the ceiling, blasting out the top of the ship. Yoko remained with her eyes closed, and her mouth closed.

"Excuse me. Yoko? I'm still breathing. The same thing works for you. Yoko!" he exclaimed with annoyance.

Desperate for air, she finally opened her mouth, breathing heavily from her act.

"Serves you right. See? You're still alive. Just breath normally and you'll be fine." he informed calmly.

Tojiro shot straight for Reach with a blast from under his feet. From the middle portion of the Corvette's hanger bay, a horde of ten Space Banshees flew out, including five Phantoms.

"Damn. I actually thought this would be easy. That's karma for you." said the demented demigod.

"Yoko, continue on to Reach. Let gravity do the rest for you."

"What?!" she exclaimed.

Tojiro tossed her towards Reach, as lightly as he could! Yoko fell down through gravity, her right arm reached out forward. Tojiro turned around, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness in his right hand, and taking Black Death out its holster to clamp it tightly in the grip of his left hand. Tojiro blasted three Banshees out of existence with three separate shots. Tojiro shot forward, slashing through two more Banshees by spinning himself around with his aura surrounded Blade of Darkness. Tojiro charged towards the three Phantoms, creating a Chaos Blast to obliterate the three Phantoms in one pulse.

Tojiro appeared in the middle of the empty space. Several blue plasma shots riddled against his back, causing him to growl, his orange eyes vanishing. With eyes filled to the brim of blood red anger that illuminated with his core hatred, Tojiro turned around to punch the incoming Banshee straight in the nose, causing the Banshee to explode into flames and pieces of scarred metal to fly past him. Tojiro quickly turned around to fired a large Chaos Sphere out of Black Death.

The large sphere of red Chaos energy enveloped the remaining four Banshees, leaving nothing behind. Tojiro placed both the Blade of Darkness and Black Death in their respective holders, a sheath and a holster. Tojiro turned back to Planet Reach and dove straight for it with speed. Tojiro caught up to Yoko, grabbing her in his arms. Tojiro's red filled eyes returned to white, and as did his orange colored pupils. The Cloakmaster quickly created a black sphere of Chaos energy to protect themselves from the heat once entering the atmosphere.

"You took somewhat…long to take care of that." noted the sharpshooter.

"I got it done. So there's no other reason to worry." he responded, keeping his eyes forward, entering Reach's atmosphere.

Wild flames painted across the barrier, but they weren't powerful enough to break Tojiro's concentration on keeping it powered. They passed through the atmosphere, shooting through a field of clouds.

"Shouldn't Kasumi and Daisy be down there by now?" asked Yoko over the roaring speed.

"Let us assure that they are. If not, it would be best not to draw any attention to ourselves." answered the Demon Demigod.

The two made it through the cloud cover, heading towards the first thing they saw. A large forest and nature studded land blanketed down below. Numerous buildings and structures stood apart from each other, with sets of towering strange wind mill towers standing at the bottom of numerous cliffs. Tojiro shot down towards a clear opening, with several layers of land that resembled sets of crop. He lowered the black spherical barrier, aiming his feet down forward. Once touching down on the ground, Yoko was eager to get her feet back down on solid earth. Tojiro, agreeing with her desperation, sat down on the grass; his back hunched and his arms asleep. Yoko was sitting bent over on her knees. She took in one swift breath, sitting up, looking up at the new sky above them.

"We finally made it. _**Planet Reach**_." Yoko announced with fervor.

つづく

_To be continued_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-The silhouette of an Angel descends upon Tojiro, Yoko and Daisy. The Demigod of Death draws the Blade of Darkness with both hands.-

"Tojiro is confronted on Reach by two familiar figures; one of close alignment...the other an enigma of hostility."

-Tojiro and the Angel clash their weapons.- "Unrelenting are the wills of the assailant from Heaven; neither are the wills of an evil Tojiro or a resolute **Valkyrie**...ever taken into consideration."

-The Angel smacks their right leg across Tojiro's face.- "Time may pass but with this one meeting, this one act of battle shall it settle the final outcome in Tojiro's war against the Nine Hell Gods."

-Tojiro released a black spiraling beam of Chaos energy.- -The Cloakmaster of Darkness charges forth across the air with a Chaos Rasengan.-

"The forging of destinies come at a price. And this one...is one that will shake the foundation of both Heaven and Hell itself." -The Angel watches in resolute at a black mist encompassing Tojiro; revealing him in his Werehog Form.-

-Both Tojiro and the warrior from Heaven clash their powers of Chaos Control against one another from afar, spiraling out of control into a gigantic dome of kinetic blue Chaos energy mixed with a hot white shine.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER XLVI: SHADOW HOUR  
><strong>

**PART VII: CONFRONTATION  
><strong>


	46. Chapter XLVI

_**CHAPTER XLVI: SHADOW HOUR**_

**PART VII: CONFRONTATION**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze, Kasumi Moriko and Valkyrie. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

**The higher powers have their say as the "Shadow Hour" Arc nears its end! For good or for worse, what would you do if you were confronted by an Angel? Difficult decision? Might I add rightly so. Like I said, for good or for worse...what is the righteous action in the presence of a divine being? All reviews are generously welcome!  
><strong>

Tojiro grabbed his right arm, scanning the inside workings of the gears, taking his security into great account. Yoko stared over at him.

"Hey, you all right Tojiro?" asked Yoko, crawling over by his side.

Tojiro's eyes slightly snapped by her sudden persistence. He looked back down at his right arm, finishing his check-up.

"I was just making sure my arm was running at a stable level of power. My right arm needs all the Chaos energy it can get. That's all." he explained subconsciously.

"That important, huh?" noted the sharpshooter.

"Indeed. _That_ important." he replied in a bothersome voice.

Tojiro got to his feet, pacing over to the first set that overlooked the layers of crop. A dismal sense ran over these green lands, and as the rain began to fall, Tojiro's awareness rose with urgency. Taking a gaze up at the sky, his orange eyes searched the clouds for any strange entity. Knowing his luck, something unfortunate was bound to happen in just some moments. Yoko rose to her feet as well, taking a suggestive look at the frozen Cloakmaster. Yoko sighed, using Chaos Control to create two gun holders for her Chaos Repeaters.

Both appeared on the sides of her legs so they would be easy to reach. She also used Chaos Control to make her electromagnetic sniper rifle appear. Strapping it to her back with her eyes closed, Yoko opened her left to keep an eye on Tojiro. Mysteriously, he was looking over his shoulder at her. Yoko put herself back in a straight posture, blinking both of her eyes.

"What's up?" she said, as if nothing she had done was surprising, or minimally confined to make a certain Cloakmaster breathless.

"By any chance have you been…_**practicing**_?" he asked, lacking interest.

"Does that surprise you? Or am I too annoying for your so-called all powerful presence?" she scammed, giving the Demon Demigod a taste of his own medicine.

By that, the red headed sharpshooter gave Tojiro the same type of cold shoulder glare he would manage to repeatedly send her in previous situations.

Grumbling to himself with some awkward sense of clarity, Tojiro lowered his head and turned back forward, keeping his business out of hers. How respectful, right? Tojiro, running on instincts, hurriedly checked his cloak pockets. On the left, there was nothing. On the right, however, he discovered what he had wanted. Tojiro removed his journal, and the black bandana with the Japanese symbol of death embroidered in white. Tojiro tied the headband around his forehead, the symbol facing forward and easy to spot. He lowered his hood, and kept his journal in the right pocket of his cloak.

"Nothing too subtle yet. How daunting." said the frivolous Demigod of Death.

Yoko stopped up by Tojiro's side, then pointing up into the sky.

"Look there!"

A black portal shuttered open, and out flew a cloaked man. Yoko reached back for her rifle, using the scope to get a better view of the so-called problem.

"Do you see the symbol of my people on the back of his cloak?" asked Tojiro, punching his right fist into his left palm.

"No. But, he's holding some kind of staff." answered Yoko.

The sudden cloaked man landed right in front of the two with a merciless boom, standing into a straight posture.

"Ryu…Kaze. I was actually hoping it to be one of Akuma's followers…or at least the Devil of Fear himself. Luck will be unfortunate, I suppose." stated the disappointed Demigod, forming his arms crossed.

"I was only an inch from blowing you out of the sky by only lifting a finger you genius. What the hell do you want from me now? I'm not leaving Reach until I get the-"

"That is _not_ the reason I came, Cloakmaster." said the impatient god.

"Are you sure? In the past you've managed to tell some worthwhile riddles that gave me several hundred bruises and cuts. So please, tell me why I should believe you?" the redundant demon answered with a heinous glare.

"There aren't many people left to trust in this world, are there? You should be fortunate I remain on your side, Cloakmaster Ankoku." Ryu urged with simplicity.

The ignorant Cloakmaster huffed, "Whatever you say."

"As you may know that this is your true and one final destination before you take forth on your final journey…through the Nine Circles." he began with a subtle tone, if you can call it that.

"Uh-huh. That's dangerously obvious Ryu. What's your point? Unless you don't know the location of Paragon, then I shall not hear it."

"The location is indeed on this planet. Only one portal exists on this planet. Once you find it, Paragon shall be revealed to you." stirred on the god.

"How considerate. Yet I still refuse to understand such petulant words."

"Only with your Tsukikagegan can you find the portal, Tojiro. Only with it…shall you find Paragon." answered the wise Ryu.

Tojiro turned his head from the revelation, feeling a troublesome sense forming in his belly.

"I'll take it into extensive care then, Ryu. I thank you for the somewhat nonsensical information." Tojiro managed to say.

"_How formidable of him_." thought a dull Yoko, wearing a disappointed expression across her face.

"Then I shall take my leave…and may luck and fortune be with you…Cloakmaster Tojiro." departed the god, vanishing in a warped image of black that dissipated with the man known as Dragon Wind.

"So much for gratitude and mutual understanding. We'll stay here for tonight. That okay with you?" said the Cloakmaster, turning his head to Yoko.

"Sure. Are they invited as well?" pointed a smiling Yoko.

Tojiro turned his gaze far below, seeing Kasumi and Daisy, sprinting up the green hill with haste. Kasumi was first to wave, wearing a cheerful face to see her fellow Shade Empire survivor. Tojiro tilted his head, hiding an uncertain truth of happiness behind his grimaced face of emotionless fatigue.

That night, Daisy sat diligent on the top field, taking good care of watching the perimeter. Tojiro sat in front of a campfire, glaring at the crackling flames. Tojiro, had reverted to his hedgehog form, his hood lowered. His cold blank eyes looked over to the left. He stared at the silent and calm Kasumi who was fast asleep next to him. Yoko walked past Tojiro from his right. She quietly sat down on the other side of the campfire, with Tojiro on the opposite side from where she sat.

Yoko set her sniper rifle down on the grass, wearing a smile. She turned her eyes to the fire, sticking her arms towards it to warm up. Tojiro put the sleeves of his cloak intersecting into one another, keeping a keen eye on Yoko, for some reason. Yoko noticed the glaring Demigod, lowering her arms down on her lap.

"If you wish to say something…you mine as well just say it. Knowing you, you're always worrying…_about me_. So…please be specific as to _why_." he began, with no care in his tone.

"And you should stop assuming that I always worry."

"Well, at least it's something relevant to talk about. I admit I enjoy seeing how honest you can to yourself. It's healthy, you realize that, right?" he explained uncharacteristically.

"Sure it is, Tojiro. As long as you're satisfied with the beliefs of others, that's all you need." Yoko replied with hardened determination, keeping her smile alive.

"Then do us both a favor by putting this conversation into action and state your worrisome feelings on the table. I promise not to peek at the lies and truths." responded the still uncharacteristic demon.

Yoko's smile faded away, left inches agape. Her brimming gold eyes set back on the glimmering embers that caressed away from the snapping of the flames.

"If I ever had time to worry…there was always someone there to make me think otherwise. Think…with confidence." Yoko managed to answer.

She felt completely honest, so far. However, she managed to feel distraught with telling Tojiro something he'll toss aside with the smallest form of care.

"It's what Ryu said, wasn't it? Dear lord, really?" he spat in confusion.

Yoko glared at Tojiro with imminence, giving him somewhat of a shock to his nerves.

"Not lying? Perfect. Maybe you're actually getting somewhere with my personality. Okay, what about Ryu…worried you?" questioned the strangely relaxed Demigod of Death.

"I want you to be honest with me Tojiro. After you get this Nightmare Scythe…_**will you leave**_?" she asked with a determined force of emotion that shined in her golden eyes.

A silent wind drifted across the scene, leaving silence to die down upon the two. Hesitation was the first thing to cross the Cloakmaster's mind, but that would be too hard to anticipate with what ever Yoko has planned. Tojiro looked at the fire, taking in a much needed breath of air. Yoko tilted her head a bit, raising an eyebrow.

"Tojiro?" asked the red headed sharpshooter.

He turned his gaze back at her, seeing a whole new form of seriousness that brimmed behind Yoko's eyes. Tojiro's heightened senses supposedly allowed him to understand that this was no joke, she wanted to know even if it killed her.

"Why would you worry about something so soon? You honestly should believe in a better thought, Yoko. If you keep acting this way, suicide will be the best thing to do." he responded with extreme ignorance.

"Are you saying it doesn't matter? No matter what happens! It doesn't matter?!" she shrieked in offense.

"No. I only stated how negative you are. If you trust me so much, then you would have no problem in believing how easy this will be for me." he answered respectfully.

Yoko lifted her head back an inch, taken back. She looked down, curling her knees up to her face. She gently wrapped her arms around them, understanding the truth she felt challenging to comprehend.

"You're right. The only fact that matters right now is you getting the Scythe. Right?" Yoko began in a silent voice.

"Yeah. That's all there is to it. So don't worry. I'm not going to die so easily. You should know that by now, correct?"

Yoko suddenly looked up at him, her feelings shocked to hear him treat his life so faintly. Tojiro blinked his blank white eyes, confused with Yoko's solemn look.

"Then tell me…how do you know what lies at the end? How can you be so sure you can make it through the Nine Circles a _second time_?" she questioned viably.

"So, you got that lovely piece of information, eh? Oh well. Yes, I did. However, the first time I had to go up through the Nine Circles. Not as easy as going down through them, Yoko." he explained half heartedly.

"And how did it feel the first time? Irritable? Hopeless? What?" continued the sharpshooter.

"You seem _too _curious all of a sudden. I thought this was about you foolishly worrying about my supposed death. Why the change of subject?" studied the Cloakmaster.

Yoko turned her gaze away, churning with feelings of distrust and worry. Great combination for such a moment.

"Tell me honestly then. Take a shot of your own medicine and tell me why you're so individualistic on worrying about someone that doesn't care about life or death."

Yoko looked back at the Demon Demigod, unready to answer.

"You know the answer, don't you?" she suddenly spoke with heart.

"Huh?" responded the demon.

"You just want to hear me say it, don't you? You think I still have some connection to you somehow."

Tojiro looked at her, feeling the regret steaming off from her now cold eyes.

"Listen Yoko, if anything ever were to happen to you, I wouldn't be in such a better mood than you would be if I were to die." admitted the uptight Demon Demigod.

Yoko looked straight at Tojiro with a surprising gaze.

"I've met enough people to trust and watch over. You said it yourself didn't you? There are a lot of people worried for me…and they don't want to see me gone. Well, that's life for you. It hands you a lot of good things while stealing away others right behind your back. You should expect _that much_ out of me, correct?" explained the calm and stoic Cloakmaster, looking up at the stars that painted themselves gently across the darkness.

Yoko's eyes slowly looked up at the sky as well, feeling…and understand…the Cloakmaster's words. Yoko finally set her eyes back on Tojiro.

"Tojiro, if I could just tell you-"

"PUT UP A SHIELD!" shouted Daisy's voice, running over to them.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Demigod of Death stood up, turning around in the process. He slammed his right hand on the ground. Daisy leapt forward, making it inside the large dome barrier of gold Chaos energy. Seconds after, a monstrous boom hit the ground, shooting debris and dirt in every direction. Kasumi was already shaken awake, sitting on her knees.

"Tojiro! What just happened!? Is it one of the Hell Gods?" she asked frequently in distress.

Tojiro lowered the barrier, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness.

"No. It's a bit worse." he replied, flipping his hood over his head.

In the clearing smoke, two wings stuck out, clearing the brown cloud of smoke. There stood a being in a white cloak.

The Cloakmaster huffed in annoyance, "Finally…an Angel has come." he proposed, readying himself in a offensive stance.

It was an Angel. The first one they've all seen, except for the Cloakmaster. A perfect timing comes for everything, doesn't it? Tojiro prepared the Blade of Darkness, gripping its handle with both of his hands.

"Cloakmaster of Darkness. The Man with the Five Faces of Evil. You…must come with me…you have someone that wishes to speak with you." said the Angel, a female voice echoing out.

"What individual? And if you say it's the man upstairs…I'll probably just attack you." he declared in hatred.

"And it is. It is Him who wishes to speak with you." answered the Angel.

"Yup. You're dead." he answered, charging forward.

The Angel preparedly created a golden staff with an axe blade on both sides of the top that were silver and lined with gold. Tojiro swung his blade, clashing against the Angel's weapon, causing her hood to fling down.

Tojiro's eyes widened, "V-Va-V-Valkyrie?" he stuttered.

The angel's name: Valkyrie; had sky blue colored eyes, and long light colored blonde hair. Valkyrie knocked Tojiro back with a forceful shove.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness skidded to a halt in front of his three followers. Valkyrie appeared around the age of eighteen, and stood the same height of Yoko. Valkyrie opened her cloak revealing her clad iron armor on her body. The only thing that was slightly revealed was her belly.

"Still as foolish as ever. Why take me on? Why now?" questioned the demon, pointing his favored weapon out at the angel.

"It is not a fault. My reason for being here is absolute…as is His will. So please come quietly so this doesn't involve any more foolishness before your friends." said Valkyrie, lowering her weapon down by her side.

"Tojiro? Listen to what she has to say. You already have Hell against you. Heaven would just bring more burden. So please…listen to her." the Shade Priestess acknowledged.

Tojiro snapped his gaze over his shoulder. Dark and cold, he turned his eyes back towards Valkyrie.

"Where then? Where shall we be going?" questioned the demon, sheathing the Blade of Darkness.

"Back to Earth, in the present timeline of course." she explained.

"Really? Oh well. I knew I had a bad feeling about where I had to go." he announced, exiting his stance.

"But Tojiro, we just arrived. How can you just leave when this-"

"Don't worry Yoko. This needs to be done." he quelled with regret.

Yoko stepped back an inch.

"You, Kasumi, and Daisy search. Get any important information you can get. Once I'm done with this business…I shall return." he explained with righteousness.

"But-"

"Yoko. Let him go." advised Daisy.

Yoko looked from the Spartan to the Cloakmaster. Tojiro lowered his hood, looking back at Yoko with a determined look that spelled vigor. Yoko watched him until his back turned, and as he strolled over to Valkyrie, she kept her face solemn. Valkyrie turned around, creating a blue Chaos Portal with a wave of her left hand. Valkyrie charged through it, leaving the Demon Demigod to hesitate.

"Keep safe. And never leave your eye off the horizon. Got it?" spoke the honest Cloakmaster.

The three comrades of Tojiro were left in an uneven set of moods. Yet Tojiro knew he wouldn't get an answer. Stepping into the whirling blue vortex he walked, and vanished out of sight he went.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Unknown Location, Present Day Earth, 11:15 am<strong>_

In a vast desert located somewhere in a Mexico type of locale, the blue Chaos Portal appeared atop a studded rock in the middle of a canyon. The Demigod and the Angel jumped out of it, landing on top of the towering rock. The portal quickly vanishing before them, Tojiro immediately set his goals on observation.

"Earth. This sure doesn't feel like it." he mumbled, forming some type of righteous excuse to keep occupy his guilt riddled mind.

"Have no worry, Tojiro. No trap lies before you. Believe me." said Valkyrie, making her double bladed axe staff vanish.

"I see. I do believe you're lying just so you can get something off your shoulders. Or…is it possibly His shoulders?" wondered the careless cloaked man of legend.

"You falsely accuse me for _that_? You surely haven't changed. How long has it been…since we've last met?" she questioned, refusing to face him.

"Long enough. You were foolishly admired by my words back then. So I better not expect any forms of lying kindness. I despise liars to the very core."

"And yet you are still quick to assume. Is it because the training you aided me with? Hmmm? Even then, I somehow respected your duty."

"A fake duty you believed in. Was that much trust burdened in your eyes back then? Or are you just that blind?" he snapped, crossing his arms with confidence.

"I've only realized for that one moment to see who you _truly _were. Well, _what_ you were. A demon! One that fears no sides of humanity. Instead, you've succumbed to judge everything. Right? Cloakmaster Ankoku?" she voiced in a that deafened further into hatred as she continued, turning around to face eye to eye.

"Don't tell me…you took me here, just so you could-"

Valkyrie violently bashed her right leg across the side of his face, throwing him off the rock pillar. Tojiro smashed straight through two shorter pillars, then ended up smacking with a bang that carved out a huge hole from the canyon wall. Smoke and debris followed the Cloakmaster onto the ground, landing face first with a scouring cloud of trickery surrounding him. Focusing his abundant strength to merely stand up, the Cloakmaster felt agonized by the angel's sudden motive that annoyed him to the bone. Valkyrie landed a few feet in front of the Demon Demigod, standing still, anticipating Tojiro to attack next.

"In some practical way, this situation is kinda' ironic. You being an angel, then you lied to me…isn't that one of the Commandments? Seriously? You're the first and only angel I've met who does crap like this." Tojiro unceremoniously explained, rising to his feet.

"Your will means nothing to me. Just turn yourself in….or else." she commanded, preparing two blue Chaos Spheres in both of her hands.

"I thought the man upstairs wanted a talk with me…but instead he only wants me dead. How kind." said the astute Demon, preparing a whirling red Chaos Rasengan on the palm of his left hand.

"Not at all. In fact, He isn't ready to just speak with you. I wasn't even on His side to simply agree and let your demonic presence stain the holy skies." said the calm, yet determined Valkyrie, preparing two blue thundering bolts of lightning in her hands.

"We shall see…about that." responded the Demigod.

Tojiro shot off like a rocket, pointing his unsheathed Blade of Darkness forward to shoot out a black beam of spiraling Chaos energy. Valkyrie batted her wings forward to merely dissipate the entire beam. She immediately fired her two bolts of lightning down at Tojiro. The two bolts danced together, spinning into one single charge of electricity. Tojiro smashed his Chaos Rasengan against the beam. In a massive explosion of light and comets of flames shooting off in every direction. Valkyrie remained hovering, her long hair stringing back from all the chaos that erupted from the explosion.

Tojiro suddenly broke out from the smoke, kicking Valkyrie directly in the stomach, shooting her back across the air. Tojiro charged after the angel with insane malevolence, close lining Valkyrie, sending her plummeting to the earth. The angel covered her body with her flamboyant wings, revealing an extremely hard form of steel on the back of both wings. Valkyrie corroded straight through one single stack of earth, then smashing against a wall of stone. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear in her path, firing one single black Chaos Spear, with a blood red inside that shaped the Chaos Spear as a whole. Valkyrie was swift to turn around, opening up her wings to release something unexpected.

"Hurricane of Chaos!" she shouted.

From the inside of her wings, a humongous slew of blue feather shaped projectiles shot down at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro wrapped himself in his cloak. A storm of multiple blue explosions imploded in mid-air one after another like a dump truck full of cherry bombs. Valkyrie watch the resonating explosions resonate over her body, lowering her wings, folding them back. The Blade of Darkness sudden shot up and impaled into Valkyrie's belly. Tojiro appeared out of Chaos Control, holding Valkyrie's left shoulder with his right hand, and his left hand on the blade's grip.

"CHAOS SHOCK!" he thundered with monstrous hatred.

Taking great risk with such a technique, both Tojiro and Valkyrie were horribly electrocuted with bolts of green lightning that crawled across every inch of their bodies. The two were finally separated in a fitting explosion that threw the two into stone walls that were on both sides of the canyon. Tojiro, lodged into the earth, still held the Blade of Darkness in his left hand.

Small static bolts still appeared through a sudden vivid dance that never seemed to stop. Tojiro's eyes painfully opened up. Valkyrie suddenly appeared flying towards Tojiro's position, striking forward with her double bladed axe staff. Tojiro vigorously held the Blade of Darkness up to block the powerful swing, forcing his back to smash against the rock further, shifting more dust to spray out from the canyon wall. Tojiro gritted his teeth, only using the strength of his left hand to fight against Valkyrie's.

"You should be afraid, Cloakmaster of Darkness. Here, Fate of Dreams, shall be the weapon that shall silence your evil…forever!" threatened the angel in sudden anger.

Tojiro used Chaos Control, vanishing from her sight. Valkyrie angrily lowered her weapon. She turned around, pointing Fate of Dreams out, expecting anything, but all she saw was nothing.

"Cloakmaster. It shall not be that easy." mumbled the expressionless angel.

Tojiro dropped onto his feet behind a structure of wood. He rose to his feet, keeping his cloaked covering the front of his body. Tojiro peered his head around the corner, seeing vehicles parked in front. He scanned inside, finding out it was a diner and saloon type of establishment.

"Nice. Just what I needed in this hell hole." he sarcastically lied to himself.

Tojiro kept his hood over his head, keeping his face as unseen as he can. Tojiro walked around to the entrance, keeping his ears alive. He nudged the doors open, facing a whole slew of glares to launch at him.

"Wow. Which fool shall be the first to step up and die? Any takers?" spoke out the Cloakmaster.

The first man to point his gun was immediately shot in the forehead, by Tojiro with Black Death. Everyone that caught an eye of his ridiculously large black steel revolver kept their itchy trigger fingers smooth and without irritation. Tojiro lowered his gun, placing it back in the holster. He went into the corner, everyone immediately cleared out of the spot.

"Well, don't all get up at the same time now." he mumbled, feeling as if these moments are becoming too repetitive.

Tojiro was ready to sit down, even as he did, his eyes were set on the doors of the establishment. Surprisingly, not another individual in the entire saloon shot him another unwanted glare, fortunate on Tojiro's part, he would've enacted on a very violent form of honesty if further annoyance could come upon him. Tojiro noticed most of the drinkers began gathering by the far window in the front of the saloon, pushing and shoving to witness something extraordinary.

Feeling a drastic force in his stomach build, Tojiro rose up from his seat, vanishing with Chaos Control. Reappearing outside, Tojiro stared up into the sky, appearing impressed. A humongous hole in the sky was beginning to form. It was filled with an enticing silver glow that shined upon the entire scene.

"Let's see…reinforcements? Or possibly a way to _try_ and rid me from this world?" he questioned to himself. From the single massive glow, a gigantic silver Chaos Sphere hurled down from the heavens.

"Of course." he blathered.

Enveloping himself in a black mist, Tojiro reverted to his Werehog Form, dashing straight towards the road. The humongous sphere of death continued to converge upon the earth, and the Demigod of Darkness had plenty of room to clear if he was to dodge such a doomed fate. The Cloakmaster continued to charge down the single road on all fours, taking several looks between the road ahead of him, as well as the gigantic sphere. Tojiro suddenly leapt off the ground.

He grabbed his legs, empowering his Chaos energy into them both. Once he landed back on the ground, Tojiro shot across the road in a blur of red mist. Using full locomotion of his arms and legs, Tojiro was completely unstoppable. The humongous sphere slowly impacted the ground, creating a fierce moment of silence. In that one single moment, it erupted into a massive explosion.

Taking one final look over his shoulder, Tojiro was obviously clear of danger, that's what he thought at least. Jumping to a halt, he dug the claws on his fingertips to cease movement. Tojiro slowly turned around, seeing a singular dome of brown smoke to vanish away and reveal an enormous crater sized hole.

"She certainly had to waste a lot of Chaos energy if she did _that_ much damage." mumbled the Demon Demigod in carelessness, reverting to his human form.

Preparing a rotating glob of Chaos Control energy in the palm of his right hand, the Dark Demigod pointed it forward. Valkyrie's sudden appearance charged straight at him, firing her own blast of Chaos Control, infiltrating into Tojiro's. In the midst of the combination, the ground was eroded away with an out of control dome of blue kinetic Chaos energy. The dome spanned out, suddenly being sucked in into nothingness, teleporting the two warriors to an unforeseen destination.

**つづく**

******_To be continued  
><em>**

**__**-Within a realm of glowing spires and buildings, Tojiro stands by Valkyrie's side.- "The duel between both warriors escalates to the very Heavens themselves."

-Valkyrie turns to a frozen Tojiro with power in her lungs.- "Valkyrie successfully transports Tojiro to the center of Heaven's realm,"

-Tojiro looks toward a giant, mythic figure sitting upon a throne.- "There, Tojiro confronts the Almighty Father of Earth, telling him of Paragon's origins and the powers once owned by the **Seven Gods of Chaos**."

"It is here in the greatest light that Tojiro seeks his greatest weapon against Hell itself;" -Tojiro flies down from Heaven itself, crashing onto the site of **Machu Picchu.**"

-Through the presence of an evil hate, Tojiro arms a scythe of nightmares to the patiently awaiting Akuma Kyofu.- "In moments, Tojiro prepares for his greatest duel yet with the Devil himself."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER XLVII: SHADOW HOUR  
><strong>

**PART VIII: REVELATIONS  
><strong>


	47. Chapter XLVII

_**CHAPTER XLVII: SHADOW HOUR  
><strong>_

**PART VIII: REVELATIONS  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Valkyrie. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. There are no other characters appearing in this chapter besides Tojiro, Valkyrie and...well you'll see.  
><strong>

**The "Shadow Hour" gets its wings and continues to fly. Even before the Almighty Himself, Tojiro continues to disown the belief of saving the planet; knowing that vengeance is his only guide. If you were to stand before a grand, divine warrior and they gave you your greatest weapon ever would you allow their guidance to interfere with the goal you've already been following? All reviews and feedback are most welcome!  
><strong>

_**Inner Sanctum of Heaven, 11:25 am**_

Tojiro and Valkyrie smashed down into a white building made of pearl marble, blowing through it, then smashing into a gray cobblestone road. The earth shattered and bounced against themselves, filling the immediate area with debris. Tojiro grabbed Valkyrie by one of her wings, and pulled her back. With his right foot, he violently kicked her, but kept hold of her wings.

Once again he tugged back. Once again he kicked back. Valkyrie exclaimed in torture, feeling the nerves that connected her wings to her back were tenderly splitting, the fibers letting loose streams of pure red blood. Tojiro finally tossed Valkyrie to the ground, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness at the same time. Valkyrie sat sideways, holding herself up with the forearm of her right arm. Tojiro stood over Valkyrie, pointing the sharp blade inches directly from her nose.

"I refuse to end a life that doesn't deserve my pain. I do believe we know each other too much for one of us to die." mumbled the lifeless anti-hero.

Valkyrie pushed away his blade, wiping her mouth. Tojiro drove his sword into the ground, and assisted Valkyrie to her feet. Valkyrie looked at him with a mysterious look, her mouth only inches agape. Tojiro retrieved his sword, placing its evil sting back in the sheath.

"You got me where you wanted, right? So then where is He?" questioned the demon to the angel.

Valkyrie turned her head to the left with ease, giving Tojiro a very obvious hint. He turned towards where her eyes were set. Far down the road lined with marble constructed buildings was a massive gleaming cathedral of bright silver.

"That…is where He rests. Where He thinks. Where He judges." she explained with a calm voice.

"Well then, I mine as well show Him who I am." answered the Demigod of Death, retrieving his black headband out from the right pocket of his cloak.

The headband with a white embroidered Japanese symbol of death. Valkyrie faced the towering structure, standing by Tojiro's side, giving him an un-adjourned expression that defined her cold attitude. Tojiro wrapped the bandana around his forehead, strapping it on tight. As the Cloakmaster lifted his head up, his blazing orange eyes set forth on the house of God himself.

The two arrived at the doors. Valkyrie placed her right hand on a seal in the form of a cross. It lightened in a white shimmer. The two towering doors opened inwards. Valkyrie and Tojiro stepped back.

"This way…demon." said the angel, strolling forward.

Tojiro willingly reverted to his hedgehog form, just in case. After walking across a red velvet lane of carpeting trimmed with gold, the two gigantic shut. The Cloakmaster kept his hood lowered, his eyes remained blank white.

"In your unfaithful days of living, the only realm of the afterlife you've been able to witness…were the Nine Circles'? Am I right?" Valkyrie drastically spoke up.

"Indeed it was. Why? Does that surprise you?" proposed the Cloakmaster.

"How could it?"

"Just in a form of awful curiosity, that's all. I wasn't expecting anything positive." said the stern voiced demon.

"It's always that way with you. Dark and condescending to the marrow of your very bones. I wonder what He will have to say." said the angel with wonder.

"Like it matters. I already know what I must do to end Akuma's reign of malevolence and hypnotic control." the Demon Demigod prescribed strongly.

Valkyrie and Tojiro stopped in front of another pair of massive doors.

"Let us test that, shall we?" she said, facing the Cloakmaster.

Without even looking, did she set her right hand on the door. Several blue lines formed from the left, right, top and bottom of the door. Tojiro set his eyes on the mystical image. All the lines formed into the shape of a holy cross. In mere seconds did they manage to swing open, into the room, the very seat of God himself. Tojiro was first to step inside, Valkyrie taking care to stay behind him and keep her pace steady. In a circular room with large angelic statues, several rotundas marked the very height that this room held. Tojiro looked straight up, seeing a dome shaped paneled window over five miles high which made it out to be a spire. Tojiro finally set his eyes on one being. A giant man, covered in a white cloak and robes.

The front of the cloak had the outline of a cross colored in black. The being's hood was over "His" head, with two thick black stripes over the top of the hood. In place, he sat on a gigantic throne like seat, his hands and fingers entailed with silver armor. It was the Lord himself. Valkyrie stopped by Tojiro's side, kneeling down, with her hands clapped together.

"Your holiness, I apologize for the lateness of the hour. I…seemed to lose control of myself. Please…forgive me." said the hopeful angel.

In that instant, He slowly lifted his head up, making even the Cloakmaster surprised. His face was wrapped in darkness, and all that could be seen were two pure glowing eyes. They were slanted into an angry stare; yet its meaning was an expression of disappointment. The Holy Lord set his eyes upon Valkyrie, than the very demon that managed to stand before this complete being of good and righteousness.

"Ahhhh…you…the Cloakmaster himself. Forgive Valkyrie. I truly believe that her training with you has had some irrational affect upon her life." said the Holy Lord.

"No offense taken, sir, but to be honest, I wish to know why I am here." complained the Cloakmaster.

Valkyrie stood up, giving Tojiro a very honest glare.

"Do not feel shunned by my invitation, Demon Demigod. My reason is one for an absolute reason. You shall not be harmed, my son. I only bring you dire news that only your ears can surmise to understand." continued the Creator.

"Very well, your holy graciousness. What is it?" said the stubborn demon.

"You and I are both very aware of the Nightmare Scythe's contents. Are we? Or are we not?" asked the soft spoken Lord of Heaven.

"Ryu Kaze didn't bother to give me the truth of its powers. Other than that they're truly horrifying, supposedly." instigated the Demon Demigod.

"And that does not surprise me. Ryu failed to warn you."

Tojiro was left confused.

"What did he fail to warn me about?"

* * *

><p>"The Nightmare Scythe can <strong>only be wielded by a being of evil and hatred.<strong> Their minds must be tortured and wretched to even touch the Scythe. If not with that hatred in the soul, the individual in question would die by its nihilistic power. _That_ is what Ryu failed to take responsibility for." stated the Lord, holding his comprehension back.

"This doesn't worry me. You realize that, right? I've faced enough darkness to outwit a lunar eclipse. Ryu should stubbornly understand that I'm the only one that can avert this crisis at hand." explained the nonchalant Demigod.

"Of course. So that is why I shall assist you on _part_ of your journey." responded the Lord in a relieved tone, raising up his left hand.

A black chest with patterns of glowing red lines appeared. The Creator pointed his left hand out, causing the ebony chest to hover down and softly touch down in front of the Cloakmaster.

"Open it my son." said He.

"What's in it?" the demon unfavorably answered.

"Do not question, my son. You will understand after you release its power.

Tojiro shoved off his curiosity and regret into the same empty shell of thought. He placed his hands on the chest. Cold. A shivering sensation stormed over Tojiro's body, making his nerves bite each other under his very skin. Uncaring of the short second feeling, Tojiro opened the chest, facing rays of red light to come out with impatience. Tojiro gritted his teeth, forcing his right arm into the chest, grabbing onto something that spelled disaster.

He yanked the object out with all intent, silencing the red light of noise. In his right hand, red and black Chaos energy caressed around his arm. It all gathered onto one place; **The Nightmare Scythe was literally, and finally in the palm of his hands**. The left side of the Nightmare Scythe's blade was as white as a cloud with the Japanese symbol of life colored in black on the very middle. On the opposite side was the blade black like a midnight sky with the Japanese symbol of death colored in white. The two symbols of opposites were large, fitting perfectly on both sides of the nightmarish curved blade.

Tojiro's eyes were simultaneously closed in awful pain from absorbing the Scythe's power. However, once the Cloakmaster opened his eyes back up, change was definitely on the wind. The white of his eyes were glowing red, and a new version of his Tsukikagegan had taken place. It was a thick black X. A crescent moon over the top and across the bottom. Finally, two thin diamonds pointed to the left and right sides of the X. All the shapes were black as the Demigod's cloak.

"Amazing. It's truly the first time in a very long while that I've seen that advanced variant of a man's Tsukikagegan." explained the Lord.

"A new version? Just…how does this damn thing work?" he cursed, covering his right eye with his right hand.

"It is known as the _**Imperial Tsukikagegan**_. It can only be mastered once the user incorporates a higher form of power in their Chaos energy; a power that shields the force of the conscious of the animal form within them. In other words; **the Nightmare Scythe is suppressing the Dragon inside you**." Tojiro looked up at the Creator, baffled and left motionless.

"H-H-how is that true? Are you telling the truth?!" exclaimed the demon who miraculously forced out his interest.

"Well, my son. It was I who came up with the Commandment to never lie." answered the wise Lord.

Tojiro pointed the Nightmare Scythe down, taking time to focus this new power of evil.

"Harness the Scythe's power and make the Dragon form your own. With its power, you may openly control the Chaos energy of the Dragon, yet its conscious will still remain within. So be wary of what may lie ahead." spoke forth the Lord.

Tojiro's eyes awakened, his orange pupils filling the space of his now white eyes. Valkyrie managed a smile, yet she managed to hide it from the Cloakmaster. In darkness and in hope, Tojiro held the Nightmare Scythe in the grip of his right hand.

"You must not fail now, Cloakmaster Ankoku. **Paragon **still awaits your arrival." the Lord included with dire importance.

"What does that dimension matter to me now? I have the Scythe! Now I can finish what I started!" barked the Demon Demigod, pointing the Nightmare Scythe up at the Lord.

The blade of the Scythe straightened out, giving it the ability to wield the weapon like an over imagined spear of death.

"You take great care not to listen, do you not? The Scythe's true power remains sealed. The only path to unlock it is to find the Man of Myth; **the only remaining survivor of the Seven Gods of Chaos.**" stated the impatient God.

"Seven Gods of Chaos? Sorry. I refuse to throw my time away for such a pathetic side journey."

"Listen, Cloakmaster! Humanity has nothing left to stand on! If you refuse to listen to the words of a being who trusts you, you shall be WISE and LISTEN!" said the outraged Lord.

Valkyrie stood in fear, looking between both her master and the Dark Demigod.

"In **Paragon**, lives the man who forged that very weapon. He is one of the individuals who first mastered Chaos energy once this planet was created by nature's doing. It was my power that gave nature a reason to prosper and grow."

"What point are you trying to make?! If Akuma can be stopped NOW, why am I wasting time HERE?!" thundered the Demon Demigod of Death.

"**Because this man is the creator of negative Chaos energy and Paragon itself!**" God interpreted in a mighty tone.

Tojiro surprisingly let his eyes widen. The Lord carefully sat back in his chair. Valkyrie looked at her dear master with pain.

"Tojiro, I have lived long enough to understand how humanity has treated your existence. If you do not face this man, the power of the Nightmare Scythe will never be unlocked. Your current power isn't enough to defeat Akuma. Please heed my words, my son."

Tojiro suddenly took care examine the Nightmare Scythe with all intention and focus, unwavering. Turning around, Tojiro drove the blade straight into the ground, tearing a sudden violent crack.

"Tojiro!" exclaimed the Lord.

Valkyrie prepared to strike, but Tojiro blocked her with a wall of golden Chaos energy. Tojiro slashed through the ground. A fierce gash in the ground sucked Tojiro in, and warped him elsewhere, somewhere far different than the dimension he just left. Valkyrie bashed her fist into the barrier, immediately silencing its existence.

"For some reason of right, I should have expected this much from him. I do believe his journey is still righteous. He can not turn back now." began the disappointed God.

"I carry doubt that he still even has plans on traveling to **Paragon**. Will he?" asked Valkyrie, facing the Entity of Creation.

"My word has had some change on his mind. He shall take this chance into action. Whether humanity despises him or hopes for him…Tojiro will somehow manage a great change upon this universe."

Valkyrie listened to her master's words with all forms of interpretation, feeling only an inch of the sorrow He felt.

It was gruesome to imagine what would come of this world next. Even worse, what would happen to the very fabrics of time and space itself. The Lord lowered His head with contempt, distraught by what ill possibilities can come about the world he created.

A bank of clouds split apart. In came the Cloakmaster, darting towards a site known as **Machu Picchu** located in Peru, South America. Tojiro stuck his feet down, releasing streams of fire to slow down his approach. Taking a careful landing to land on one of the mountain's terraced fields. His feet touched down on the calm blowing grass. Tojiro turned to the left, observing the thick cloud of fog that wandered around the site. Tojiro raised the Nightmare Scythe up in his right hand.

The Chaos energy centered on Tojiro's back, causing the Nightmare Scythe to connect to his back like a magnet. The blade of the Scythe was curved back to its normal position. Tojiro slowly lowered his right arm, indulging the awfulness of his current situation. Tojiro turned to face the terraced fields that were layered one after another. It was a definite long way up. His nerves warned him of this, fully aware of how bad this journey was about to get. Tojiro pointed his clenched fists at the ground, releasing gusts of wind.

The Demon Demigod was launched into the air, immediately avoiding a stream of darkened red Chaos energy. It seems that the demon's precaution was correct. His eyes set to the left, spotting none other than one of the Hell Gods flying towards him. Tojiro grabbed the wrist of his left hand with his right hand, firing a flurry of golden Chaos Spears. The storm of a thousand projectiles converged onto the Hell God without an inch of mercy. The Hell God lowered his hood, releasing a deadly pair of black beams from his pupils. Altogether did the two powers clash in a horrific show of flaming meteors and a cloud of horrendous smoke.

Tojiro landed on another terrace, however, he was quick to continue maneuvering. A single beam of crimson red with a twirling black stream shot out from the smoke. Tojiro used his excellent agility to continue jumping up the terrace side of the moss and stone. The restless made it to the top, flying over the top of Huayna Picchu's peak. The Cloakmaster landed on the patch of moss and grass, quickly turning around. Readying the Nightmare Scythe for his first time in combat, he held it backwards in his right hand, the blade behind his back.

The sudden appearance of the Hell God landing opposite from where the Demon Demigod stood entranced Tojiro into a fit of rage. The Hell God put himself into a freestanding pose, his arms crossed together.

"The Nightmare Scythe. I must admit I'm surprised by your endeavors, lest they continue to betwixt your own path. How did you retrieve it, _**brother**_?" said the outspoken Hell God leader.

_To be continued_

**つづく**

******NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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****-A humongous beam of **Chaos Wrath** is shot from the Nightmare Scythe.- "Tojiro's and Akuma's one-one duel finally begins. Their battle destined to be the end of many great things." -Tojiro rapidly swings the Nightmare Scythe to release a swarm of black and red crescent shaped Chaos energy attacks.-

"The two brothers who will settle their differences once and for all begin in this grand mountainous land." -A huge mechanized Hydra head launches toward Tojiro.-

"Beyond all possibilities are the rules of their fight. As it continues to escalate the scenes shall change." -Tojiro slashes through the back of the Hydra head.-

-Tojiro is smashed through a standing stone pillar.- -Akuma roars to the sky in his Werehog Form.- -Five beams of green Chaos energy are released into the air to form a giant lion head with screaming golden colored eyes.-

"There shall be no interferences. No weaknesses. No holding back. **_No...more...MERCY_**." -Akuma charges up from the underground to punch Tojiro directly in the stomach, resolving to flip himself backwards and drive his right foot into his chin.-

-A herald of fire charges towards the Demigod.- -Tojiro punches his brother with direct agony in the form of an uppercut.- -Akuma releases a point blank Chaos Spear into Tojiro's belly.-

"Their long war against each other finally reaches its centerfold." -Tojiro crams one of the Dragon Guardian Cestus into Akuma's chest.-

-Tojiro falls into the depths of a Chaos Portal with the Chains of Fear in hand.-

NEXT TIME!

**The three-part EPIC movie event begins! **

**Tojiro Ankoku VS Akuma Kyofu in their first one on one brawl!  
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**_The Nightmare Wars_  
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><p><strong><em><em>CHAPTER XLVIII: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART IX: REDEMPTION  
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* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER XLIX: SHADOW HOUR<br>**

**PART X: CALAMITY  
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* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER L: SHADOW HOUR<br>**

**PART XI: TRAGEDY  
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	48. Chapter XLVIII

_**The Nightmare Wars Movie Special: DARKNESS VS FEAR**_

_****_**CHAPTER XLVIII: SHADOW HOUR  
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**PART IX: REDEMPTION  
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**DISCLAIMER: Can't say much yet since Tojiro and Akuma are the stars in this special so far. Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
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**The time is finally here for the highly anticipated Chapter 50! I knew that this scene was going to be by far one of the best brawls in Saga I of "The Nightmare Wars." It had to be split into three chapters and three places so the two brothers would deal out their worst powers to obliterate the other. Remember to take heed the best part of this special is to read all three one after the other. So no chapter previews this time! Enjoy the special! All feedback and reviews are welcome.  
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"Akuma Kyofu. You shouldn't have revealed yourself so easily." threatened the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"I can believe that. Although, I believe you wanted something like this to happen. You sensed my Chaos energy before you flew down from Heaven, correct brother?" instigated the Devil of Fear, wearing a vicious smirk.

"Exactly. So die!" responded the demented Demigod.

The Demigod of Death began spinning the Nightmare Scythe over his head, causing slashes of black and red Chaos energy to launch forth out of the Nightmare Scythe's blade. Akuma jumped into the air, his hood falling back. Akuma shot forth a black vine that was enveloped in red Chaos energy. The single vine suddenly multiplied into hundreds more. Tojiro stopped swinging the Scythe. He roared, delving the blade into the earth. A series of red glowing walls of earth appeared out of the ground.

The storm of vines smashed against the wall of earth with impetuous repetitiveness. Tojiro looked up to notice the walls were cracking under pressure. Akuma broke straight through the walls of glowing red earth. Tojiro tossed the Nightmare Scythe into his left hand and swung it from the left to the right. The staff section near the blade curved, causing the blade to impale through Akuma's back, leaving the staff section to wrap around Akuma. Tojiro finished the violent maneuver by turning around and swing the Cloakmaster of Fear of the Nightmare Scythe's blade and across the ground, charring through it with violent force.

Akuma was finally thrown into a pillar of stone that formed a single structure. All the weight and girth came crashing upon the Cloakmaster of Fear. Tojiro rested the Nightmare Scythe over his left shoulder, preparing for the next attack. Akuma exploded out of the rubble, wearing an insensitive smile that defined his malevolent ability to avert pain into unrivaled power. Much like his brother, Akuma can grant himself great unstoppable power.

"You were wise to face me. Yet you were foolish to use the Nightmare Scythe. Even when you haven't taken control over it's deadly force…you're not even a challenge. You're foolish…AND SO YOU SHALL REMAIN SO UNTIL I KILL YOU!" thundered the Cloakmaster of Fear.

He clapped his hands together. The ground all in front of Tojiro began to crack, splitting apart in the process. Tojiro jumped back, avoiding the entire mountain top to begin splitting in half. A giant black cannon with several red and golden glowing lines pointed out of the earth, aiming directly at Tojiro. Tojiro raised the Nightmare Scythe up, collecting an unrivaled form of Chaos energy that only he knows. The cannon began to charge up a blast of unparallel power. Both positive and negative Chaos energy built within the huge cannon's barrel.

Spheres of Chaos energy appeared around the front of the barrel, as well as strips of energy that spun like cyclones. Tojiro changed the blade to point outward like a spear. On the very tip was a sphere of Chaos Wrath; the most undeniable form of death and destruction that could ever be mastered by any Chaos user. Fortunately though, Tojiro is the only one capable of using Chaos Wrath.

"ETERNAL BEAM OF SUFFERING!" roared the Cloakmaster of Fear.

The beam shot one single beam of dark blue and light red.

"Chaos Wrath!" thundered the Cloakmaster.

A hellish beam of white, outlined with blue shot out of the Nightmare Scythe's tip, severely out-sizing the beam shot from Akuma's summoning cannon.

The beam ripped straight through the cannon, blowing it into a cloud of a thousand fires. The beam continued to soar, erasing the clouds in the sky. Dissipated from an overuse of power did it vanish. Tojiro dropped onto his right knee holding the Nightmare Scythe down on the ground in his right hand over the staff section of the weapon.

Half of the mountain top was carved away from Tojiro's maniacal beam of unknown power. His orange pupils vanished from his pupils, leaving only his cold blank stare. Akuma's angry shout was heard from the midst of the chaos before Tojiro. Akuma charged down with a spear of yellow Chaos energy in both of his hands. Tojiro quickly jumped back, however, Akuma was too swift, tossing one of the spears straight through Tojiro's abdomen, splattering the oozing blood across the ground with a lasting effect.

The hit rendered Tojiro motionless on the ground. Akuma was quick to use the other spear to envelop his left fist in it's power. Akuma charged forward, gripping Tojiro by the throat of his neck. He lifted the ebony cloaked hedgehog off the dirt then severely smashed him back into the ground, summoning a plume of brown smoke to spout up. Akuma back flipped out of the smoke, wearing his confident smirk ever proudly. Tojiro left Akuma surprised once the Cloakmaster of Darkness sprinted at him with madness in his eyes. Akuma raised his right arm up, blocking Tojiro's left fist thrust. Akuma punched Tojiro in the stomach, but the Cloakmaster jumped back to punch Akuma in the face with a Chaos Sphere. Akuma's corpse was sent rolling and smacking across the earth until it flew off the edge off the mountain top.

Tojiro connected the Nightmare Scythe to his back, readying the Chains of Fear in the process. In mere seconds was the Demon Demigod diving off the mountain top, passing through lairs of drifting fog. Akuma turned himself towards another mountain. Setting his feet first, Akuma landed on the earth, shattering it on impact. Akuma grabbed two slabs of earth, turning around to toss them both up at Tojiro.

"Chaos Tornado!" yelled the valiant demon.

By spinning the Chains of Fear around himself, a lightish green tornado of Chaos energy formed around the Cloakmaster in protection. The slabs of earth by eaten away on impact. Darting straight down at Akuma, Tojiro amplified the Chaos energy around him, causing it to change bright blue, stuttering with violent bolts of electricity. Akuma kneeled down, smacking his left hand on the ground. A red light enshrouded along with a mist of red, creating a large black mecha Hydra built by Vulcan, to bolt towards the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"CHAOS SPEAR OF LIGHTNING!" roared the Demon of Damnation.

The Chaos energized tornado sharpened into a Chaos Spear, and the Cloakmaster speared through the Hydra's mouth with violent accuracy. Black oily blood splashed over the air. Akuma immediately shot back across the air to avoid Tojiro's impact with his Chaos Spear of Lightning attack. In the time he spent in mid-air, Akuma fired a hundred streams of yellow Chaos energy at the Cloakmaster in the cloud of chaos.

Rising up from a small hole, Tojiro was overwhelmed by all the beams as they pelted and beat him senseless into the earth. Akuma was shocked to face a full fledged spear shaped beam of golden Chaos energy. At the last second he wrapped himself in his cloak, taking the full force of Tojiro's Chaos powers directly. Tojiro appeared in the middle of his hole, lowering his right arm. A misty yellow smoke simmered from the inner gears of his right arm, a good piece of proof that overworking his own power can come back to bite him. Akuma waved open his cloth, appearing unscathed, except that the right side of his face was reduced to bone. In an instance did the skin and muscle regenerate, making the Devil of Fear grimace with confidence. Tojiro gulped in a breath, feeling tired.

"You've not learned to master such power. I knew I was right. I can see it in your eyes…as lifeless as they are." spoke the Cloakmaster of Fear.

"Keep that up…and I'll be forced to rip your tongue straight out of your mouth and feed a piece to all of your goddamn followers!" shouted the omnipotent demon, firing a humongous breath of black and red flames from his mouth.

Akuma was blanketed in a black mist. Once it vanished, a white blur shot straight at the cloud of evil flames. Akuma blasted through them, distinguishing them into glowing red embers. Akuma smashed into Tojiro, his right hand around the Demon Demigod's throat. Tojiro managed to open his eyes and see Akuma in his monstrous Werehog form.

"You obviously haven't recognized the end of your means. You're too obsessed with the safety of others instead of your own! At the very least, try and make this fight more interesting, shall we?" conveyed the Ruler of Hell, raising the ebony hedgehog off the ground.

Akuma proceeded to violently toss Tojiro across the ground, his skull and bones enduring all the pain, all for power and bloodlust. Tojiro smashed into, and through a pillar of stone. Akuma was already up in the air, enveloping his fists in black Chaos energy. Tojiro, readying the Chains of Fear, swung them forward. The two blades latched between Akuma's knuckles, sloshing blood in a terrible mist form. Tojiro yanked down, forcing Akuma to fly straight down at the eager demigod.

Preparing a vile Rasengan of black and red, Tojiro swung his right arm across the side of Akuma's face, practically slapping him with the whirling sphere. Akuma was thrown in a daze, his hands being freed from the stinging power of Tojiro's Chains of Fear. Akuma came to a stop once he slammed into a stone wall, face first of course. Tojiro put himself into a straight stance, placing the Chains of Fear back in their tube shaped sheaths. Akuma leapt to his feet, immediately taking action by launching his outstretched arms forward. Tojiro bounced off the ground.

Akuma smiled. He twirled his arms up to grab the Cloakmaster of Darkness and face plant him back into the earth. Akuma yanked back to drag his blood brother through the earth and grass, carving away at Tojiro's face. Akuma readily held his right foot back, covering it with yellow Chaos energy. Minutes came to seconds once Akuma angrily kicked Tojiro in the crown of his skull. With pain and agony did the Demon Demigod launch back into the air, blood trailing off his head. Akuma reverted to his human form, clapping his hands together in the process.

"Chaos Rain Technique: Searing Vines of Agony!" he summoned in a wicked tone. Black vines studded with thorns broke out from Akuma's arms and chest, all shooting straight up at Tojiro seeking to skewer him into nothing but inch sized cubes.

Eyes of hate appeared in the wake of Tojiro's pupils; the Tsukikagegan. Tojiro formed himself into an right side up position. Punching his fists against one another, Tojiro reeled his head back.

"Chaos Wind! Five Styled Tornado!"

From his eyes, mouth, and hands, cyclones of tornado green Chaos energized beams shot out to combine into one single form; a large lion head with giant golden filled eyes. The large lion head consumed Akuma's Chaos Rain technique splashed into a hellish cyclone of slicing wind that towered thirty feet tall. Tojiro remained hovering in mid-air, his vigorous fists clenched. Akuma's laugh was heard from within the chaos created by Tojiro.

"Using _those_ techniques against _me_? You certainly have became desperate, haven't you?" spoke Akuma, his voice sounding very near.

Tojiro's eyebrows rose with discipline. Tojiro swung himself around, using his right leg to kick an oncoming Akuma across his face, stopping him in mid-air. Tojiro proceeded to punch Akuma directly in the face over ten times, taking his over zealous violence a whole another level. Akuma was fortunate, raising his right arm to block a kick, then using his left hand to halt Tojiro's right fist thrust. Akuma breathed a fiery amount of red fire directly into the Cloakmaster of Darkness, seething away at the flesh on his face.

Akuma grabbed Tojiro by the neck of his cloak, spinning around to toss the Demon Demigod back towards the top of Machu Picchu. Tojiro managed to put his legs first before his head, taking the blunt of the landing, yet it didn't slow him down. Tojiro readily fired an outrageous flurry of green Chaos Spears up at his nihilistic brother. Akuma shot out from his ten fingers, a swarm of cybernetic snakes. Their bodies slithered through the air, multiplying by growing into one massive storm of silver. Tojiro readied the Dragon Guardian Cestus. Pointing the massive dragon head gauntlets up, Tojiro focused his power on his two weapons.

A steady gold beam formed in the mouth of the right gauntlet's mouth. The same form of power focused in the left gauntlet, except it was orange.

"Nature Enhance…CHAOS LIGHTNING ERUPTION!"

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><p>First, the orange beam fired, a beam of red running through the entire center. With simple power and destructiveness did it incinerate through the cloud of snakes, hitting Akuma dead on. The beam of yellow fired, except it was nothing but a shower of yellow bolts of lightning. The bolts danced across the orange beam of Chaos energy, until they hit the cloud of the snakes that remained, dissipating them all into oblivion.<p>

The malignant storm of electricity continued forward until it met Akuma. The bolts grouped off, appearing in the shape of a hand. Tojiro then bumped his two Cestus together, synchronizing with the blistering bolts to crush Akuma in-between their kinetic power. A yellow ring exploded out in all directions, shooting random bolts of frantic blue lightning. Reverting the Dragon Guardian Cestus to their bracelet form, the Cloakmaster stood ever aware.

Akuma dashed up from underground, punching Tojiro directly in the gut, then flipping himself backwards to kick Tojiro in the chin with his right foot. Tojiro soared into a diagonal direction, however, he was quickly shot back towards the earth by Akuma who used Chaos Control to appear in his path of flying to give Tojiro a point blank beam of static gold Chaos energy. Into the earth crashed the Cloakmaster, scarring his body further, but in his process of tumbling did the Cloakmaster of Darkness halt, preparing a Chaos Rasengan. Akuma was already inches away from Tojiro's face with a red Chaos Sphere mixed with black Chaos Lightning.

The two foes with full eyes of anger and hatred smash their power of chaos together, resulting in two split halves, blue on Tojiro's side with red on Akuma's side. The power expanded forth to create an unstoppable wall of silver energy to span out in the shape of a dome. Bolts of black and white spat out from the dome in a horrendous fashion, darkening the clouds to an ill hue. The dome of light finally exploded forth, demolishing all that it passed through. The mountain was shredded.

The stone carved away, along with the structures that stood around the mountain. In one moment, the image of two black blurs shot into the darkened sky of gray. Tojiro and Akuma began flying straight up, facing each other from opposite positions. With Akuma ascending sky high, he crossed his arms. Tojiro rose through the heavens with his arms cranked, and his fists clenched.

"Hand over the Nightmare Scythe to a much stronger power, Tojiro." proposed the Devil of Fear, his orange eyes brimming with evil.

Just by looking at him, Tojiro's stomach churned in anger with Akuma's ill stare that nearly made him choke on his own breath.

"This power is MINE to wield! I refuse to allow a disrespectful lowlife such as yourself to use it!" commanded the Demigod of Death.

Tojiro shot straight for Akuma, giving him an uppercut. Akuma was swift to pass by it, tilting his head to the left. Akuma grabbed Tojiro's gut with his right hand, firing a malevolent Chaos Spear directly out of his palm. Tojiro spun and twirled through the air until he quickly countered, firing a momentous storm of yellow Chaos Spears out of his hands. Akuma breathed out a massive cloud of flames that ate through Tojiro's projectiles.

"Cloak Storm of Devastation!" quickly summoned the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

A large bowl shaped object of black mist appeared in front of Tojiro, swallowing all the fire that Akuma released. In that darkness, huge streams of monstrous flames spat back out. Thirty beams of fiery power shot. Akuma dashed down, yet the beams of flames sought him like prey and chased after the Cloakmaster of Fear. The Devil of Fear ascended through the air up at Tojiro, causing the Demigod of Death to release a Chaos Blast. All the flaming streams were extinguished. If not for that sudden Chaos Blast, the situation would've have resulted in Tojiro's skin being reduced to bone.

The red mid-air sphere spurred further out until vanishing in a single flash of multiple red sparkles of light. The Cloakmaster remained hovering in mid-air. A trail of misty red smoke was simmering from his body. The appearance of Akuma charging up through the air to grip his right hand around Tojiro's neck caught the Cloakmaster off guard. Akuma halted in the air, a twisted look of hate painted over his expression of confidence.

"The Nightmare Scythe is something _you _cannot comprehend." said the Devil.

He tossed Tojiro down through the air, but luckily Tojiro was able to land on his feet. Akuma dove down at the Cloakmaster, encasing himself in red Chaos energy. Having no time to even react fast enough, Tojiro blasted the ground with Airbending to propel himself back. The earth split apart and crackled from Akuma's impact, causing hordes of rock to smack Tojiro. He kept his arms raised, in hopes that this little show of defense would easily be worth any more scars. Tojiro tumbled onto the ground, rolling feverishly across the rugged earth. Akuma appeared by Tojiro's side, kicking him off the ground simply by giving Tojiro a kick to the spine.

Akuma reappeared in Tojiro's way once more, releasing a horrid ray of dark purple Chaos Spears. Tojiro was riddled, forcibly remained in mid-air until all the Chaos Spears made their mark of pain. Akuma finished the attack by charging forward and delivering a right hook across the left side of the Demon Demigod's face. Like a rocket shot the Cloakmaster, down to the earth in wretched pain. Pain. It was something Tojiro knew all too well.

Akuma took in a desperate breath of air, gripping the center of his gut with his right hand.

"How impressive of you brother. How…impressive." grumbled the Hell Lord, teleporting down to the ground.

Akuma's smug expression turned to diligence, seeing the Cloakmaster of Darkness already on his feet.

"You wanted to make me use techniques that required large amounts of Chaos energy. You even stayed close, knowing I would become desperate to throw you down. Exchanging your own pain for the suffering of another…very good. You have certainly lived up to your expectations as a stain on the history of this world." beseeched the ill voiced Cloakmaster of Fear.

Tojiro shook his head, feeling a stinging ache echoing from the inside of his eardrums. "You suffer too easily. Have you realized that?" spoke the Devil, using Chaos Control.

He reappeared behind Tojiro who quickly elbowed Akuma in the face. Tojiro spun himself around, punching Akuma in the jaw, then the forehead, finally finishing with a static Rasengan into Akuma's belly. Akuma was tossed across the ground like a pebble flung across a lake. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to sink. Instead, Tojiro reverted to his Darkrai form. Turning his black clawed hands towards each other, a malevolent Chaos Sphere formed. Akuma laid against a broken down structure of stone, his face and arms cut by the sharp stone. Tojiro held the Chaos Sphere over his head.

"We shall see what that power of yours is capable of!" exclaimed the bothered Devil, clapping his hands together after rising to his feet.

The stone under his feet shifted, ascending upward with Akuma standing on top of it. Other pieces of rock and debris floated up to form a perfect sphere for the Devil to stand upon. Akuma stuck his left and right arms out in opposite directions. Over fifty spherical Chaos Spheres of every Chaos Nature formed around him.

"Chaos God Technique: Impure Barrage!" shouted Akuma with a wicked face of anger.

Stretching his arms down at Tojiro's position, the storm of Chaos Spheres scarred across the air. Descending to obliterate the Cloakmaster of Darkness, their energy vibrated by pulsing in horrendous patterns. Tojiro's single glowing turquoise eye shined with even more hatred.

"Dark Pulse of Chaos!" exclaimed the hoarse voiced Cloakmaster.

From the Chaos Sphere he held over his head, dark purple beams of Chaos energy shot into the ground, creating a cone. In-between the circling beams that continued to rotate, walls of unbreakable dark Chaos energy formed to protect the Demigod on the inside.

"It was a defensive technique?!" barked the Devil of Fear, his grit blowing with steam.

The multitude of colored Chaos Spheres exploded against Tojiro's Dark Pulse of Chaos barrier, having no effect. The repetitive explosions fed away at the ground around him, shooting mounds of dirt and debris in all directions. Akuma lowered his open hands, awaiting to see his brother. Tojiro flew up through the smoke with his right hand covered by one of the Dragon Guardian Cestus.

"CHAOS PUNCH!" roared the thundering Demigod of Death.

The dragon's head emanated with red and black, exploding against Akuma with the force of a thousand rampaging bulls. Akuma shot straight across the air, his hovering mound of rocks shooting after him, smacking him in mid-air, bruising him with great efficiency. Akuma literally shot through three of the Machu Picchu's mountains, leaving gigantic clouds of brown to linger amongst the fog. Tojiro transformed the single Cestus back into it's bracelet form. Desperately he flew through the fog in his Darkrai form. Tojiro refused to give Akuma more than a second to recover. Knowing his recovery ability was embarrassingly powerful, Tojiro kept all his senses aware of Akuma's disgusting presence.

A black blur came by to close line Tojiro, obviously it was the Devil of Fear himself. Becoming quick, Tojiro grabbed Akuma by the throat and punched him in the face repeatedly by using his left fist. Wretched in arrogance, Akuma sought to drive his right fist straight into Tojiro's belly. Tojiro's one eye squinted in an awkward shape, as if he was selflessly impaled with a ten inch wide blade.

"Chaos…" breathed Akuma.

Tojiro was subjected to fear, aware of what technique Akuma was going to implement.

"CHAOS SHOCK!" quickly shouted the Demon Demigod, grabbing Akuma's shoulders.

A surge of positive Chaos Lightning shocked around both Akuma and Tojiro with electrifying agony that could make any dangerous operation look like a routine checkup. Tojiro slowly reached down to grab Akuma's arm, forcibly pushing it out of his belly. With the Chaos Shock still active, the two Cloakmasters continued to feel the stinging wrath.

"C-Ch-Chaos-" stuttered Akuma, feeling the force of the Chaos Shock finally affecting his body inside and out.

Tojiro now clamped his right arm onto Akuma's, continuing to push it out from affecting his squishy organs. When Tojiro saw Akuma's fingers, his eye stretched open. Transforming to his hedgehog form, Tojiro pressed the two of his feet against Akuma's chest.

"Bite this you bastard!" cursed the ferocious expression that plastered the Demigod's face.

Two jet propelled streams of flames shot out from under Tojiro's feet, forcing an extreme amount of pressure to shove against Akuma. Akuma was violently thrown backwards through the air with two horrifying holes that burned straight through his chest and out the back. Tojiro utilized these fresh flames to dash across the foggy air. Tojiro wielded his right fist back, his blank white eyes forming an eager expression to kill and murder. Akuma stunningly passed out of the way, luck just happened to be with him. Tojiro turned around to face Akuma delving his right foot into Tojiro's chest, knocking him back through the air.

Tojiro ducked his head from a spear of Chaos energy that stuck out from Akuma's fingers. In hindrance, Tojiro angrily used a Chaos Punch to uppercut Akuma, flying up after him in response. Akuma shot a pair of black beams out of his hands to hit Tojiro dead on. Spinning out of control like a hyper hummingbird, Tojiro managed to flick his left hand to create a slanted barrier of golden Chaos energy to block a double Chaos Kick from Akuma who simply dove down with his feet first.

The shield, however, shattered like glass, vaporized into glints of light. Tojiro immediately reached up to grab Akuma by the ankle of his right leg. Tugging down, Tojiro rammed a whirling blue Rasengan into Akuma's face using his right hand. The fury of the Rasengan knows no bounds. Akuma's useless corpse was immediately sent flinging towards the ground, impacting with a plume of dirt to spat into the air. Tojiro tiredly dropped out of the sky. The rustling flames that boosted under his feet diminished, giving him a cool and calm landing on the ground below. His shoulders were lifted of burden. For some odd reason it left him _too_ baffled.

Tojiro's eyes immediately glued forward, spotting Akuma's silhouette in the smoke. His face was completely burned to the bone. Two small glints of orange light centered in his black eye sockets. His teeth revealed, not an inch of flesh remained, it was nothing but the white clear bone. Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness, grabbing its handle. In an instant, Akuma lifted his left hand and placed it over his face.

"What a simpleton you are. In fact, I felt like I was in the same boat. I'm truly glad I was able to come down here and force you down from the safety of Heaven to face me." said his demented voice.

Tojiro pulled the Blade of Darkness out an inch or more.

"I was foolish for this single moment. For all time, I assumed no one could fool me…but I was wrong. You live up to your expectations of being a warrior." Tojiro remained silent, taking ill faith into Akuma's hollow words.

Akuma lowered his left hand, revealing a completely rebuilt face of flesh and muscle. An empty void in the Cloakmaster of Darkness left him determined. He sought to fill that void. The white of his eyes changed to glowing red, his Tsukikagegan; the very symbol of the Great Shade Empire appeared as his pupils. Akuma's eyes finally awakened, revealing _**his**_ Tsukikagegan. It was a slim crescent moon similar to the crescent of Tojiro's Tsukikagegan. Through the left, middle, and right side was a stake. Just like Tojiro's and any Tsukikagegan, the entire image was colored black.

"Now; I shall define your final judgment!" proclaimed the Devil of Fear, aiming his right hand at his brother.

Tojiro readied the Chains of Fear. Static spikes of lightish green Chaos energy sparked around the weapons. Akuma focused his control over time and space around his arm. A fissure of blue energy quaked through his arm, reaching his fingers with bolts of electricity. A huge raven blue portal with a black hole appeared. The force of the portal began to draw the Cloakmaster into its emptiness. Determined, Tojiro fought against the power that portal enforced. He was forced to swing around, yet he swung the Chains of Fear, the kusarigama blades hooking into the ground like super glue. Tojiro swung the chains of his weapons around his arms, keeping a rigorous hold on the chains.

One of the kusarigama blades shot out of the ground. Tojiro grabbed it but it was pulled towards the force of the portal that continued to absorb everything in front of it like vacuum. His eyes shut in anger, refusing to give up on letting Akuma dispose of him so easily. The other kusarigama blade was shot up from the ground. Tojiro's eyes splashed open with surprise. The Cloakmaster of Darkness was thrown back, shooting into the dark depths of Akuma's Chaos Portal.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
><em>


	49. Chapter XLIX

_**The Nightmare Wars Movie Special: DARKNESS VS FEAR  
><strong>_

**CHAPTER XLIX: SHADOW HOUR  
><strong>

**PART X: CALAMITY  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters/elements (obviously all the Halo related media) belong to their respective creators/owners. **

**Escalation is the word of this three part special. Tojiro and Akuma continue to unleash their greatest prowess of Chaos energy against one another to eliminate the other from existence. Enjoy the special. All feedback and reviews are welcome!  
><strong>

_**Outer Atmosphere of Planet Reach, Anchor 9 Defense Station**_

Tojiro flew out of the vile portal, coming face to face with an oncoming UNSC Sabre fighter. The Cloakmaster quickly used the Chains of Fear to whip the kusarigama connected weapons onto the Sabre's right wing and swing right under it. Disconnecting the two weapons, Tojiro flew through the empty space. Intimately, another Chaos Portal appeared in his path. The Cloakmaster of Fear shot out like a spear fired from a cannon. Tojiro dashed down, dodging Akuma's furious charge. Tojiro became envious of Akuma's longevity. Ferocious and bloodthirsty. Two simple elements that awakened in the Demon Demigod's eyes. Tojiro fiercely swung himself around, facing Akuma eye to eye.

Using his right knee, the Cloakmaster of Darkness stuck it right up into Akuma's ribcage, than bashed his own head against Akuma's. Tojiro angrily impaled the two kusarigama blades into Akuma's shoulder blades. Taking advantage of the serious explosions that were taking place on all sides, Tojiro kicked both his Chaos energized feet into Akuma's stomach. The Devil of Fear shot back, the chains of that connected the kusarigama together stretched to a ridiculous length.

Tojiro smacked Akuma's body dead into a Banshee, completely destroying it in a puff of plasma fire. Tojiro then smacked his irritable brother against two more Banshees and four Sabres, destroying all them upon impact in a series of furious explosions. Akuma stuck his right arm up past his head, releasing streams of orange Chaos energy from the tips of his five fingers. The streams formed together, shooting straight at Tojiro in the form of a focused beam of kinetic Fire Chaos energy. Taking the initiative, the Cloakmaster of Darkness reeled his head back, taking in a large breath of air.

"Chaos Fire: Seething Dragon Rage!" shouted the unbreakable voice of the Demon Demigod.

A single breath of orange flames shout out from Tojiro's mouth, but formed into one single ball of red and orange flames. Tojiro kept breathing out the blast, holding the kusarigama by their weapons, with half of the stretched out chains wrapped around both his arms. Akuma's attack was desecrated and absorbed, leaving the Lord of Hell with very little options.

The large ball of flames sprung six bent claws with glowing yellow tips that pointed crooked. The entire fire ball began spinning in infinite turns, creating a single vortex of flames to span around the entire technique. The attack rammed straight into Akuma. The Cloakmaster quickly retracted the chains back to their normal length. The flames swallowed the Cloakmaster of Fear, pushing him through several Sabres and other Covenant aircraft. The surge of Chaos Fire continued on through space, finally crashing into Anchor Nine itself.

Tojiro placed the Chains of Fear back in their holders. "Silly…but foolish at the same time. Right Tojiro?" said the Devil's sinister voice.

The Cloakmaster's eyes shook wide. From the left and right, two Phantoms were thrown to sandwich the Demigod of Death in the middle, annihilating the two drop-ships into a ravenous horde of blue flames mixed with plasma energy. Akuma hovered above the hellish explosion; the real Akuma. Tojiro was revealed with his cloaked wrapped around his body, emanating a shady aura.

"Typical for such a sullen creature." stated the anguish of Akuma.

Tojiro's cloak swung open wide, revealing him to be unharmed.

"Nothing but a clone. No wonder it wasn't putting up a fight." Akuma assumed Tojiro's thoughts precisely, feeling an annoyed rage steam from his brother's frontal lobe.

Tojiro reverted to his Darkrai form, readying the Blade of Darkness. From behind a pair of Sabres converged upon Tojiro. Without mercy, the two Sabres fired their ballistic missiles with a red hue to each. Settling for his brother, Tojiro launched himself to where Akuma patiently hovered above. Akuma released a stream of black flames from his hands. Tojiro used Chaos Control on the missiles chasing him, teleporting them to explode into Akuma's fire blasts.

Tojiro shot through the smoke, delivering a furious punch to the stomach, then a devious Chaos Kick deliberately into the Devil's face. Akuma was sent darting back through empty space, bouncing off the front of a Phantom, leaving a horrible dent in the nose that caused the Covenant drop-ship to sputter. Tojiro dashed after his brother, painting his hands in blue lightning. Akuma locked his hands together, his eyes burning brighter than Tojiro's.

"Chaos Implosion!" he called out.

Only seconds after passing over the out of control Phantom drop-ship did it explode into a cloud of gold Chaos energy. Multiple spheres of gold Chaos energy began to explode in mid-air, surrounding Tojiro in its repetitive barrage of merciless tactics.

Tojiro created a slanted shield of Chaos Lightning by stretching his arms out forward. Akuma clenched his left fist, pointing it forward, clenching his tightened fist with his right hand. Tojiro continued to weave and spin through the field of exploding Chaos energy, keeping his focus on the shield that protected him.

"Dark Art of Chaos: Shadow Barrage." mumbled Akuma, his Tsukikagegan blazing with his red filled eyes.

From his eyes, streams of darkened purple Chaos slithered out to form into a sphere that was studded with small spikes on every inch of the sphere. Tojiro was aware, lowering the shield after exiting the field of chaos. Akuma stuck his arms out to the upper left and upper right. Thousands of small glowing purple spikes shot out from the sphere. The Cloakmaster of Darkness punched his fists together, a large lightning energized Chaos Spear surrounded him. All the small studded spikes gathered into a single massive spike in the shape of a stalagmite.

Amplifying the lightning around, Tojiro began to spin in pattern a windmill would rotate. Tojiro's and Akuma's power collided with one another. Hundreds of blue and dark purple spikes showered off in every direction. Sabres were skewered. Phantoms were pulverized. Banshees were bashed. Chaos was amongst the stars in a fluttering show of light and hell. Tojiro flew up from the hindering smoke of white that was as thick as this battle's fate. Akuma charged straight for Tojiro with a Chaos Sphere in both hands.

"Raven Cage of Darkness!" shouted Tojiro, pointing his arms out, his fingers pointed up.

A cage of light purple Chaos energy surrounded Akuma, trapping him in it. A fog of purple filled the cage. Tojiro clenched his fists, keeping his arms stretched out. Akuma knew of this technique. A poison mist fills the cage and practically eats Chaos energy, whether it be on the outside of the being or inside. Angrily did Akuma slam his hands on the floor of the cage.

"You shall NOT get away this time!" barked the furious Cloakmaster.

He opened his hands, interlocking his hands into one another. From the ceiling, floor, and every bar on the cage, rigid spikes of purple Chaos energy shot out, skewering Akuma without hesitation. Sighing with distaste went the Demigod of Death. He regretfully lowered his arms down. Akuma raised his head, releasing a monstrous surge of red Chaos with a black beam running through the middle. Tojiro raised his arms, forcibly taking the entire rapid force of Akuma's sudden surprise.

"Chaos Trigger." gasped Akuma in pain.

A ring of gold expanded, disintegrating the cage into a flurry of small purple lights. The Devil of Fear was revealed in the clearing, transformed into his Werehog form. Wiping his face of sweat and blood, Akuma gritted his teeth once lowering his arm. The Cloakmaster of Darkness appeared, charging at Akuma like a nitrous charged dart. Akuma stretched his Chaos energized right fist forward. Tojiro grabbed the hand, swinging him smack through a Phantom to explode it into bits of burning hull. Tojiro released Chaos Lightning across Akuma's outstretched arm, painfully electrifying the Devil of Fear once it reached him.

Roaring in terror of agony, Akuma's Tsukikagegan shook with both pain and anger. Tojiro shouted at the top of his lungs. Nearly to the point where he could imagine them breaking out of his chest. Tojiro forcefully yanked back to force Akuma's ragged body flying. Tojiro prepared a whirling blue Rasengan with numerous white streaks blazing across it, in his right hand. Acknowledging his hate, Akuma crushed both of his feet into Tojiro's chest before his brother could even deliver the final blow. Tojiro's Rasengan vanished, leaving the Demon Demigod to fly through the empty space of Reach's outer atmosphere. Akuma reached back to grab an oncoming Banshee. He crunched the alien craft into a wad of nothing but hurt, tossing the flaming ball at Tojiro.

Reverting to his human form, Tojiro pulled his legs and arms in close.

"Chaos Electricity: Showering Penance!" thundered the almighty demigod of legend.

By shooting his arms and legs as far as they could stretch, a beam of gold mixed with Chaos Lightning shot out from his mouth. Several other streams broke off from the main beam. Wild and studded with a spear head of Chaos energy, the streams continued to frantically turn and wriggle through flight. Akuma clapped his hands together, summoning several Banshees and Phantoms to appear on his left and right. The confused aircraft were sent flying towards the kinetic technique of hellish power released by the Demigod of Death. Explosions ruptured the quiet space into a storm of confusion and destruction.

Akuma carefully raised his right hand forward, raising his left arm to cross over his right. A shrieking Tojiro charged down from above with his fists slathered in yellow Chaos energy. Akuma pointed both his hands up to release a storm of cyclonic green Chaos energy. Obliteration. One word that spelled the victorious smirk that wrapped around Akuma's malevolent gaze. Lowering his arms, Akuma slowly turned around, his smile disappeared from existence.

In came a Sabre with the real Tojiro on it's right wing. In Tojiro's right hand was a Giant Rasengan, which he kindly delivered directly into Akuma's stomach. The Devil of Fear was sent spinning through mid-air, on his way to Anchor Nine's main hangar bay. He plowed into the ceiling of the hangar, remaining glued to the metal. Tojiro appeared out of Chaos Control on the hangar floor, releasing an inferno of hatred from his mouth. Akuma stuck his left hand out. A split beam of curved golden Chaos energy cut through the flames with enough speed to extinguish them. Tojiro prepared to leap back, but the furious swiftness of the beams hit the ground Tojiro stood upon to blow him into the air. Clapping his hands to use Chaos Control, Akuma freed himself of the ceiling's confines.

He reappeared to grab his blood brother by the neck of his cloak, just seconds when Tojiro was shot into the air, and with all velocity he turned around to fling the Cloakmaster of Darkness down at a stack of ammo boxes. Spilling ammo of bullets, hand grenades, and even fusion coils, Tojiro stunningly remained unharmed.

"Chaos Fire: Blazing Shot!" spoke the Devil, pointing his right arm down at Tojiro, his index finger only to be extended.

A single wisp of fire shot, amazingly forming into a large clawed hand made out of flames. Surrounding his legs in dark red Chaos energy, Tojiro skated back across the ground. Sliding to a halt, Tojiro lifted his gaze from the floor on forward. The large fist hit the ground, clenching all the surplus of death together.

"Aww…dammit." went the grumbling Demigod.

The flaming hand turned hot yellow with a ringing noise that simmered with the intensity of heat. A furious dome of orange expanded out fifteen feet, releasing blazing blasts of fire mixed Chaos energy. Akuma, surprisingly didn't look all so happy. Knowing to expect a strict comeback from his impetuous brother, Akuma readied a Chaos Sphere in the palms of his hands. White smoked filled the entire hangar floor. It stood ten inches wide. Nothing seemed to convey within. A bullet hit Akuma in the back. In a split second did Akuma turn around to fire, but another pair of bullets hit their mark in the left pectoral and right shoulder, halting his attack.

"Humans. Very well. I shall annihilate them as well." claimed the Devil, raising his arms up to combine his Chaos Spheres together. In an instant, the entire cloud of white cleared, a startling revelation arose. Hundreds of Tojiro clones came leaping up at Akuma, all armed with Black Death.

"W-W-H-How?! _**Shadow Clones!?**_" he exclaimed in shock.

"You think the Rasengan was the only thing I copied with the Nightglare!?" shouted the diligent Tojiro from above.

Akuma foolishly lowered his arms, seeing the real Tojiro charge down, Black Death in his right hand.

"Chaos Blast Technique: _**SPLINTER STORM!**_"

* * *

><p>All the Shadow Clones fired a single shot. The real Tojiro smashed his charged up Black Death into Akuma after he tried to fly back. Tojiro's gun hit Akuma in the gut. From all the clones, streams of wire thin Chaos energy streamed up to Akuma's back, resulting in a single explosion that remained inside the perfectly shaped setup of red wires. The explosion was in the form of an upside down cone. The blast shredded through the metal. Electrical devices and everything else below was torn apart. From the underside of Anchor Nine was an inferno of hell, coughing out a storm of ebony smoke.<p>

From outside, the force of outside space began to swallow everything from the ridiculously hole that burrowed through to the underside of the entire station. Tojiro shot down a barrier of yellow Chaos energy to seal it. The ill fated Demon Demigod dropped onto the ground. His Shadow Clones all began to puff away in sequences. Taking a single glance to the right, he saw two DMRs. Tojiro set himself to grab them.

His senses banged against the frame of his skull. Grabbing the two weapons by their barrels, Tojiro launched away from the floor he stood on. A twisting tower of green and orange shot up in seconds from Tojiro's desperate dodge. Throwing the DMRs up in the air and catching them by their grips, the Cloakmaster stood ready. Silence wrapped its delicate yet cold grip amongst the area, even reaching Tojiro's shoulders which bothered him to the bone. Springing forward, Akuma came up through the hole in the ground, summoning a huge fog of fusion coils. Tojiro's eyes widened, yet they reverted to determination.

"BURN FOR ETERNITY!" roared the Devil of Fear, throwing all the fusion coils down at Tojiro's position.

Tojiro stood in a thickened stance, his right foot and leg in front of his other. Firing wildly with dead aim, multiple explosions took place in a frantic storm of hellfire and debris. Akuma continued to snicker, laughing at Tojiro's hopeless efforts. Several pieces of debris hit Tojiro, leaving not an inch of pain on him. That was until several fusion coils were able to hit and explode against his body, yet he remained standing in his position, continuing to fire through the flames.

"Fighting fire with fire? How disillusioned can you be, brother?" murmured the Dark Devil of Hell.

Finally, Akuma was hit in the forehead, stomach, left hand, right kneecap, then shot in the deltoid. He gurgled in pain, spitting blood from his mouth. Tojiro speared up through the air like a projectile shot from a catapult.

"CHAOS IMPLOSION!" yelled the booming voice of Tojiro.

The two DMRs were shaking out of control, rays of yellow light beaming out from all sides. Tojiro rammed the two weapons directly into Akuma's chest, causing the two weapons to explode in a shower of Chaos Spear shaped projectiles. Smashing into the piloting nose of a motionless UNSC Pelican drop ship.

Forcing the Pelican's landing gear to sputter and snap, it slammed to the ground with Tojiro's girth. Absolutely rendering it immovable to fly, Tojiro sat up, rubbing the coursing blood that trickled from the top of his skull. Akuma appeared from behind, punching Tojiro in the back with a violent Chaos Punch. Akuma curved up into the air, spiral kicking his brother in the back. The Cloakmaster was forcibly rendered stuck in the ceiling. A dashing rage from Akuma forced the Cloakmaster and the Devil to shoot up through the ceiling. Floor after floor, pain before agony.

The two foes continued to ascend skyward through the space station. Tojiro regrettably changed forms. Forcing his eyes shut from the gleaming white and gold, Akuma reached his hand to grab Tojiro, but only found drifting black smoke. Akuma halted in a barracks room filled with UNSC soldiers, along with several squads of ODSTs. Akuma dropped onto the floor, bashing three marines out of his sight, probably out of existence.

Akuma charged forward to grab two of the large bunks to slam five ODSTs into puddles of blood, then by using these pieces of relaxation as tools of destruction, the Devil of Fear began spinning around in circles, knocking every force of opposition to their untimely deaths. Akuma came to a halt, spinning to face a large yellow Rasengan hit him in the face. Tojiro stood with a face full of unbreakable grit. He fired the Rasengan into one single beam that tore through the entire room with it's maniacal power. The beam of Chaos energy released from the Rasengan vanished along with Akuma, throwing his useless body of bloody scars to the other end of the room.

"Chaos Quake Style: Rupture of Steel!" denounced the fearsome voice of Tojiro; in his human form.

The ground sparked with glowing blue cracks. They slithered across the ground, causing stumps of metal to spring out from the ceiling and floor. As if they were being burrowed through, the mound of metal traveled across both the floor and ceiling. Akuma readily created barriers of black Chaos energy around himself. Tojiro pointed his arms out to the left and right. Akuma distinguished the front barrier to shoot a single stream of Chaos Fear out of his index finger and middle finger. The lethal stream hit through the mound of charging metal, instantly rusting it. Tojiro straightened his body up, jumping up, then dug straight underground. Akuma looked up to see the mound of steel from the ceiling launch towards him, filled with glowing blue cracks.

"Chaos Fire: Blazing-"

"RUPTURE!" roared the Cloakmaster of Darkness, appearing right in front of Akuma's feet through the bottom of the floor.

From the left and right wall, mounds of metal shot out, crushing Akuma in a sphere of blue, exploding into a storm of splendid destruction. Akuma slammed into the door at the end of the hall, remaining imprinted into it. Appearing where Akuma was once standing, the Demon Demigod stammered to his feet. Steam pressurized, shooting out from the walls, filling up the half of the room that was behind Tojiro. Tojiro kept his eyes on Akuma.

"Fall." stated the demon in silence. Tojiro stomped his right foot on the floor.

The door, along with the rest of the wall that Akuma was implanted against fell down into bits of useless wreckage. Grabbing his right arm in pain, he handled the steam that shot off from the inside.

"_I better not see any discharge come from my arm. If so…this battle has to end soon_." pondered the at ease Demigod.

A roaring Akuma came down from the ceiling above Tojiro, reverted to his human form. Tojiro was pinned into the ground, nearly shattering through the metal. Akuma raised up both his fists, creating long dark purple spikes to etch out from his clenched fists. In worry, the Cloakmaster of Darkness released a pair of orange Chaos ringed beams from his eyes, blasting Akuma off Tojiro. Akuma spiraled through the ceiling at a diagonal direction, tearing through floor after floor of the installation. Tojiro leapt up, passing through the sparking hole that laid riddled with sharpened steel, broken wires, pipes, and even monitors with electrical devices that simply hung loose. Tojiro made one last jump after several seconds of swift maneuvering. He grabbed onto the final edge of steel, but found Akuma's right hand in his face.

"CHAOS…BLAST!" Akuma released the monstrous beam of blood red colored Chaos energy.

The beam corrosively charred it's way down through the floors, obliterating more than just inanimate objects. Steadily did the beam begin to quiet and vanish in one flash. Akuma rose from his crouched position, breathing heavily as he stared down at his chaos. One single hole with the metal burnt and glowing with heat. Twenty floors reduced to nothing but chaos and fire.

Akuma's Tsukikagegan still remained empowered in his eyes. A Chaos Sphere formed in his right hand, filled with dark Chaos energy, energizing the regular red negative Chaos energy.

"DAMN YOOOUUUU!" shouted the merciless Devil, ramming his Chaos Sphere against Tojiro and his Giant Rasengan.

Tojiro and Akuma faced each other in another equal deadlock. Hatred and despise. Two elements that made each view the other. Simple. Simply chaotic probably. Tojiro's pant legs were surrounded by a red aura, ringed with black warped energy. Lifting his heels up, fire appeared. Tojiro broke through Akuma's Chaos Sphere, delivering the deathly Rasengan into his brother once more.

Akuma was thrown down the room, slashing through crates and walls that seemed to let pieces of debris follow after their destroyer. Utilizing Chaos Control without another second of hesitation, the Cloakmaster of Darkness acted. Reappearing in the damaged room with leaking wires of sparking electricity, Tojiro found Akuma crouched on the floor, bleeding from the mouth. Stunningly, Tojiro was impaled in the back by two clones of Akuma.

The two staff shaped pieces of steel pierced through Tojiro's hips and into the floor. The Cloakmaster spat forth a wad of blood, immediately covering his mouth his right hand. The two clones vanished in blankets of golden light. Akuma charged forward, punching Tojiro across the face, leaving him to spat out some more blood. Akuma's blood ceased to drip form his mouth instantly, having practiced his regeneration skills a long time ago. Akuma quickly reached back to remove the two staffs of metal out of Tojiro's body, causing him to growl and drop to the ground.

Without a chance, Akuma heavily swung the staff in his right hand to hit Tojiro dead in the face. In the air, Akuma slapped Tojiro's corpse down onto the floor then released a huge beam of spiral shaped Chaos energy of the golden variety. Tojiro rose on all fours. Determination told him to raise his right hand forth, but Akuma already charged forth to deliver a painful knee blow to Tojiro's face. Smacking across the cold metal surface, Tojiro used the claw like fingers of his right hand to halt.

"How do you have such power?! Even if the Nightmare Scythe's power is influencing you…how are you managing to use your Tsukikagegan for so long!?" shouted the questioning Devil.

Tojiro planted his left hand on the ground as well, causing the metal to shift and shake.

"What a foolish question. You still failed to notice? Don't be…so foolish." stated the Demon Demigod.

A yellow aura formed around the two metal staffs.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S A FOOL!" announced the overzealous shout of Akuma Kyofu.

Tojiro rose up, uncovering both his arms in metal, treating them as gauntlets. Akuma's eyes widened at the last moment. Tojiro lifted his head up, revealing his normal human eyes. No glowing red. No Tsukikagegan. Just the white of his eyes…and his orange pupils to fill them.

"_**IT'S BECAUSE I HAVE 'HER' WITH ME!**_" bellowed the Dark Demigod.

He rammed both of his metal gauntlets into Akuma's chest, making the Devil's eyes wide with agony. Tojiro then reeled his arms back, angrily kicking Akuma in the belly with a harsh, merciless Chaos Kick. Akuma was forced to a painful halt after smashing against the wall at the opposite end of the short room. Akuma catched himself after dislodging from the wall, staring his eyes forward. Proudly, Tojiro stood with his determined eyes that spelled his unquenchable vengeance. The Devil of Fear gasped after shifting his eyes to the necklace Tojiro wore. The skull icon that was Yoko's hairpin, attached to the thin necklace chain; its black sockets glowed with an azure hue. This power…_**was the power of believing**_.

The two azure eyes ceased their resonating power, returning to a simple black. "That power inside the necklace…it's not his. It's from another." pondered the Devil of Fear with a face full of hate.

Letting a black mist envelop the Cloakmaster of Darkness, Tojiro reverted to his most favored hedgehog form. Arming the Nightmare Scythe, he created a deathly red and black aura around the Scythe's blade. Akuma stomped the ground to create a series of rockets appear in front of him. Tojiro readied himself into a sprinting position.

"Suffer." whispered the Devil, swinging his right arm forward.

The barrage of rockets shot forward.

"_All the same force, speed, and power the rocket launchers the UNSC uses. I doubt this'll be clean_." the strategizing Demigod pondered.

Tojiro finally shot off the ground, holding the Nightmare Scythe off to the left side. Tojiro lunged forward off the ground, readying the Nightmare Scythe to cut through the middle portion of the rockets. "Chaos Control!" he shouted, aiming his right hand back. The explosions halted, freezing in time. Tojiro turned his head back forward, seeing Akuma's Chaos energized fist sway towards him. Tojiro spun to the left, watching the fist just graze past him. Tojiro then violently swung the Nightmare Scythe to impale Akuma straight into his right hip. Back on the ground, Tojiro swung Akuma around, tossing him with the Nightmare Scythe towards the frozen piece of time. Clasping his hands together, Tojiro's blank white eyes watched Akuma's helpless body fly towards the wavering explosion that were in dire need to rupture.

"Release!" exclaimed the vigorous demon.

In the middle of the frozen time, all the rockets simultaneously exploded with Akuma inside of the burning hell storm. Raising his right hand up, the Nightmare Scythe appeared unscathed in his grip. Tojiro put himself into a straight standing pose, standing the Nightmare Scythe next to himself. Akuma appeared in an uproar by breaking through the metal floor in front of Tojiro's feet. Swiftly using the Nightmare Scythe to strike it down at Akuma, the Devil Fear was able to raise his right hand up and smack the blade into the metal floor. Tojiro's blank eyes shook. Akuma hoisted his left hand to grab Tojiro by the face, raising him up to smash the back of his head into the steel hardened ground. Staying crouched, Akuma made a mad dash down the room, tearing through the sheer metal with Tojiro's iron hard corpse.

Finally, Akuma raised him out of the ground, smashing him through a window that led out into space. Tojiro endlessly spun and turned, his blood trickling off into small globs that wandered cluelessly in the empty space. A Banshee passed by to fire a Fuel Rod blast into Tojiro directly, blowing him towards the planet. Akuma flew out of the shattered window, diving down at his arrogant brother. Stretching his eyes wide open, Tojiro saw the insane, displeased expression inked onto Akuma's face. Tojiro flipped himself into a back flip, lathering his right leg in crimson red Chaos energy. Preparing a Chaos Sphere of dark Chaos energy, Akuma was valiantly prepared.

"Chaos KICK!"

Akuma came within inches before Tojiro came right side up to kick his brother right up the chin. Thrown into a multitude of unparallel barrel rolls, Akuma ascended back towards Anchor Nine. Tojiro heard the screams of Banshees echo from the left and right, passing into his ears and delivering him a plan. Tojiro tossed the Nightmare Scythe straight up, flying up to let it magnetize onto his back. The two desperate Banshees flew up in the same diagonal direction Tojiro flew up.

However, the sight of a kusarigama blade connected by a ridiculously long chain caught them off guard. With power, the Demon Demigod released a horde of flaming boost from under his feet, heightening up to catch after his demented blood brother. Spreading a lightish green Chaos energy down across the chains, the energy formed around the Banshees, keeping still with a distinct sound of resonation. Tojiro swung the two Banshees across, one coming in from the left, the other coming in from the right. With Akuma in the middle, chaos was ready to be born.

"CHAOS…IMPLOSION!" roared the Demigod, unleashing his unfathomable Chaos energy.

Once the two Banshees collided with Akuma in-between them, a wild sphere of green exploded in a heinous oversized globe formation. Even in this empty air, the sheer noise from the explosion teared it's way into everyone's ears.

Leaving his arms to dissipate of the green Chaos energy. A breathless Cloakmaster remained hovering in mid-air. Clasping his chest, Tojiro's eyes strained. Pressured veins appeared on the sides of his head. Etching the fingers of his right hand onto the left side of his head, the Cloakmaster dug them deeper and deeper. His pain grew, summoning blood to squeeze out from the very spot his veins appeared. His body went numb. His eyes blinked once, creating a golden barrier around himself. Tojiro fell down through from the vacuum of space, heading towards a darkened side of the planet, yet bright lights that resembled fires appeared on that portion. Using the barrier as a last effort to protect his body when he felt nauseous, Tojiro shot down through the clouds. A hungry aura of fire embracing itself around the golden sphere barrier that shielded the Cloakmaster of Darkness within it.

**つづく**

_To be continued_


	50. Chapter L

_**The Nightmare Wars Movie Special: DARKNESS VS FEAR  
><strong>_

_****_**CHAPTER L: SHADOW HOUR  
><strong>

**PART XI: TRAGEDY  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Akuma Kyofu, Vulcan Kikai, Malcolm Nikushima, Cassandra Shukumei, Maximus Itami and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

**The end comes at Chapter 50! Finally made it. The scene near the end is one to remember as it becomes an element of Tojiro's character. Can his wrath be controlled? How far will he go to achieve his vengeance? The next part of the "Shadow Hour" Arc shall be its last. All feedback and reviews are welcome!  
><strong>

_**City of New Alexandria, 11:50 pm**_

The quaking night sky. Glassing of the city has already commenced hours ago. A pair of Covenant CCS-class Battlecruisers wandered above the dying city, shooting down their beams of plasma to bombard the city until nothing but glass remains. In the falling rain, and above the thundering clouds that cried them out, sparks of yellow exploded. Down came the out of control Cloakmaster. His speed remained as frantic as his projection. Unbelievably, the yellow sphere of defense he created around himself before his fall was unfavorably durable. Why unfavorable? The Cloakmaster shot straight through the center of one Battlecruiser, halting its glassing beam to shutter out of control.

The force and result of Tojiro's simple touch caused plasma fires to explode on all sides of the Battlecruiser. With his silent eyes awakening to explosions and crumbling buildings, Tojiro finally came to his senses. Falling down in a steep diagonal direction, Tojiro swiftly lowered the sphere barrier by clapping his hands together. Staring off to the left, he spotted a damaged landing pad with ODSTs armed with rocket launchers. A Phantom passed from a burning skyscraper, passing by the landing pad only to be ricocheted by a barrage of precision aimed death.

Huge chunks of the Phantom wildly flew towards Tojiro. Preparing the Chains of Fear, he lunged the right kusarigama blade out forward that connected onto the nose of the ruptured Phantom. Pulling forward, the Cloakmaster passed through, ducking his head from a flying Grunt corpse that refused to stop screaming. He disconnected the blade, catching the handle of the kusarigama weapon back in his hand.

Rotating like an overpowered spinning top, Tojiro slashed through all the other pieces of debris before he passed on through the small complication. In surprise did he frantically pass by a speeding Seraph, blowing the landing pad of ODSTs away into a shimmering cloud of flames. Tojiro continued on through the raining city. Whether it be fire, debris, or the outnumbered rain itself, chaos managed to find itself in every inch of New Alexandria. With his hood flapping wildly on the way down, the Cloakmaster of Darkness found himself flying through an intersection of four buildings.

"Chaos Flame X!" shouted the demented Devil of Fear.

From the four buildings, ravenous beams of pure red flames converged onto Tojiro. A shower of insane yellow swam through the middle of each fire stream, empowering it with more damage. Tojiro forced himself to halt, sticking his hands out to the left and right.

"Wind Needle Storm!" shrieked the Demigod of Death.

A perfect sphere of green with several white streams of wind appeared around Tojiro. The four streams of flames impacted Tojiro's form of defense. Their blazing hunger wrapped around the sphere in a ferocious outcome. In the middle of his technique, Tojiro impatiently shot his arms out to the left and right. The dome exploded in a complete wave that wiped away the flames, bellowing a humongous barrage of Chaos Needles to shoot out in every direction. Tojiro shot straight up, collecting all the spare Chaos energy from the Chaos Needles that didn't hit a target immediately. Using the momentum from the jets under his feet, he turned them off to gently fly over the air. Taking a sudden gaze to what lies below, Tojiro saw an entire skyscraper splitting in half. Streams of smoke shot out from every side of the building.

Bursting out from the top of the skyscraper was a humongous cybernetic Hydra. Pressing his fists together with the green Chaos energy that collected itself around his fists, the Cloakmaster of Darkness shot straight down towards the beast. Opening its mouth to reveal a deadly glow of gold, Tojiro safely landed inside its mouth, causing the Hydra to regrettably shut its mouth. Rays of green broke out from the inside of its body, resulting in a gigantic explosion of fiery green. The entire Hydra had been beheaded. Its useless body toppled over, smashing through several more buildings to further the hell of this epic battle. Tojiro appeared in mid-air out of Chaos Control.

"Hello, Tojiro! How is my favorite Nightshade doing?" asked the voice of a sincere and yet distasteful woman.

The Cloakmaster was wrapped around in a whip of thorns. The entire whip was fit with a glowing purple haze.

"Have you longed to feel the sting from my Whip of Tortured Souls?" said the taunting voice of Cassandra Shukumei, appearing behind the Demigod of Death.

Holding the handle of the whip, she released an angry storm of purple electricity across the whip to horribly electrocute the Cloakmaster. In its wrath, Tojiro managed to keep his eyes open and clear.

"Here I come…MY GODSON!" roared the Cloakmaster of Machines: Vulcan Kikai.

Tojiro saw the demented man of half flesh and metal charge with an elongated golden spear of six prongs. Tojiro's eyes suddenly flashed, filling with a glowing azure power. The whip that wrapped around him sent back a surge of blue lightning, violently shocking the Cloakmaster of Destiny, causing her to scream in fear. Tojiro flew forward, released from Cassandra's control. His black fur turned to white, the symbol on his forehead turned to a shining blue.

"Nightmare Form Stage One: _**DREAM FORM!**_" erupted the Demigod of Darkness, his eyes booming with more hatred than ever before.

He allowed Vulcan to skewer him, causing Tojiro to grit his teeth. Anger replaced the pain. Hatred fueled his chaos. A large blue Rasengan prepared itself in the palm of his right hand. Selflessly and without mercy, Tojiro slammed the whirling sphere of chakra into Vulcan's belly.

Tojiro swiftly grabbed Vulcan by his face, letting the Rasengan dissipate. Tojiro turned his head to the sky above, seeing the building to the right beginning to tumble. A shower of debris overpowered the rain in a flurry of death. Tojiro tossed Vulcan into the oncoming Akuma, then shot straight back, flying with intensifying speeds. Tojiro quickly sensed surges of Chaos energy appear up ahead. From the inside of a building on the left and right, two giant cybernetic vulture robots charged out with shimmering red eyes.

Preparing the Nightmare Scythe, he channeled the stored negative Chaos energy from his right arm into it, so the positive Chaos energy from his Dream Form wouldn't fire back, most likely having lethal affects on him if such a thing occurred. Tojiro cut straight through the first vulture, throwing its massive corpse down into a building, obliterating a good fraction of the buildings' infrastructure. Tojiro angrily cut the right wing of the second vulture completely off. Letting it collapse down to the darkened city streets below, Tojiro grabbed the huge metal wing.

Taking a swift motion to turn around, he heavily swung the wing sideways. The huge wing span slashed through buildings on both the left and right. The charging Akuma released a gracious breath of black and red flames. Incineration easily followed afterward. Noticing the flames were beginning to span out in size, Tojiro put the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, leaving it stuck. Tojiro clapped his hands together, lifting up his pinky fingers and index fingers to touch each other. From below, a towering inferno lanced it's way up at the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Aiming his feet forward, but keeping his hand sign together, he easily dodged the attack. Looking over his shoulder, Tojiro shockingly witnessed a building was in his way. Without even taking another chance or thought of the situation, Tojiro perfectly stuck his feet back. His legs hit against the building. However, instead of teleporting past the building or shooting straight through it, the determined Demigod began running backwards up the monstrous skyscraper.

From below ascended Vulcan, armed with the Annihilator. From above descended Cassandra, preparing two large purple Chaos Spheres with black cores in her hands. Opening the front gun port that shot the bullets, Vulcan prepared an insurmountable amount of kinetic Chaos energy. In other words, within the barrel of the weapon was a large grouping of Chaos Lightning energy. Tojiro kept his hand sign in place, his eyes surprisingly widened to a desperate degree.

"Kinetic Lightning Storm of Darkness!" shouted both Vulcan and Cassandra.

The two Cloakmasters of Hell released their fury. A single barrage of thunderbolts danced up the building with such power that the building was being torn apart by every inch it climbed up. Cassandra pointed her hands down to release a spiral tornado beam of her Chaos Spheres' energy.

"Nice combination." stated the aggravated demon.

Tojiro jumped away from the building, then charged back into it to break through the metal and glass. Rolling back onto his feet, the furious explosion from Vulcan and Cassandra's beams echoed from outside. Thrown to the floor, Tojiro reluctantly jumped back to his feet, running to the broken down double doors of a large conference room. Skidding to a halt in the hallway, he first turned his head to the right, witnessing a wall of crimson flames to charge at him.

Stomping his right foot forward, the floor in front of Tojiro raised up. Tojiro lunged forward to shoulder shove the barrier down the hall. In an explosive manner did the two forces confront each other. Stone and debris rolled across the ground. Lowering his arms, he stared forward to witness Maximus Itami; the Cloakmaster of Pain swinging one of his Axes of Punishment down at Tojiro. Tojiro amazingly halted the blade by absorbing the blow by using his left arm.

"Chaos…" the two Cloakmasters said, becoming forcibly surrounded with red Chaos energy.

Tojiro swiftly kicked Maximus right in-between the legs. The large man of hunger widened his eyes, succumbing to a pain he never witnessed for.

"BLAST!" finished the Demon Demigod, releasing one single flurry of the deathly Chaos energy from his mouth.

The beam rammed into Maximus with all forms of power. Maximus' voice screeched and roared until he halted at the middle of the never-ending hallway, expanding out into a gigantic dome of red that annihilated everything it touched. Tojiro remained untouched, standing on nothing but a sliver of floor. From the outside view of the building, imagine a gigantic bowling ball shaped imprint. Crouched but still breathing, Tojiro's white furred hedgehog body remained empowered. This determination to hate is what flowed through his veins. Somehow it was only he that is able to fluctuate such hatred into determination, especially raw power.

"Evening…_**Cloakmaster Ankoku**_." whispered a sudden voice to Tojiro's ears.

Unfaithfully did Tojiro face an entire surge of raw Chaos Fire. From outside, the momentous beam of orange and blood red spat the Cloakmaster of Darkness into the dismal rain. Connecting his feet onto the side of another building, Tojiro stood sideways on an awkward plane of viewing. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear on the building's rooftop. He set his azure filled eyes on the loathsome sky. A single Battlecruiser flew atop the city, hovering. He noticed has finished a glass firing.

"One more." he humbly admitted.

From below, a large fist of rock encrusted with glowing lava penetrated up through the floor Tojiro stood upon. He luckily remained still on the fist, remaining in a prepared position to leap. However, Tojiro sensed something different in this creature's power, something familiar. Tojiro jumped off in the form of a back flip, landing perfectly on the edge of the structure's rooftop.

A puff of wild smoke exploded out, the sound of rock slicing across rock scratched against Tojiro's eardrums. Rising out of the smoke stood a menacing eight foot tall Fire Golem. With its chest nothing but bulk and power, its back was revealed to be covered in molten spikes of rock, tipped with hot lava. The beast turned around, showing Tojiro it's honest face. Jagged with two large jaws that fit into each other, the beast's eyes were on both sides of it's round yet thin head. Glowing orange, no pupils, no life. Tojiro was staring into the eyes of a Hell God. The very Hell God that recently ambushed him.

"Now…I shall be taking the Dragon Guardian Cestus back from you…_**cousin**_." voiced the ill mannered Malcolm Nikushima; the Cloakmaster of Anger.

Standing still and hesitant was Tojiro, staring at Malcolm's 'true' Nightshade form.

"The Fire Golem. A renowned demon that only born in the Fifth Circle. It fits your lack of genius, Malcolm. And I must state…cousin? Nephew? Does either really matter? You are nothing but a bottom feeder that stores energy from the wrongdoings of others! You have no comparison to me!" voiced the Demon of Damnation.

"True enough on few points Tojiro. Yet…!" answered the raging Cloakmaster of Anger.

The entire building began to shake and rumble, beginning steadily. Unfortunately it _steadily_ rose to insanity as the entire building was blazing in anger. Tojiro kept his hand sign together, staring forward at his demented so-called family member.

"Violet Violence!" screeched the voice of Cassandra.

Stunningly did Tojiro crouch down, spinning his right leg across the ground. Cassandra swiftly halted before Malcolm, cleansing her hands of the violet covered tendrils of Chaos energy that dressed themselves around her fingers.

"You fail to witness your surroundings, DON'T YOU?!" barked the Cloakmaster of Destiny.

"Damn bitch! DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE TOWARDS ME!" echoed back the Cloakmaster of Anger.

Tojiro quickly charged forward, but Cassandra prepared the Violet Violence technique, impaling Tojiro with all ten tendrils. Tojiro's eyes painfully widened, blanketing the pain with his blood. His pain only became deathly once his eyes veered to the right, seeing four of the tendrils impaled through his metal arm, the source of his very life. Malcolm stepped up to Cassandra's left, tilting his head at the impetuous Demigod of Death.

"I may actually regret speaking out against you Malcolm. It seems the Cloakmaster of Darkness failed once again." Cassandra noticed with confidence.

"Indeed…failure has always and shall always stain your feet, Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku." Malcolm replied as assurance, his voice giving off a demented tone.

Tojiro managed to keep his hand sign in place, his eyes finally opening back up.

"Shall I snap his arms? That pathetic hand sign of his won't help him." Malcolm suggested with malevolence in his eyes.

"I…refuse…to-"

"What was that? Cloakmaster Ankoku?" retorted the impatient Malcolm, grabbing Tojiro's head with his large hand of stone.

Tojiro's eyes closed for one single blink. Hate…was always his power. It shall always…be his power. His eyes snapped open. Golden pupils appeared. The white of his eyes became red.

"Nightmare Form…Stage Two: _**PAIN FORM!**_" thundered the insanity of Tojiro Ankoku.

* * *

><p>A merciless ring of dark red Chaos energy shot out from Tojiro, knocking away the two Cloakmasters away for miles. Misty red Chaos energy drifted from his very hands. Even with the damage to his right arm, still he stood to fight on. The tips of his six quills went from white to a glowing red. His shining golden pupils stared off to the right. He quickly readied the Dragon Guardian Cestus to block the charge of Malcolm who flew straight through the air out of a Chaos Control. Metal versus earth. As simple as it was, the fight was destined to get complicated. Tojiro released tormenting flames that managed to superheat the stone hardened body of Malcolm. The building they stood upon grew hundreds, thousands of multiple cracks that were colored with lava and magma.<p>

"Just had to finish your technique, didn't you?" spoke the angered Demigod of Death with annoyance.

The entire building was sucked into a humongous sphere. A vicious ring of wind blew across the city. Some buildings that couldn't even handle standing up tumbled down into storms of smoke. With the thousand cracks of glowing fire enticing the gigantic sphere of debris, Malcolm was on the very top. He stood upon a large circular slump of earth that slightly tilted to the left a few inches. Akuma landed in front of Malcolm by flying in from the right. Rising to his feet, Vulcan and Cassandra appeared out of Chaos Control, the same with Maximus. As one, five of the Nine Hell Gods stood together to slaughter the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"What's his condition?" spoke forth the Devil of Fear, stepping to the edge of the rounded slab of earth.

"Anyone?!" he yelled in impatience.

After any of the five failed to answer, the Cloakmaster of Machines spoke; "Tojiro has already entered Stage Two of his Nightmare Form. He also has kept a strange hand sign in place for a while throughout the fight against me and the others."

"Perhaps you know what he's planning?" asked the demanding voice of Cassandra.

"Knowing my brother its definitely going to be a last resort. All of you return to your Circle. I shall finish his mission here…_**alone**_." responded the Devil, crossing his arms in symbolic attitude of evil.

"We greatly outnumber the bastard. Why can't we end his life together? A limb to each of us!" exclaimed Malcolm in offense.

"Tojiro shall suffer by my hand." muttered Akuma in a low tone, staring out the corner of his eye.

The five Hell Gods stood down, not another reply escaped their mouths. In flashes of orange did the five Hell Gods vanish, leaving Akuma alone by himself.

"Your weakness is yourself. For if I make your weakness suffer…you shall drop to your knees and fall into a pit of darkness that you've never faced before. Your weakness is what you seek to protect." Laughter surged it's way through the air. The laughter of the Devil with no sympathy for the weak.

On one of the platforms outside of Club Errera, the Cloakmaster of Darkness was lying still. His hands were apart, the hand sign disrupted. He remained in the Pain Stage, however. A presence grabbed under his arms. The Cloakmaster's gold pupils blinked drunkenly. The bones in his neck couldn't allow him to even looked at who was pulling him out of the rain, but he heard voices.

"Get him inside!" ordered the female voice.

His ears were shocked. It was as if a C4 explosive was set off right next to him. He suddenly pulled his arms back, readying the Blade of Darkness, pointing it at Yoko Littner. She stood dumbfounded. Her glimmering golden eyes traced themselves to Tojiro's nervous looking eyes. Tojiro gritted his teeth, using the Blade of Darkness as a form of support to stop himself from falling over and having a migraine from all this chaos. Yoko gasped at his condition, but Tojiro raised his left hand to halt her from assisting.

"It's…not worth it. Believe me. Just…hurry up and get inside." he rummaged through his words, limping past the red haired girl whom he keenly loved.

Yoko watched the hedgehog Tojiro approach the first set of small steps. Fall. A hurl of glowing red Chaos energy splattered out from Tojiro's eyes and mouth, causing him to drop to the ground like a ton of concrete blocks.

"Tojiro!" exclaimed Yoko in fear, dashing over to the Demon Demigod.

"Yoko?! You found Tojiro?" exclaimed another voice.

As Tojiro remained flat, the red liquid continued to spill from his mouth, dripping from his eyes as well. Tears. Something a Nightshade like Tojiro has always refused to show. They weren't tears. It wasn't tears because it was merely discharge of his Chaos energy. This is the only way it can come out. More horrifying than it is disgusting if such a thing was put on a survey. He saw two more individuals running.

"_K-K-Kas…K-K-Kasumi…and…Da-Daisy. Well. They are safe…after all. Too bad…for me…t-thou-though._" voiced the echoing thoughts that wandered within the back of Tojiro's mind.

They were without hope. Even with this city, hope was something no one here could afford. Nothing around him seemed to make clear sense. Life. Life around him slowly began to dissipate like dust. Ashes to ashes. The Cloakmaster lost his sight, falling into that ever faithful pit of darkness that bitterly favored his tormented soul.

Inside Club Errera, Daisy carried Tojiro's mortified corpse down into the middle of the dance floor area. Kasumi hurried down the stairs, preparing a diamond shaped crystal that was resonating with a crimson essence. Yoko kneeled down by the Cloakmaster's side, gasping at the slimy and oozing glowing red liquid that continued to drip from inside his right arm.

"God dammit! What is wrong with his arm? It won't stop bleeding!" shrieked Yoko, trying to cover up the damage to the Cloakmaster's arm.

"Its not blood! When using too much Chaos energy, it becomes discharged. The only way for it to get out is from his mouth or his arm." Kasumi informed, quickly kneeling down to Tojiro's right.

She held the crystal up with both of her hands.

"Hold on! What do you think you're up to, kid?" said the infuriated sharpshooter, grabbing Kasumi's right arm.

"I'm not a child! This crystal will help dispel the discharge and replace it with fresh Chaos energy. Now let me go! **I must save him!**" barked the young priestess.

Yoko's eyes reflected a pool of confusion.

"Yoko…let her go. We have to believe in her." Daisy intervened with a quiet tone.

Yoko quickly shifted her shocked gaze to the Spartan supersoldier. Daisy nodded her head, knowing her vigorous gaze would tell Yoko to let go of the priestess. Yoko in defeat, freed Kasumi of her grip. Kasumi drove the crystal down into Tojiro's chest. The sharpshooter and super soldier widened their eyes with uneasiness.

"Don't worry, either of you. This is simply draining the discharge out of his body. He's okay…he's…okay." mumbled the fearless priestess.

For as fearless as she was, both Yoko and Daisy saw the exact opposite in the young girl's eyes. Kasumi removed the crystal. It shined brighter as she lifted it up. Kasumi quietly walked away, to the back of the Club on the same floor the three were on.

"She…definitely is a strong one." stated the Spartan, rising to her feet.

"Yeah. Definitely." replied Yoko, looking down at the Cloakmaster who remained frozen like a sheet of ice.

"She reminds me of myself…and how much I worry." whispered the red haired sharpshooter, shutting her solemn eyes like curtains at the end of a tragic play.

Kasumi was sitting off to the side on the dance floor twenty minutes later. Out in front in the middle of the large room remained Tojiro's unconscious corpse. Yoko slowly traced by, sitting down a few inches away from Kasumi. Hesitance told her to keep on walking, but honesty told her to sit down. Even with such a dreadful sight before them, the group managed to remain more hopeful than dismal.

"You sure must have known Tojiro for a long time. Being able to help him out like that. You…you were very kind, and brave." spoke forth the sharpshooter, raising her knees up to her chest.

"Not really. I've only met him many days ago. At first, he didn't seem to enjoy me being by his side. Hehehehe. That's the famed Cloakmaster of Darkness for you." Kasumi responded, managing an acute smile.

Yoko looked over at her with a kind expression, glad that the priestess was so fortunate to show happiness over this morbid situation.

"Tell me, uhh, Miss Yoko…you hold special feelings…for the Cloakmaster, don't you?" announced the priestess all so suddenly.

Yoko turned her head to Kasumi, with the most utmost form of shock on her face. From above, the ceiling exploded and down flew the Devil of Fear; Akuma. Yoko swiftly yet desperately rose onto to her right foot, creating a long slab of blue Chaos energy. A spear of Chaos energy struck through the barrier, missing Yoko's heart by inches.

Kasumi immediately thrusted her Chaos energized fist directly into Akuma's face, knocking him out of their way. Yoko dissipated the Chaos energy shield, firing a magnificent beam of yellow and red from her hands. Akuma was entrapped in the velocity and power, vanishing into nothingness.

"Nice attempt." voiced Akuma's sly voice.

The ground in front of Yoko erupted, a spear of Chaos energy rose up. Her eyes widened, remaining frozen. Like a thousand icy needles etched themselves into her skin. There stood Tojiro, the one to take the blow for her. In his human form he stood with a lowered head.

"Y-y-yok-Yoko…run." stuttered his blank voice. Two jet black wings splintered out of his back; they were Dragon wings.

Kasumi quickly grabbed the frozen Yoko, running away from the scene. Tojiro lifted his head up, revealing his mouth full of sharpened razor dragon teeth. Akuma continued to drive the Chaos energy spear into Tojiro's belly, breaking through the back. He choked Akuma in his violent grip. Tojiro raised Akuma up, immediately tossing him in a diagonal direction. Tojiro readied the same hand sign earlier.

"**Chaos Clone.**" he uttered with deathly intent.

Hundreds of Tojiro clones formed on the floor of the room. They all flew up at Akuma, exploding all around him, creating a small sphere of red Chaos energy. Akuma was thrown left and right, his skin tearing away from the pounding explosions that seemed so endless. Finally, Tojiro lowered both his arms by his side then rocketed himself up at Akuma. Rearing his right fist back, all the spheres of hovering Chaos energy turned to gold, jolting down at Tojiro to gather around his right fist. Akuma's bruised and burnt corpse remained still at one single millisecond. Tojiro's eyes shut with an intense force that they could bleed.

In revelation, they snapped back open, revealing the eyes of a dragon.

"_**VOLT TAKA TECHNIQUE!**_" thundered the almighty Demigod in his most hateful tone of anger and insanity.

Tojiro smashed his angry fist into Akuma's gut, then grabbed the wrist of his right hand. He hovered back an inch, opening his right hand to release one single beam of humongous proportions. The entire beam was riveted in pure Chaos Lightning. It's front was sharpened, and painted with a lightened orange tip. From outside of Club Errera, the beam launched Akuma sky high into the now thundering skies. The beam rammed its way through two Covenant Battlecruisers, causing them both to simultaneously explode into gigantic clouds of plasma fire.

The beam fired off into space, echoing past the UNSC Savannah and impacting a Covenant Supercruiser. A single light flashed, resulting in an epic sphere of plasma and yellow streaks of light to shoot out in every direction. From onboard the Savannah, the entire crew were left mystified and awe struck by such power, not noticing the source of hatred that fed the technique its true hidden power.

Dust and echoes. Inside the ruined Club Errera, Tojiro dropped onto the ground, immediately grabbing both sides of his head. A disturbing sense of agony ate away at the very corners and membranes of his mind. His wings that tore out from the flesh of his back dripped with his cursed blood that could poison an entire country's worth of people. Tojiro pressed his right hand to his chest.

"C-c-C-Cha…C-Chaos…C-c-con-Control." grumbled the bloody mouthed Demigod.

A blue sphere enveloped him, scorching the ground he stood on. On top of the very building that housed Club Errera, Tojiro dropped onto the center of the roof. He landed on his feet, surprisingly. The fists of the Demon Demigod remained clenched, imprinting themselves into the ground. Yoko, Kasumi, and Daisy reappeared from a Chaos Portal. The red haired sharpshooter hurried over to the demon first. Tojiro quickly managed himself to get up, watching Yoko hurry over to him, but he was suddenly shot in the chest with multiple glowing yellow Chaos Needles.

"TOJIRO!" Yoko screamed, reaching her right hand out.

A sudden spear of steel skewered Yoko through the back. Tojiro's eyes froze.

"Yo-Yoko." Kasumi stuttered in disbelief, her eyes wavering in shock.

Yoko dropped to her knees. The steel pole with a purple aura of Chaos energy around it…evaporated. Akuma, hovered above, lowering his left hand. Soulless. Lifeless like a statue.

"Yo-you…Yoko…w-w-w-why…?" he uttered.

Yoko, with the little power she held left spoke; "Be-e-Be-Because I-I-…"

Gravity and life intervened. Yoko dropped to the left, blood splashing and swishing onto the ground. Tojiro's eyes shined, filling with a glowing hot white. Kasumi hurried over to Yoko's side with Daisy in toll. Kasumi put her hand on Yoko, then reached back with her right to grab Daisy's hand. In a flash of blue did the trio vanish. Akuma angrily landed on the ground the trio were once standing, rising into a straight standing pose. A black cloak swallowed Tojiro's body.

His arms appeared to be covered in the shape of dragon arms. Darkness. The cloak covered his arms, making to his hands, creating claw like hands to protect his human ones. "His Dragon; the seal is breaking." said the desperate Akuma, his eyebrows forming into an angered V. Tojiro's eyes turned into round circles of white, shortly turning into vigorous eye of hate and disgust. Opening his mouth, nothing but a mouth full of shining white appeared.

"Chaos…CHAOS!" roared his monstrous voice.

"_No. Not…that technique._" Akuma voiced in a static fear.

"_**CHAOS WRATH!**_" showered the voice of the Demon Demigod, letting all his anger flow out in this one unstoppable forbidden technique.

A massive sphere of blue with a dome of hot white filled within it expanded out, swallowing the city and obliterating everything. The remaining Battlecruisers were wiped away from existence, leaving nothing in the sky. Buildings tore apart. Steel and rock eaten away, eroding the earth and shifting the very earth itself with chaotic thunder. The entire sphere reached the very outer limits of New Alexandria. It halted once it reached around the entire city, leaving nothing to live or stand. The entire dome now evaporated in one pulse, leaving miniature spheres of wandering lights to dance across the flattened land. Dusts and echoes. The city of New Alexandria was completely reduced to dirt, and nothing more stood tall.

In that hour of time, Tojiro remained standing. A cloak of his dragon form covering his body. The symbol of the Great Shade Empire stood symbolic on the inside of his wings, shining white. Lonesome and filled with hate, Tojiro stood in the centerfold of a massive crater that seemed to be more wide than it was deep. Miles away from where he stood, Akuma appeared out of a silver flash. His body remained bruised and bloodied. He didn't even retreat. It may have been pleasant for Tojiro, but with Akuma, contempt was not his fortunate luxury. Tojiro dashed across the very ground. The flapping of his hands surged dirt up from the ground as his speed violently increased.

Akuma slapped his hands on the ground, keeping his gaze forward at his malevolent Dragon transformed brother. Spikes of black steel penetrated forward from underground, tipped with a glowing purple Chaos energy variant to poison. Tojiro flapped his wings forward, then aimed both his hands forward to release a large fire ball with a glowing silver aura, while the entire scorching sphere of flames was mixed with black and crimson red.

The defying flames melted through the bars, incinerating them and hitting Akuma, regardless of the Devil using his cloak as a defensive precaution. Tojiro flew through the flames, only to face Akuma punch Tojiro directly in the face. However, with rage seething at his soul, Tojiro grabbed Akuma by the ankles. Tojiro surged into the sky. With his head staring into the sky as his ascension furthered, Akuma hung with a restless anger. He grabbed onto Tojiro's hand; "CHAOS SHOCK!" he shouted with intensifying hatred.

A streak of red lightning danced across Tojiro's body, leaving Akuma unscathed. He quickly used Chaos Control, reappearing high above the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Chaos Fire: Blazing Inferno Blast!" yelled the Hell God of Treachery.

He shot two spinning spirals of red flames, while in-between the two beams was a long slender blast of sharpened orange Chaos energy. The two blasts widened off to the left and right. The beam in the center impaled Tojiro, causing him to plummet all the way down to the earth. The ground released a single stream of smoke, shattering clumps of earth in all directions. Blazing down through the clouds, the spiral spinning surges of flames hit the ground.

The two beams converged through the earth in the motion of a desert snake. Sideswiping, shooting massive chunks of earth in random directions. Tojiro jumped to his feet. The symbol on his forehead drastically morphing into something completely different. The symbol shaped into a circle made up of four crescent moons, each of their points touching against each other. All around the crescent moon circle were several thin diamonds that pointed through and around the circle. In the very center was a diamond made shape, and in that diamond was a Dragon eye.

"The seal…is deteriorating. The Dragon's conscious is taking over Tojiro's mind!" yelled Akuma in shock.

Tojiro pointed his hands to the left and right, absorbing the two beams of flames into his hands. Forming the energy into a small sphere that he held in-between his two hands, Tojiro ate the sphere of dense Chaos energy. Tojiro stomped his feet into the earth, binding the rock around his ankles. Akuma gasped in surprise. The symbols on the inside of Tojiro's wings shined bright red. The very seal on Tojiro's head was the symbol of the Dragon Seal. Turning a crimson red like the symbols on the inside of his wings, Tojiro brought his arms close to himself, lowering his head in the process.

Akuma clapped his hands together, creating thousands upon millions of clones of himself. Tojiro finally lifted his head up, releasing the most malevolent beam of Chaos energy he ever surmounted to withstand. The entire outside of the beam was rimmed and colored orange, in the middle of the humongous shot was a golden beam, rounded with a spiral of red Chaos energy striped with black. All the Akuma clones charged down towards the hellish beam of unpredictable levels. No form of science could understand the pure evil and ferocity in the Chaos energy that whirled inside this beam.

The blast impacted, resulting in humongous sphere that ate through the clouds, diminishing every single clone that Akuma summoned. The sphere wore a large golden ring around it. Several streaks of white stripped across the gigantic globe of yellow and orange. Tojiro lowered his arms, gurgling with a voracious hunger for carnage. His hatred had to be transferred into something. Rips in the earth.

Two spears of black steel stuck out from the earth from in front and behind Tojiro. The two spears impaled Tojiro. The very tips of the spears touched one another inside Tojiro's chest. Too vulgar to accept such a demise, Tojiro clenched his fists, sticking them out to the left and right. Akuma suddenly broke out of the ground, passing over the ebony spear that impaled Tojiro from the front. Tired and with his mind blinded with malevolent thoughts, Tojiro swung his arms forward, amazingly causing them to stretch.

The two massive hands crushed Akuma in-between their meeting. The impact stunningly caused a Chaos Blast as Tojiro spanned his hands away from another. His arms retracted to their normal length. The two spears melted by becoming super heated to a fearsome orange glow. Dropping down to the ground, fearsome glowing red liquid that appeared to be blood sapped out from Tojiro's sharpened mouth. Tojiro grabbed the ground with unbridled agony that felt like everyone's pain was his suffering….not like he knew how that felt. Still it agonized the back walls of his consciousness, making him want to tear away at his mind until the painful itching of nightmares would just stop and deteriorate just like this city has. Nothing meant to symbolize Tojiro any better than this ever could.

Surmounting his own determination was always a task at hand, but he never imagined that such hands would have been used to guard and watch over those precious to him. In that waking moment of horror, his thoughts turned off like the electricity to a light bulb. He dropped to the ground. Dirt flourished up from his drastic loss of senses. Darkness seeped its grisly fingers around his life once more. A force of unnatural despise was something Tojiro knew personally, however, it wasn't this day that he would meet it face to face again. Not again…_**not ever**_.

**つづく**

_To be continued_


	51. Chapter LI

_**CHAPTER LI: **_**SHADOW HOUR: **

**PART XII: DESTINY  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except; except for that only there are only three characters appearing in this chapter. They are Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Osamu Tatsuya and Jingen. They are my original creations and thus belong to me.  
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**NEXT CHAPTER begins with the "Last Days" Arc! Tojiro's final days begin on Earth before beginning his descent through the Nine Circles of Hell.  
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**The "Shadow Hour" arc finale is here! Really proud of what I came up with: Especially the epic climax between Tojiro and Akuma! Truly a mythical feel surrounds this chapter. For Sonic fans we know about the Chaos Emeralds; and even once it was mentioned that the Master Emerald was created by some gods though that history may change. A lot of story-telling here at Chapter 51 so brace yourselves at the origins of the "Chaos Force!" Enjoy! All feedback and reviews are most welcome!  
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Tojiro was suddenly falling through clouds of green. They still had texture, feeling, even life. The air, everything around him had a light green visage to it. His eyes opened up, they were clear; clear just like they should be. His body appeared healed and restored, as was his cloak. No Dragon. No nightmares. No hatred. His orange pupils were the only thing that stuck out. His entire body appeared green as well. Desperately did he look around the sky. He managed to turn himself upside down, facing the cloud break, forcing him to shut his eyes instinctively.

Cracking his eyes open once more, Tojiro gritted his teeth and widened his eyes to an expressionless force. Tojiro forced his feet down, releasing fire streams from the jets under his feet. Passing into a lush forest that resembled a cross between the Amazon Rain Forest and the mountainous regions of Iceland.

Slowly hovering into a silent clearing, the trees shook and danced like a late night party at a club. The jets silenced, letting Tojiro drop onto the grassy terrain. Tojiro carelessly ignored his mysterious surroundings, leaving the forest of enigma hoping to find some light. He passed tree after tree, log after log, even _forcing_ some of the trees out of his way by _nudging_ them out of his way. Tojiro sprung himself forward, ending up on a cliff. With his hands clamped onto the edge and his form crouched down, he slowly arose to witness where he truly was. Out in front of him was a large set of temples built in various locations.

Prehistoric creatures such as Pterodactyls flew over, but the sudden image of giant hawks made him even more confused. A series of white mice in a straight line were marching behind him. The part that left the Cloakmaster dumbfounded was that they were all walking on their hind legs. Tojiro turned around, facing a giant octopus. He pointed the unsheathed Blade of Darkness at the beast.

It gave him a distinct glare, but crawled across the large ravine that this small ridge was part of. From the forest below, Brontosaurus' rose their lengthy necks up, grazing upon the land. A large reptilian like creature climbed up the ridge, with a large drill for a nose. He walked it stumble into the forest making strange noises that resembled the sounds from a wild pig. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, setting his eyes upon one specific setting. Far apart this forest was a signature mountain with two waves of earth that formed into a swirl. In the middle of these strange stone pillars was a large mountain that resembled the cross between a Mayan and Japanese temple.

"The land of imagination. The land of mysterious legends that remain to be unanswered. _**Paragon**_; I've finally found you." spoke the deliberately impressed Demigod of Death.

Walking up the momentous staircase that led up to the temple of enshrouded question, Tojiro kept his temptations short, but probably slimmed to the point where you would be unable to see it. A pair of large horned black beetles suddenly walked from the right, passing by Tojiro, leaving him to halt. One passing by was the size of a full grown horse. However, on it was a man in a raggedy brown cloak. He had ram ears, the shell of a hermit crab, and a large nose. His rather large eyes spotted the Cloakmaster.

"OI! Halt there Samson!" ordered the creature, tapping his right hand on the beetle he rode on.

The man landed five steps in front of the Demon Demigod. Tojiro remained with an untrustworthy look, his arms crossed with impatience.

"Greetings there young one! What brings ya' here?" called out the man's muffled yet old voice.

"**Osamu Tatsuya**. The man who created negative Chaos energy…and this. Good enough reason why you should just walk away? Yes?" voiced Tojiro's form of brutal honesty, holding the Nightmare Scythe as a statement to his words.

The old man hustled over to Tojiro, observing the legendary weapon with widened eyes. "Thus…thus ye' are za Cloakmaster uv Darkness! My apologies!" he bowed in respect.

"No thanks grandpa. There's nothing I should be respected for." acted out the surreal Cloakmaster, attaching the Nightmare Scythe onto his back.

"My name is Jingen. Many beings in this world refer to me as Grandpa Jingen. I am a servant to the last of the Seven Gods of Chaos; Osamu Tatsuya!" Jingen spoke with deep respect.

"I wager you're a hermit, yes?" Tojiro responded with an annoyed face.

"EHH?! Was it that obvious?!" barked forth the nervous elder.

"Oh yeah. _Terribly _honest." noted Tojiro, staring at the hermit shell on his back.

"Very well. Samson! Scurry off this instant! Yer family iz gonna' be worried if ya get lost!" exclaimed Jingen, turning around at the beetle with a flustered response.

Jingen turned back to the hopeless faced Tojiro. Laughed away went the hermit, "Shall we ascend, yea'?" responded Jingen with nervousness.

"Please do old man." Tojiro announced annoyingly, holding out his right hand.

"All right! Hurry forward Cloakmaster!" he shouted, sprinting up the stairs incredibly fast.

Left in a cloud of smoke, Tojiro coughed once in a disappointed form.

"How unsightly. Oh well…" shrugged the Demon Demigod.

He hurried up the stairs with swift speed as well. Off he went to meet the one of the legendary users that first used Chaos energy. A being who survived a desperate sacrifice that his fellow brothers and sisters did not return from. A god who created the very workings and power of how negative Chaos energy is used. The man who forged the Nightmare Scythe; _**Osamu Tatsuya of the Seven Gods of Chaos**_.

Within a shallow hall of life, the Tojiro and Jingen strolled. Knocked over and banished of light were several brass stands. Very few lit the darkness of the large hall. It resembled the inside of a church, only difference was a couple million years.

"Osamu rarely haz guests. Tell me ol' Cloakmaster uv Darkness…what brings ye' here?" Jingen announced to fill the void of silence.

"I've already told you. The Nightmare Scythe has a special power inside it. A power said to be powerful than any other weapon this world could summit. Osamu is going to unlock the power in this Scythe so I can finally end the reign of Akuma Kyofu." spoke the ill mannered Cloakmaster.

"The Master of Treachery himself, eh? What a fair battle. I could pay money to see zat fight. I cannot assure ye' however." responded Jingen in a less playful tone.

"You don't need to hold any opinion on my person. Besides, I wouldn't even want to hear it. It'd be the same as everyone else and what they muttered of me."

"Yet back then ya' killed them without question. Whyz' that Tojiro?" replied the diligent hermit.

"Because I've grown up you geezer. That's why." answered the Demigod, crossing his arms.

"Hehehehe! How positive of ya'! Osamu may actually enjoy having this audience with you!" said Jingen, stopping at a massive black door.

"This is it. Behind this very door lies tha' man who helped created the power that gives _you_ life. Without him, ya' may not even be standin' 'eer!" said the hermit.

Tojiro lifted his head up at the door. In the middle were seven colored emeralds that formed a circle.

"Now…I can't travel any further. The God of Chaos only holds audiences with one at a time, yez?" said the oddly voiced Jingen.

"I'll try to remember that." Tojiro responded in complete ignorance, lowering his hood.

"Remember ol' Cloakmaster, Osamu has seen many dreadful things. **Many more than you probably**. He's been alive longer than any other being. Don't try to anger him. His brother that led them all was the being that created positive Chaos energy; and even _he_ admitted Osamu was the most powerful user in Chaos energy…_**ever**_." Jingen spoke with a dreaded tone of seriousness.

"He has my respect. I can understand how it feels to lose family." noted the Demon Demigod.

"Very well." replied the hermit, turning towards the door.

With his right hand and the index and middle finger of his left hand, the seven colors of the seven Chaos Emeralds streamed out of Jingen's fingers. The seven colors connected to their respected emerald that was carved into the stone. They weren't the actual Chaos Emeralds, just murals of them.

The seven murals glowed. A line of silver split down the middle of the huge door, causing dirt and sand to spill from above. Tojiro looked forward, finding Jingen had surprisingly vanished. Having nothing else to judge or pause for, Tojiro stepped into a large darkened room. A sphere of silver light shined up ahead. Without hesitance he sprinted towards the rounded sphere of light. He slid to a halt. Tojiro's visual penance grimaced in every direction, until an uncertain voice commanded itself into the emptiness of the room.

"The…Cloakmaster…of Darkness. **The Man with the Five Faces of Evil**: Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku."

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><p>The voice was an intellectual, yet deathly toned voice. It was like a snake. It was demented and released chilly breaths for every time it spoke. Another beam of light showered itself upon a gigantic man. He was dressed in a dark gray robe. The hood over his head darkened his very face and expression. On the center front of his robe was a circle, and in the middle of it was an embroidered sewing of the red Chaos Emerald. In his right hand was a long ebony staff. Tojiro felt the shimmering cold emanate from the staff, leaving the Cloakmaster of Darkness stunned by how horrific the Chaos energy within it was.<p>

On the very top of the staff was a large glowing red emerald. It was the same size of the Master Emerald on Angel Island, yet it wasn't simply for show. Tojiro had finally came face to face with a living legend. The eldest man to have been embedded with Chaos energy stood before him…and he would be damned if was pleased with Tojiro's demonic presence.

"I never assumed this confrontation to ever occur. I still, however, managed to keep it in the back of my HEAD!" boomed the selfless God of Chaos, sitting forward.

Tojiro remained unafraid.

"You were the one to forge the Nightmare Scythe. You know everything and anything about it, correct? What's this hidden power Ryu spoke to me about?" asked the Cloakmaster, taking the Nightmare Scythe with his right hand and showing it the Chaos God.

"Do not assume too much, Ankoku. That instrument is meant to implement destruction…and only that! Only one with a true heart can you unlock the forbidden power laid within it. By the looks of it…you haven't the slightest idea how to unlock it." Osamu responded heinously, sitting back in his massive throne.

"That's already obvious enough, Osamu. All I require is for _you_ to unlock that power." Tojiro added impatiently.

Osamu raised his left hand up. The Cloakmaster dropped the Nightmare Scythe, falling to his knees, clenching his stomach in relentless agony that felt like his ribs were splitting apart one by one.

"I created that damn power inside you. Negative Chaos energy. It was mine from the start! You are merely a cancer on the side of this planet…and yet you still refuse to be burned away from existence." Osamu stated with great aggravation. Tojiro choke and spat, falling onto the ground with a triple dosage of pain.

"I created Paragon to respect and honor my fellow brothers and sisters. I've created it…to protect their dreams."

Tojiro grabbed the ground with ferociousness in his spirit. He lifted his head, feeling as if a ton of steel bars was holding it down.

"That dream…was letting this planet in orbit…wasn't it? They wanted you…to protect it…huh?" spat the Cloakmaster of Darkness, managing to rise to his feet.

Osamu lowered his hand, resting it on the arm rest of his throne.

Tojiro felt an avalanche of relief be kindly pulled off his shoulders, gripping his chest to let out some much needed breaths.

"Your nobility is something of a granted legend. You manage to worry more about your friends than your own hide. However…it's not like you were the first person I've met with such feelings." Osamu wisely spoke in an honest tone.

"First impressions are a bitch anyway. That's why I ignore it." stomached the Cloakmaster, finally being able to stand up straight.

"That Scythe…the Lord in Heaven gave it to you, did he not?" questioned the Chaos God.

"Indeed he did. Nice guy." Tojiro replied, rubbing his aching scalp.

"So…I might as well reveal **how Chaos energy came to be**."

Tojiro looked up at the cloaked Chaos God with widened eyes.

"If I don't, you'll definitely misinterpret the Nightmare Scythe's power." Osamu noted with haste, motioning his left hand.

Hesitance was a pest yet, it managed to grab onto Tojiro's shoulders regardless of how much he despised it. Lifting his head up at Osamu, Tojiro gave him an agreeing nod. Osamu huffed with expectance. He stomped his staff on the ground once. The entire room suddenly changed to outer space. Tojiro and Osamu hovered in the outside emptiness of the great frontier. Before them was Planet Earth. Osamu was reverted to the size of a six foot eight inch tall man, still covered by his cloak.

"Millennia ago…my brothers and sisters traveled galaxies and universes to discover new lands. We wanted to learn the mysteries of life. We wished to learn their heights, their lengths, and the very foundation life was supported on." the last God of Chaos began in a stoic tone.

Seven cloaked beings suddenly fired over the pair, flying towards Earth.

"Throughout several planets, we discovered many powers. Power that could help us, but not prosper us, nor our civilization. We came to Earth. It was before man even stepped foot on the land…and even before when beasts were born."

"The life on Earth was beginning to form…and we were all very surprised by such molecular levels." The two suddenly shot towards the planet without even moving.

A tunnel of white fog lead Tojiro and Osamu down through Earth's atmosphere. Tojiro nervously looked and surveyed such a form of transportation. The cloud break shot into their faces, and they passed onto Earth's surface. Passing over what would later be called the West Pacific Ocean. The two legends landed on ground. A huge wasteland was out in front of them. A sudden cloaked being slammed their feet into the ground. The cloaked being lifted his hands up, watching tendrils of blue Chaos energy wrap around their arms. Two more cloaked beings landed, observing the man's arms.

"That was one of my brothers; the very Chaos God who created positive Chaos energy."

The entire scene was suddenly turned into a swirling mix of fog and dust. The two legends reappeared hovering above a large flat mountain top. They surveyed the area down below. There were two on the side at the front, two in the back, and one on the left and right. In the middle stood the seventh.

"Together…we found this energy wandering amongst this planet. It was as if fed this planet so it would continue to grow and prosper. Tojiro noticed the seven below were all wearing the same gray cloak, with the embroidered colored Chaos Emerald on the front of their cloak.

"We, however, used the first Chaos ability to foresee the planet's future." Osamu stated in a righteous tone.

"**Chaos** **Control." **Tojiro intervened with surprise.

"Yes. In this world's future, we all witnessed what humans would become. Wars. Suffering. Violence would have forced pain upon them all. With this power we discovered: **Chaos energy**, we did not want the humans to bring themselves to extinction with its endless source of power."

Down below, the Seven Gods of Chaos lifted their arms out to the left and right. "To ensure…such a crisis would be averted…we sealed every inch of Chaos energy on the planet…to create; _**the Seven Chaos Emeralds**_." spoke the stricken Chaos God.

Below, streams of blue, yellow, green, cyan, red, silver, purple swarmed to their respected host.

"However…with all that power being used in our bodies to combat the nature of the Chaos energy…we would not survive."

Tojiro quickly looked below, watching a gigantic silver dome erupt, stretching across all the land, enveloping everything to wipe out the Chaos energy. Both Tojiro and Osamu let the light reach them.

Tojiro suddenly found himself back in the temple room. Osamu stood before Tojiro, at his normal height instead of a lumbering giant.

"I…was the only one who lived. My brothers and sisters…were given a most undesirable fate. All I was left with…were the Seven Chaos Emeralds and the trust my family entrusted to me." continued the regretful God of Chaos.

Tojiro looked away, feeling that Osamu shared the same pain as he did. The Nightmare Scythe rose off the ground sideways. It hovered between Tojiro and Osamu with a red aura around it. It wandered into Osamu's left hand, his grip tightening around the shaft.

"Even though I was left alone in my own suffering…_**hope was still with me**_. I created Paragon with the Seven Chaos Emeralds to surround Planet Earth. I created Paragon to honor my brothers' and sisters' wishes; **to watch people become one, and let them live life with hope**. That was always their goal…and with Paragon's creation…Earth remains in balance. Many cataclysmic events have occurred. Lives were lost due to the desires of others. Warfare bred combat. It gave birth to hatred." spoke on the emotional Chaos God that let his honesty be pure.

"Without Paragon…the space and time force around Earth would crumble. Everything would have spun out of balance…resulting in it's devastating end. Without the Chaos energy on the planet, it couldn't grow or live. Paragon…is Chaos. _**Chaos enriched by the heart**_." finished the last Chaos God, handing the newly powered Nightmare Scythe to Tojiro.

At last did he grab it, feeling a large blue aura with a silver lining wrap around him. "Hope is what makes people strong my son. Even with just a little bit of belief…you **'can' **do anything." Osamu added with trust and enlightenment, resting his left hand on Tojiro's left shoulder.

Tojiro looked off at Osamu's hand with his eyebrows raised. Osamu removed his hand, "In the Scythe, I put all the remaining powers of my brothers' and sisters' Chaos energy. Only with your heart…can you unlock what simply waits within." Osamu spoke one last time, stomping his staff on the ground.

The aura around Tojiro vanished, and a spiral tornado of silver warped up from under his feet. "_**Go with hope, Tojiro Ankoku. Go forth: To settle the very foundation that is known as...harmony**_." Osamu's draining voice eloped. Tojiro was sucked down into a long black and white vortex of Chaos energy. He turned himself upside down, facing a giant spike studded star for him to fall through. Light. He never thought it would replace that pit of darkness…which he always found himself drifting towards.

Tojiro awoke in the humongous crater in the middle of the wasteland that was once New Alexandria. His body was returned back to its normal state. The Dragon's wings were back inside his body, and the Dragon's cloak had evaporated as well. He carefully rose to his feet. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the Nightmare Scythe magnetized to his back. He regretfully rose into a perfect straight posture. His hands rose up, looking at them with a discrete sense of value. His eyes were half closed, appearing saddened? Guilt managed to seep through his skin and fill the void of where his heart would actually be. Pumping blood, giving him warmth, giving him life. That's what guilt symbolized for him. His eyes fully opened with a determined glare.

Tojiro quietly stepped forward, releasing a sphere of red from his right hand. The sphere expanded out to create a Chaos Portal. Sprinting onto a new land, he made his desperate way to leave the ruined city in its horrifying aftermath. His body was frail and weak after such an ongoing duel. Tojiro had Yoko in mind but, now he trusted them in the hands of Kasumi and Daisy. However, where he traveled for now was something at random. In his new form of stray hope…Tojiro assumed for whatever dimension he would end up in, the Cloakmaster would ultimately have to rest and regain the ample amount of power and strength he had terribly lost. As a note for his sudden disposition, the location he was headed for was a literal fault-line between good and evil.

**つづく**

_To be continued_**  
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__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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****-Upon a beach, Tojiro stands headstrong as a swarm of gigantic "Ghost" crabs come in at the **Daten City Beach**.-

"The Nightmare Scythe, and its secrets, are now unlocked." -Tojiro stands still as he was shouted by a merciless, blonde haired angel on the beach.-

"Within the realm of a city on the fault-line between Heaven and Hell, how will Tojiro return to **our** Earth?" -A black priest with an afro confronts the Cloakmaster inside a church.- -A orange haired ghost fan turns around in shock.- -A decrepit pet known as **Chuck** gets stomped on by Tojiro.-

"To begin his journey through Hell itself, not even in this realm, will Tojiro find the path to Hell's domain." -A fear driven Cloakmaster sits up in a bed, grasping his skull with his metal made right hand.- "Somewhere the true **path** will mark itself to Tojiro's greatest challenge: To destroy the foundation of the Blind World itself."

-A gothic angel stands before the Demigod with confusion.- -A ghostly possessed whale crashes onto Daten City Beach.- -Two red devils have their faces encapsulated by the hands of a merciless Tojiro.- -The foul mouthed angel with red nail polish declares a challenge to the back of Tojiro Ankoku.-

"To reach Hell itself...is a far greater challenge than the land itself." -Tojiro stands over one hundred and fifty feet tall in Mecha Werehog Form, roaring out to the sea with rage, shaking the foundation of Daten City...

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_**Last Days Arc  
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_****_**CHAPTER LII: BOUND FOR NIGHTMARES  
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	52. Chapter LII

**CHAPTER LII: BOUND FOR NIGHTMARES  
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**WARNING: This chapter includes derogatory terms and cruel word usage from "certain" characters. M RATING ABOUND for this chapter is what that means! BEWARE with all seriousness; only you can control what you read.**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Orion Novanight. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters and/or places belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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**The "Last Days" Arc! Finally! It shall be a quick yet meaningful short arc as Tojiro prepares his journey through the realm that is Hell's Nine Circles! Excellent! With so much riding on his one man war against the Blind World, do you still find it curious if Tojiro will do the "right thing?" Is there even a right thing at all? Is it all wrong?! WELL? Sound off and enjoy the chapter. All reviews and feedback are most welcome.  
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_**Daten City, Daten Beach, 11:30 am**_

The spinning disc of black and red opened within a blue sky, shooting down through a wall of clouds. Tojiro was ensnared in a fireball of red and orange. On the beach, a numerous large crowd was gathering for a volleyball game, but it wasn't as simple as it would be assumed to be. Two Angels. Two Demons. Unfailing, correct? The flaming ball that was Tojiro slammed directly in-between the two and their epic duel, exploding a dome of sand in every direction. The people were sent tossing and smacking into some serious yet painful objects.

Such as a young child falling in a trash can and an elderly woman smashing into a steel pole. All in all, there was _a lot _of pain to _a lot _of people in a number of creative ways. In a summit of sand, the heads of the two Angels rose. Anarchy Panty…with her sister…Anarchy Stocking. As quaint as their situation just was, the arrival of such a demon would most likely worsen their apprehensive volleyball match. Tojiro popped into the air, landing on a mound of sand. Cleaning his cloak of the sand grains, he suddenly lifted his head up.

"How dare such an un-formal freak ruin our show-off. Right Kneesocks-san?" said the voice of the Demon Sister known as Scanty.

A wave of sand exploded, revealing the red skinned demon with lightish blue hair.

"Indeed. This ignorant demon nearly ruined our swimsuits too." noted the Demon Sister, Kneesocks.

Tojiro confusedly looked from the twin Demon Sisters over to the Angel Sisters. "Stockin'! Damn it! You bitchy little emo! Where the hell are you?!" shrieked the Angel Sister, Panty, giving off a good load of her personality.

Tojiro cracked his knuckles, then grabbed the grip of his Blade of Darkness. Stocking pushed her way out of the sand, spotting Panty and Tojiro.

"Panty, once again you prove yourself to be an idiot. You're probably yelling for no reason. So shut your damn ass up." voiced the calm Stocking.

"What the hell did you just say? You really wanna' go right now you sl-"

The sudden blast of Scanty with her devil gun made Panty dodge the other way. Tojiro remained standing still, vocally refusing to voice his opinion. "Stockin', you already know where this is going right?" ranted Panty, preparing her weapon Backlace.

"You already know! Let's ruin their ass!" exclaimed her determined sister, preparing Stripe I.

"_Appears I have to get even with one side. And I know the perfect way to start out._" Kneesocks prepared a pair strange vials behind her back. Tojiro's ears twitched at the sound of the caps flipping off.

"NOW!" she yelled, throwing the two vials off to the ocean.

Scanty fired both her guns at Panty. Tojiro took a step forward, preparing a sphere of unstable Chaos energy in his right hand. He held his right arm back, pointing towards the ocean. In his slow motion stance, he moved his head directly in the path of the two bullets. Both bullets hit Tojiro in the forehead, seeping in.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed the two Demon Sisters.

A massive octopus Ghost jumped out of the ocean. Tojiro lifted his right leg forward, turning around to the ocean in the process. With the manic power of the Chaos Sphere increasing, Tojiro put it in his mouth. Breathing in a whole heap of smoke, Tojiro fired a gigantic inferno of red Chaos Fire out from his mouth. The Ghost octopus collided with the blast, resulting in it's devastating explosion that blew the Ghost into a thousand pieces. Tojiro leaped towards Scanty, slashing away a scar of red Chaos energy with his unsheathed Blade of Darkness.

Scanty was blasted away, onto a city street, bowling through five cars in a row, throwing debris of flames and steel amongst the street. Landing back on his feet, Tojiro was impaled in the back by Kneesocks with one of her scythe like blades. Tojiro ran forward five steps, forcing his way out of the blade. He turned around to kick Kneesocks across her left hip. He threw the Blade of Darkness like a spear. Kneesocks was adamant to swing both her weapons to deflect it into the air. Tojiro clapped his hands together, enwrapping Kneesocks in a mound of sand. He removed his hands from one another, causing the sand to harden like stone.

"Bastard! You think we need help, huh? I'll kick your ass just like I would have against those two demon sluts!" yelled the vengeful Angel.

She fired Backlace, hitting Tojiro several times in the chest, head and legs. He growled with anger, charging forward. Stocking took defense of Panty by thrusting both Stripes I & II forward. Tojiro absorbed the blows, knocking Stocking out of his way with a manic punch to the side of her head. Tojiro raised his right hand back, creating a Giant Rasengan.

Panty fired Backlace over ten times, not stopping Tojiro for a moment. Panty awaited a grim fate, something she never thought she would ever feel. However, the Rasengan vanished, and Tojiro shoved Panty with a vicious push. A gigantic crab claw slammed down, yet the dreadful demigod caught the claw, holding it up. Both Panty and Stocking recuperated, gasping at Tojiro's feat. The massive crab Ghost stood half way out of the water.

"Man…what the hell is up with this barf sniffer? Why did he save me?" said the annoyed Panty, getting up.

Tojiro dropped to his right knee in loss. A demented black mist surrounded him, giving him the form of his malevolent Werehog. Tojiro's eyes shined with red, his pupils vanished. His mouth opened up wide, roaring in a fit of rage. He snapped the entire crab's claw off, spewing out a gracious yellow liquid. Tojiro crossed his arms over one another, creating a Chaos Rasengan in both. Tojiro lunged up towards the beast, cramming the two whirling spheres of Chaos and chakra that blew the crab Ghost into nothing but crab meat.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness dropped onto the ground. Mist of red riveted off from the palms of his hands. Only by clenching them did they cease to simmer. Tojiro turned back to Panty and Stocking, who appeared right in front of him, their angelic weapons in his face. Snarling was Tojiro's best answer. He didn't want to harm the Angel sisters, but he may have had the sensation to snap one of them in half. Tojiro put the knuckles of his fists on the ground, pressing his head against the barrel of Panty's gun. His eyes were wide and sharpened into a glaring visage that spelled anger a thousand times over.

Panty clicked the safety back, firing a single shot through Tojiro's forehead and out the back of his head. Tojiro continued to stand…un-phased! Panty pulled back Backless, but Tojiro flinched at her movement. Stocking was eager and ready, preparing a sudden strike to skewer Tojiro in the stomach. However, the two Angels found themselves surprised once the Cloakmaster of Darkness grabbed them with his large arms, and performed a massive leap backwards through the air. A humongous whale Ghost smashed into the beach, letting out a monstrous moan. Tojiro landed on the ruptured street that Scanty was thrown across. He dropped the two Angels like bags of trash and charged back to the beach on all fours.

"You smartass! Get back here you rotten crap mongrel!" cursed Panty in offense, randomly firing shots at Tojiro's back.

Leaping over a flaming bus, Tojiro landed on the beach in front of the stranded whale Ghost. Tojiro stretched both his arms out, one onto the upper jaw and the other to the lower jaw. Sinking his feet into the sand then using his Earthbending talents to harden it, Tojiro began pulling opposite ways. The whale groaned and screamed in pain. Tojiro encompassed his heinously stretched out arms in red Chaos energy, than gave it one final try. A single pair of cracks echoed out. Tojiro retracted his arms back with caution.

Furiously did he charge forward and use both his fists to impact the whale in it's large throat, vivaciously launching it into the air. Grabbing onto the dial on the shoulder side, he turned it several degrees. A large flash of orange light exploded out. Panty and Stocking looked up, watching the humongous shadow encompass pass them and a couple miles over the city. Standing at over one-hundred and fifty feet tall, Tojiro's Mecha form reigned supreme and sublime with fear to everyone that saw him.

Tojiro bent down, summoning a ridiculous latter of orange Chaos energy in his mouth. Lifting his head back up, a wide beam of orange with a longer silver beam within it was released from his mouth. The beam hit the whale Ghost dead in a climatic explosion that shimmered flaming meteors and chunks of the dead Ghost among the ocean. Tojiro was encompassed by the orange flash once more, reverting him back to his human form. Thankfully, he dropped down in, keeping his left foot on the ground. Dropping in front of him were three coins with an H and a pair of wings coming off the left and right sides. Tojiro precariously stood up, but a stray bullet from the left halted him. A glare to the left, he saw the two swimsuit wearing Angel sisters. Tojiro turned away from the 'Heaven Coins', making his way away from the scene, flipping his hood over his head.

"What is with that guy?" said Panty, lowering Backlace.

"Panty! Look! Three Heavens!" called Stocking, holding up the three precious treasures.

"It's not much though. How bothersome." Stocking added in annoyance.

"Sure. Whatever. That fugly demon that arrived though is what makes me wonder; whose side is he on?" questioned Anarchy Panty in curiousness.

"You can find out after you are silenced!" called the two Demon sisters. They shot down with their weapons ready.

In a flash did the two Angels turn around, facing Tojiro. His back turned to them, his hands gripped around the faces of both Scanty and Kneesocks. Their helpless bodies hung, desperate to free themselves. Electrifying the two demons with a dose of red Chaos Lightning, their bodies were ridiculously burnt to a crisp, leaving them both breathless. Tojiro reeled the two twins back, flinging them across the city.

"WE BID YOU ADIEUUUU!" yelled their vanishing voices, disappearing in a glint of light.

Tojiro lowered his arms, standing in a slouched position to release a restless sigh. "Hey Panty, any idea what kind of Ghost he is?" whispered Stocking, hiding her mouth.

"Dib-shit! He looks nothing like a ghost! He would have to be ten times more crazier even if he was one!" Panty shot back in the same quieting tone.

"That is because he is a demon!" exclaimed a thick voiced man.

"Garter?!" shouted the two Angels. Tojiro was quick to spin around and point Black Death directly at the afro priest's face.

The two Angels turned to the Cloakmaster, but didn't raise their weapons.

"It was as if you were to arrive here. Somehow, your will still lives. What's up with that, eh? Cloakmaster Ankoku?" said the Reverend.

Regrettably, Tojiro managed to lower Black Death, placing it back in the holster.

"You know this loser?" asked Panty to Garterbelt.

"Not really." he responded.

The three were left in a disappointed form, sweat drops forming on the back of their heads.

"So what the hell was the point of even calling him a demon? Shouldn't we just kill him and be done with it?" regarded Anarchy Stocking.

"I'll annihilate all three of you if such an attempt is made." answered the Cloakmaster, lowering his hood. Panty's eyes, for a very obscene but obvious reason, turned into hearts.

Tojiro looked from Panty who appeared completely embellished with his face, to Stocking. Her eyes were a bit widened, but her eyebrows remained strained from glaring towards the Cloakmaster. Tojiro's orange pupils formed into a desperate glare, his eyebrows raising. He noticed a hint of red appearing on both of Stocking's cheeks. Tojiro's eyes turned into round white circles, grumbling to himself.

"Panty! Stocking!" called a sudden voice.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder to face an individual dressed in a green garb and orange hair that covered his eyes.

"Uhhh…Geek Boy again." muttered the annoyed Panty.

Brief froze in front of Tojiro, looking up at him with somewhat of a frightened look.

"W-w-w-w-who…is this?" said Brief in a frozen state. The device on Brief's back suddenly went buzzing.

"The PKE meter readings! It…I-I-it says he's…wait a minute." Brief spoke unconditionally, reaching back to take the PKE meter off and set it on the sand.

"A friend?" asked Tojiro, turning around to the three.

"Yes." answered Garterbelt on attention.

"Ehh? Creepy." said a disgusted Panty.

"I see. So answer me this, what are two Angels doing on human grounds?" the Cloakmaster pointed out in question.

"What does that matter? I rather know about you, there. Have you ever heard of the Immoral Motel?" said the sly conniving Panty, holding Tojiro's right arm and pressing it against her chest.

Stocking suddenly smacked Panty on the head with her Honekoneko, causing Panty's eyes to widen.

"You damn goth! What the hell's your problem?!" barked the Angel to her sisters' face.

As Tojiro watched the two Angels exclaim vivid verbal threats to each other, he turned his attention to Brief. He walked over to his side, glaring down at him working on the PKE meter. A sudden little green creature walked by saying the same word over and over again. It had a large drop of drool hanging from its mouth. Tojiro crouched down, watching it chew on the PKE meter.

"Okay. What in the world is that?" asked the Demon Demigod, pointing at the little beast.

"That's Chuck; Panty and Stockings' pet. By the way, I'm Brief. An unwanted follower of Panty's-"

Tojiro suddenly punched Chuck into the sand, actually creating a deep hole. "Awesome." noted Tojiro, looking down the hole.

Chuck popped his head out of the hole, continuing to say his name. Tojiro stood up and stomped on the beast, somehow firing out Chuck's lungs onto the sand. Brief covered his mouth in disgust, his skin turning green.

"Ohhh. That's my mistake." responded Tojiro in a confused tone.

He grabbed the lungs and Chuck. Looking between the two, he forced the lungs back down Chuck's throat, giving him life again. Brief removed his hands, letting out a sickened gurgle of air. Tojiro dropped Chuck on the ground, watching him scurry off to Panty and Stockings' deathly throw down of verbal debauchery.

"You damn arm pit sniffer! I was only introducing myself!" screamed Panty in offense.

"And I was only trying to make you look less like an idiot! You Grandpa chaser!" cursed back Stocking.

The two Angels smashed their foreheads together, somehow being able to grow sharp teeth in their mouths, and their eyes turning full white.

"This world is screwed." noted Tojiro in absence of reason.

"They help out the city whenever a Ghost starts terrorizing people." replied Brief, standing back up with the PKE meter being held in his right hand.

"What is that you have there?" asked Tojiro, stepping up to Brief.

"This? It's my PKE meter. It detects whenever a Ghost is near. But Panty and Stocking manage to find the Ghost and take care of it on their own." explained the distorted minded kid.

"Hand it over." said the annoyed Cloakmaster. Brief gave the device to Tojiro.

Tojiro injected some of his power into the device so it would work perfectly, thus proving it useful.

The Demigod of Death handed it back to Brief.

"Greetings by the way, Brief. I do believe you'll be able to last until the moon's rise." Tojiro _warmly _before walking back over to the two Angels.

"W-w-wa-wait! What the-what do you mean?" stuttered the anxious geek in fright. Tojiro stopped by the two Angels, giving them the chance to end their bickering before turning their attention to the Cloakmaster himself.

"See?" Panty exclaimed, throwing Stocking down the beach.

"He came in to save me, right?" she voiced in a slick tone, batting her eyelashes at Tojiro.

"I'd rather watch you two silence yourselves before I intervene. If you refuse to have order…I won't mind silencing you two by tearing your spines straight out of your ears." Tojiro stated with exact honesty.

"Holy…crap." Brief responded, falling onto his back.

Tojiro stepped past Panty and Garterbelt, strolling over to Stocking who remained on the ground. She was already sitting with her legs crossed, wiping off the sand on Honekoneko. As he strafed past the lover of sweets, he kicked the front of his right foot on the ground to cause the sand under Stocking to put her back on her feet.

"That arrogant bastard! How the hell can you just expect to walk away like that! HEY! You damn emo! Get back here!" screamed the malevolent faced Panty, running after Tojiro.

Garterbelt slowly walked up by Stocking's side, whom remained with a stiff glare.

"Panty's being a dumb-ass like always. All she thinks about is getting it on with any man she sees." Stocking brought up without a cumbersome excuse to say otherwise.

"That does seem very lonesome. He somewhat acts like you, Stocking." explained the priest, walking forward. Stocking huffed in ignorance, emptying her hesitance to follow after Garterbelt without any more distracting thoughts.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Three Days Later, Daten High School, 1:20 pm<strong>_

In their school uniforms, the two Angels casually walked to the school's front doors.

"You were insane if you thought that Ghost liked you Stocking. You _do_ know that right?" Panty observed with impatience.

"You just can't understand because you're a hoe. So I'm not listening." Stocking replied in angst, but her cool head proved more true to keep her emotions in control.

"Heh! Forget it then. We got that coin, and you got that smelly as ring he gave you! Everything should better!" Panty advised with a smirk, resting her hands behind her head.

"Hey Panty, is that who I think it is?" Stocking interrupted, looking off to the right at a tree. Panty reeled her head back, seeing the cloaked demigod sitting with his legs crossed. He was comfortably laying against the tree trunk, his hood over his head, hiding his face.

A face full of love and ecstasy, Panty tip-toed her way over to the Cloakmaster.

"What a freak." Stocking side noted with a disappointed glare.

Panty sat herself on Tojiro's legs, believing she had him pinned.

"Now…his lovely man junk." said Panty, reaching for between Tojiro's legs.

He suddenly vanished in a glob of gold light, dropping Panty on her behind. The glob turned into a concentrated slim stream of light and flew over to the real Tojiro, standing on the tree branch above Panty.

"You should acquiesce to control those feeble thoughts of yours." said his uncaring voice.

Tojiro jumped down on the grass, leading Panty to get up. Panty observed Tojiro for a short moment, noticing he was shorter.

"Hey, what happened? Reverse growth spurt?" Stocking suggested out loud.

"No. Not quite. Size has nothing to do with it. I'm just different." arrogantly spoke the Cloakmaster.

"Ahhh, so you have some transformation, eh? Let me take a look." Panty argued in a sex affiliated voice, grabbing Tojiro.

She turned him around, lowering his hood to show him in his hedgehog form. "EHHH?! A fucking rat?!" she screamed, backing away in fear, or disgust.

"Yeah. Not like I was expecting that response." he unsurely stated, throwing his hood back over his head, than reverting to his human form.

"You should just fuck off before you get steamrolled." Stocking intervened carelessly.

"You wanna' say that again you dumb goth?!" spat out Anarchy Panty.

Stocking let Panty's threat go without an empty cause, leaving to head towards the school. Tojiro's eyes shot a glare towards the sky above the school. Tojiro grabbed the Nightmare Scythe, charging towards Stocking from behind.

"Stocking! Behind you!" exclaimed Panty.

"Idiot! Look in front!" called back the Cloakmaster.

A gigantic blue beam hit the center of the school dead on. A glint of light shined for a millisecond and a wild storm of hell and fire exploded in every direction. Tojiro impaled the Nightmare Scythe into the earth with his left hand. Stocking flew past him, but Tojiro immediately caught her by her hand. Panty glued herself to the back of the tree, avoiding the storm of debris and brown storm of smoke that enveloped the entire area.

Tojiro stomped his left foot on the ground, causing a huge blanket of air to dissipate the wandering mahogany cloud. Stocking dropped onto her feet afterwards, Tojiro's hand swiftly leaving hers, making her jolt feverishly. He ran forward, finding the entire school was nothing but piles of rubble and fire.

A screech screamed from above. Through the clouds, an enormous vulture Ghost crashed into the ground in front of the leveled school. Panty and Stocking easily fought through the force of the landing to run up to Tojiro. On the vulture's head, stood none other than the two Demon Sisters.

"Wow. I was actually expecting a challenge too." Tojiro safely admitted, lowering the Nightmare Scythe, standing up straight in the process.

"That arrogant little traitor. Who is such a demon of his stature siding with Pissy and Stupid?" Scanty degenerately spoke.

"You red faced whore! Come down here and say that again!" Panty said in an outrage, readying Backless in her right hand.

"I can bet you wouldn't have the pride of actually facing us with those fucked up names!" cursed Anarchy Stocking, stepping up to Tojiro's left, armed with Stripes I. Tojiro looked between the two Angel Sisters, noticing that their angry faces stood far more prepared than their own weapons.

"We shall see. Our RULES will decimate your ugly asses all the way down into Hell itself!" Kneesocks promoted with greatness, preparing her weapons.

"Perfect words, Kneesocks-san! Perfect!" Scanty cheered, preparing her dual revolver demon weapons.

Placing the Nightmare Scythe on his back and readying the Blade of Darkness, Tojiro stood to transform into his hedgehog form.

"What the fuck?! Not your ugly gerbil form!" Panty degraded without mercy.

"Oh no. Such a thing shouldn't even be mentioned." said an echoing voice from above.

Tojiro immediately raised his head to the sky. Down a thundering silver beam hit the ground, sparkling to explode out of sight. Tojiro kept his blank white eyes opened, ignoring the brightness with his steel hardened stamina. The light vanished to reveal the bounty hunter gone renegade madman; **Orion**.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

**-**Tojiro implants the Blade of Darkness into the ground with authority.- -An angry Anarchy sister aims her blazing pistol to unleash a spraying field of holy bullets upon the Demigod.- "One by one," -The quiet, yet interested half of the Anarchy Sisters looks at Tojiro.- "The pain begins to settle in."

"Tojiro remains locked between what is real and what is myth." -Tojiro lunges forward, smashing a Giant Rasengan into the chest of the blonde haired fallen angel.-

-The Cloakmaster raises his arms to create a dome of earth around the Anarchy Sisters.- "As a warning, a familiar face arrives," -Tojiro looks in a perplexed rage at Kuro Senso standing upon the earth dome.-

"She tells the Demigod of Hell's power," -Tojiro rushes forward.- -Yumi's pulsating red eyes glow hot as she points her hands forward, clapping them together to part a sea of fire released from Tojiro.- "That when he begins one of world's greatest journey ever, Hell shall be prepared in **every **Circle: That not even Tojiro will be prepared to face such a challenge."

-Kuro moves forward to lightly press her lips around Tojiro's.- "Tojiro's long road to the Nightmare Scythe is over. His epic journey through Hell...**is near**."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LIII: BOUND FOR REALITY  
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	53. Chapter LIII

**CHAPTER LIII: BOUND FOR REALITY**

**WARNING: This chapter includes crude humor and possible offensive material. Read at your own discretion as the content is (apparently) famous since the Anime was reviewed as such.  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Orion and Yumi Amaya, otherwise known as Kuro Senso. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters/material and locations belong to their creators/owners.  
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**Chapter 53! I can only fathom what is to come from the ongoing Nightmare Wars as they rage on to the Nine Circles with Tojiro beginning his one-man war against the Blind World itself! It shall be a fantastic Arc to witness but for now "The Last Days" Arc is building some momentum. Near the end you can comprehend Tojiro's mettle as to berate whether his merciless attitude is good or far too much of a burden. Is it even possible for a being to be _too_ heartless? Find out and draw those conclusions! All reviews and feedback are most welcome!  
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* * *

><p>Revenge was in the air. As thick as the school's rubble, the hate was thick amongst the six combatants. "Ironic, yes? I should be standing on the side of the Angels…and you should belong <strong>here<strong>; with your own kind. A demon you shall forever be: Cloakmaster Ankoku!" ruptured Orion with every form of despise, unsheathing Silver Wind; his blade of unpredictability.

"So you are a demon? How come we didn't notice?" wondered Panty out loud.

"Hahahaha! Without the slightest idea, you don't know who stands before you? He's nearly as worse as Satan himself!" Scanty exclaimed, laughing at first.

"Damn. Can that even be possible?" voiced out Stocking, looking at Tojiro.

"Lucifer's been dead for years. There's a new lord in that pit of crap now." Tojiro responded in a ruthless yet, controlled tone.

"How…dreadful of you. Such news shouldn't even be spoken to US!" roared Kneesocks in offense.

"Now, now Kneesocks-san. Your face is turning red like a beetroot." Scanty advised with a nervous expression.

"My apologies. I just…blush easily." Kneesocks included, staring her head the other way.

"Regardless of how you see this situation, those Angels shouldn't be so clueless to side with _you_." Orion spoke in a dreadful form of enlightenment.

"There's no point of confining it any longer, Orion. They're just that pathetic." Scanty motivated with a devilish smile.

"Their opinions mean nothing." Tojiro voiced out.

The two Demons and Bounty Hunter silenced and were left shocked.

"Whether I'm a pest and a foe or an ally and partner; their factual opinions are not of my concern. No one's concern…_**can alter who I am**_." Tojiro continued, pointing the Blade of Darkness forward.

The two Angels looked from Tojiro at each other. Orion's chuckle sent a message to the two Angels to send their glares back forward.

"Truly surprising I must say. Anyway, I suppose I should have expected you to say so much….yet, it means no more." responded the renegade, his Silver Wind blade becoming surrounded with a riveting azure aura.

"Stocking?" Panty said, holding her left hand out.

Stocking smiled and nodded in assurance. Stocking slipped off both her panties and her other stocking with one hand. She tossed Panty her underwear, changing it into another Backlace. Stocking stood ready with both Stripes I and II. The Cloakmaster of Darkness readily prepared the Blade of Darkness with a crimson red aura, while removing Black Death from its holster using his left hand.

Together, a demented Demigod with two Angels against a vengeance obsessed bounty hunter and two Demons. Quaint? No. Spectacular. The smoke of hesitation drifted across the scene. However, darkness encompassed all. It was as if the world's regrets gave birth to this darkness. Tojiro turned around, seeing both Panty and Stocking; dead on the ground. Bullet holes in Panty's body, and the demon weapon of Kneesocks impaled through Stocking. Tojiro turned forward, a gigantic black dragon hand grabbed him. He was lifted up, facing his Dragon in the eyes. A mist of red mixed with actual fire steamed out from the Dragon's mouth.

"Friendship? You…don't deserve such a luxury! All that awaits you dear Cloakmaster…_**IS DARKNESS!**_" his demonic voice thundered, pulling Tojiro into its mouth.

In the world of a dreadful reality, Tojiro sat up in a large bed, grabbing the neck of Panty. He was in his human form. Tojiro looked at Panty, having Xs on her eyes. He quickly retracted his arm in panic.

"God! What in the world is up with you! And I just got you in here too!" Panty acknowledged with annoyance.

Tojiro leaped out of Panty's bed, landing in front of the door, forcing it open, running down the left hall. He jumped off the top step, landing on the floor of another hall. He sprinted down it, skidding to a halt at the entrance to the kitchen. Stocking looked with a pair of curious eyes. A table full of sweets sat in front of her.

"Good lord. Just what happened?" asked the desperate Tojiro.

"You freaking IDIOT!" shouted Panty, smashing Tojiro in the back of the head with Chuck, causing the insignificant pet to fling towards the table of sweets.

He conveniently opened his mouth, but Stocking sent a barrage of ten fist punches with her left hand then, used her left foot to kick Chuck into the garbage can.

"You just dropped onto the ground back at the beach. Were you drunk or something?" Panty questioned annoyingly, her hands on her hips.

"Nothing but a bad nightmare, huh?" perceived the relieved Cloakmaster, taking in a desperate breath of oxygen.

"Eh? So he's finally awake?" Stocking interceded, getting up from her table.

"Duh! Are those heavy emo eyes of yours making you blind? And if you haven't noticed, he's damn near hot!" Panty motioned over to Stocking, whispering in her last sentence.

"You really are a troublesome angel, Panty." whispered back her sister.

"Excuse me." spoke up the Demigod.

"Yes, honey? I mean! What do you need?" stumbled Panty, assuming her flattery needed a shorter leash.

"Which one of you dragged me back here?" he asked with a glazed stare.

"That would be me." said Garterbelt, suddenly appearing behind Tojiro.

In response of his reflexes, Tojiro flexed his right arm and punched Garterbelt in the face, launching him through a window that led outside.

"Amazing! I never thought of being able to do that. Hey, you should try it sometime, right Stocking?" said Stocking's villain of a sister.

Stocking kept her _interested_ eyes _interestingly_ set on the Cloakmaster. Tojiro tilted his head at the table of sweets. He walked around the left, staring down at some chocolate and vanilla flavored pudding cakes. Tojiro sighed, reaching his right hand down. Stocking readied Stripes I immediately, charging at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster grabbed the angelic blade by the side with his right hand, giving both Panty and Stocking a surprised look at his cybernetic arm and hand.

"You have a guest at the table…Miss Stocking." Tojiro grumbled, pulling up Chuck from under the table, one of the pudding cakes in his mouth.

He dropped the indecent little mongrel, letting it scurry out of the kitchen, believing luck has finally shined down upon him; at least just for this moment in his lifetime.

Tojiro exited the house for a brief, much indebted breath of air. His nightmares have shown many diabolical and horrific things but, after going through such a battle at the beach, and finding out it was nothing but a hallucination brought the Demigod of Death a tiresome feeling. Even by the moment he crashed down and interrupted the volleyball match between the Angel and Demon Sisters, everything afterwards was nothing but fake. Hapless was the perfect label, but unorthodox suits it more comfortably. Tojiro stood out on the patch of grass alone. No wind breezed by. The Cloakmaster took a look at his left arm, feeling a numb sensation stampeding its way down to his fingertips. A tightened glare formed on his face.

"HEY! Are you leaving?" cried out Panty, strolling over to the Cloakmaster.

Bothersome. That's what he felt when he slowly turned around to face the Fallen Angel.

"I'm merely catching a breath. I don't have a heart to assist the workings of my lungs. Not like you would understand." answered the bothered demon.

"Ahhh, so that's what your problem is. You're just a very lonely guy, eh? You should come back inside." Panty persuaded in a pestering voice, coiling her right arm around his left.

Tojiro flashed with Chaos Control, appearing ten feet ahead of her in response.

"What the?! H-he-hey! How in the hell did you that," she called out, noticing Tojiro was walking to the left.

"Stop already you deaf ass emo kid!" Panty added with great acknowledgements, running after him.

After approaching him with only a few feet more between them, Tojiro tiredly let out a dull sigh.

"Halt! Before you breath another word, what is making you so persistent to even _stop me_? Huh?" he persistently motivated himself to ask.

"Don't try and make me look like an idiot! You're the one who got your idiotic ass knocked unconscious right in front of us!" protested the Angel vigorously.

"It wasn't a responsibility of yours to help me anyway. You're one of too many who helped me out…and now you'll pay for it." Tojiro instigated with a harsh voice.

Panty was left obscenely confused by Tojiro's words. They were spoke to her with his back turned to her, making him even more incoherent than he was when he first arrived.

"If you are so desperate to keep me here, then I will drop you here and now with one swing of my sword. No regrets. No ill fates." he progressed violently.

"Me and my sister helped you out dammit! And besides, I wasn't suppose to tell you this but-"

"Panty!" called out Stocking's voice from behind. Panty was quick to turn around, but Tojiro was hesitant, only turning around half way, staring at Panty's sister with negligence.

"If you're so smart Panty, just make a deal with him. You damn bonehead." calmly advised the goth.

"A deal? I see! I get it; so here's the plan! You and I are going to spar! You win, you can do whatever the hell you want! If I win, you're going to stay here! _With me!_" Panty declared with a smirking face throughout the entire proposal. Tojiro unsheathed the Blade of Darkness with his right hand, turning to face Panty immediately.

"If such a thing is offered…I'll accept it…with honor and respect." answered the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Both Panty and Tojiro stood fifteen foot apart from each other. They were far enough from the house, and where Stocking stood to simply observe. Tojiro stood with the Blade of Darkness impaled into the ground, using it to lean to the left. Panty stood, readying herself in a sprinting stance.

"Tell me, is it really easy to satisfy someone like you?" Tojiro wondered in question.

"_He already has her figured out? I'm…surprised? Or? Forget it._" Stocking observed in thought.

Panty shot forward with tremendous speed. Tojiro kicked the heel of his right foot on the ground. A large wall of earth rose up in front of Panty at the last second, causing her to smash right into it.

"Wow. Nice one…_bitchy_." side-noted Anarchy Stocking.

Tojiro lowered the wall, charging forward with haste. He kept the Blade of Darkness impaled into the ground, tearing through the ground as he ran. Panty, already prepared with Backlace, fired ten rounds with an intense firing rate. Tojiro heavily swung the Blade of Darkness out of the earth, causing a humongous tidal wave of glowing red earth to swarm out of the ground. Its shadow towered to an over imagined degree. Panty performed a massive leap backwards.

A spin dashing hedgehog transformed Tojiro broke through the center of the earth wall, causing the entire mass to splinter into hundreds of pieces. Panty fired several shots, however, they only bounced off. Noticing that the Blade of Darkness was sticking forward and being continuously spun forward and under, Panty took to the air. Tojiro smashed into the ground, carving through the earth with a loud ringing shriek. Panty released fifteen more shots.

Seven of the fifteen hit Tojiro on spot, but still he rose to his feet, acting like he was never even hit. Tojiro stuck the Blade of Darkness into the ground, leaving it behind to rocket himself into the air. Panty kicked Tojiro in the face, quickly raising up both her arms to block a fierce counterattack by Tojiro with both of his Chaos energized fists. Panty soared down to the ground, luckily being able to land on her feet.

"Holy shit!" she panted, looking at the burns on her arms.

Tojiro landed on the ground far away from Panty. He pointed both his arms into the sky, then began swinging them forward in fierce intervals of speed. Panty leaped to the left, rolling to a halt, firing five rounds from Backlace. Tojiro took two shots in the chest, and three in his left arm. His orange pupils quenched themselves in agony, causing him to grab it in response.

With his head lowered, the Fallen Angel leaped forward into action. Tojiro stunningly stood up, smashing a Giant Rasengan directly into Panty's stomach. Panty was sent shooting straight backwards through the air, directly at Stocking. Tojiro pointed his right hand forward, shooting a stream of wind to curve out to the right, approaching Stocking from her left. The gust of wind halted in front of Stocking, forming into what acted like a glove, catching Panty in time.

The wind vanished to safely drop Panty on the ground. Tojiro stared up into the sky, watching a red flash shine through the clouds. His eyes flashed as well. Tojiro stomped his hands on the ground, then rose them up, pointing his hands at Panty and Stocking's house. Immediately, a large dome of rock sprang out of the ground, protecting Panty and Stocking on the inside. While remaining outside, Tojiro ran up the dome, reaching the very top. He used the earth from the center of his footing to grow around his feet, keeping him locked. Tojiro lifted his head to the sky, releasing two streams of purple Chaos Lightning out of the palms of his hands. The red beam rammed down into the lightning streams, causing multiple bolts of electricity to spit out in all directions.

The force between the two Chaos energized beams resulted in an explosion of smoke in mid-air. Tojiro quickly leaped off in a back flip, dodging a single sharpened beam of purple Chaos energy. He dug his clawed right hand into the rock, slowly halting on the side of the earth dome. His crinkled eyes looked up at the center at the top of the dome, he saw one of the Nine Hell Gods. Silver hair. Blood red eyes that were as cold as the North Wind. With her hood lowered stood Kuro Senso; the Hell God that rules over the Eighth Circle of Hell, Fraud.

* * *

><p>Tojiro was forced to jump back, landing on the ground away from the house. Kuro tapped her right foot on the ground, causing the entire earth barrier to vanish in a multitude of small yellow lights. Kuro stormed down through the air, down at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro took a single step forward, immediately turning sideways to jump to the left. Kuro was grabbed by the throat and tossed into the earth after Tojiro swung himself back around. Kuro was quick to wave her right hand to block a Chaos Punch by Tojiro.<p>

She waved her left hand, then her right three times, and her left hand once more to block over fifteen of swift Chaos Punches Tojiro sent at her. After that last single punch, Kuro did a handstand using only her right hand. In this position she kicked Tojiro directly across the right side of his face to toss him directly across the ground, carving through the earth to create a mound of deep brown dirt once he halted. Tojiro rose out of the earth, shaking his head to remove the dirt from the top of his head.

"You gonna' be all right?!" shouted out Stocking with concern.

"Never mind me! Head inside the house, and stay inside!" he demanded, jumping off the ground to turn around and fire a humongous fire ball of orange and crimson from his mouth.

Kuro slapped her hands together, pointing them forward to slice the fire ball completely in half. Tojiro lunged forward, smashing his right knee into the ground. The earth beneath Kuro catapulted her over the house, and far towards Daten City. Preparing himself in his hedgehog form, Tojiro reached back for the Nightmare Scythe. Wielding it in his right hand, Tojiro released surges of fire from underneath his feet to fire himself across the sky.

With Kuro far up ahead, Tojiro pointed the Nightmare Scythe. The blade curved forward to appear in the shape of a spear, immediately releasing tendrils of dark red Chaos energy. Kuro swung herself around in an elegant fashion, releasing missile sized blue Chaos Spears to fire out from her simple motions. The black red tendrils combated with the Chaos Spears in a flurry of shining flames and smoke, however, by it's end the streams of tendrils still moved on.

Kuro's eyebrows slightly raised. There were seven that impaled Kuro, forcing her to be shunned down from the skies. Her body was forced to crash onto a building roof, snapping through the structure to create a series of cracks. Tojiro charged down with the Nightmare Scythe held off to the right. He landed with both his feet to Kuro's left and right, but she was able to halt Tojiro forcing the blade into her chest. With his orange pupils gone, they were filled with glowing bright red hatred. Kuro suddenly warped away with Chaos Control. She reappeared at the other end of the building charging towards the Cloakmaster. Tojiro heinously swung the Nightmare Scythe from the right and all the way to the left, releasing a huge swath of bright red Chaos energy from the slash.

Kuro was forced to keep moving. She simply took a forceful stance with her left foot forward, waving both her hands to skewer the blast in half. Tojiro was already behind her, kicking her in the back of the head, also releasing a monstrous stream of flames from under his foot. The blast echoed down through the earth, forcing Kuro to crash down three floors until bouncing off the floor and being tossed out the closest window. Descent was her position now.

Her eyes caught sight of Tojiro who was already charging down the building by simply running down it with super speed. Kuro turned herself towards the ground, flapping her arms once to cause herself to shoot straight up. Tojiro was able to leap forward at the precise time to jab the Nightmare Scythe forward with deadly intent. Kuro surprisingly caught wind of his desperate attack, having to create an orb shaped barrier in front of her belly. The blade of the Nightmare Scythe was still able to cut through her shield and impaled her in the stomach.

Tojiro released shots of fire from the jets under his feet to shoot across the sky. Tojiro roared at the top of his lungs with undying anger. He wasn't even aware of where he was traveling. At the final point in time, they crashed straight through a large billboard sign on the top of a building, causing both to tumble and roll across the concrete roof. Kuro unnecessarily found herself slamming against a small water tower, but soon that pain accelerated once Tojiro sprinted forward to pin Kuro against it by impaling the Cloakmaster of War in the chest one more time. Only wearing a steel hardened face of hate, Tojiro's grit remained clear as to how disturbed he was by Kuro's sudden appearance.

Kuro remained with a cold glare, forgetting that the large blade of the Nightmare Scythe was dug neatly through her body. The spilling water from the water container was mixing with Kuro's spilling blood, hugging around Tojiro's feet, rippling in affect.

"What idiocy has brought your presence to confront mine? You best not harm those two Angels back there, they have nothing to do with your, OR Akuma's motives!" barked the furious demon.

"You misunderstand," she voiced in a cold tone, vanishing in a white mist.

Tojiro pulled the Nightmare Scythe back, looking behind himself; nothing. He turned to the right, taking into account to look up in a diagonal direction. He saw Kuro's cloak covered body wander away. Tojiro growled in anger, leaping up from the ground to land on the building roof. Tojiro widened his eyes. He swung the Nightmare Scythe like a windmill in one spin to block a stray stream of purple Chaos energy. Kuro stood on the other side of the building rooftop.

"Yumi! Do not-" his outrage was silenced when he had to spin the Nightmare Scythe one more time to deflect three more streams of lightning quick Chaos energy.

Kuro walked forward, stretching her right hand out, as well as her legs bent to steady her stance, releasing a large black beam with a red core running through the middle. Tojiro pointed the Nightmare Scythe outward, consuming all the Chaos energy into the godly weapon. Kuro stood back into a normal stance, frankly surprised by such an action.

Tojiro lowered the unfathomable scythe of death, allowing Kuro an upper hand. She swung her arms left and right, releasing slashes of purple Chaos energy with every swing. With each swing, she put a foot forward to get closer. Tojiro angrily swung the Nightmare Scythe left and right, and any other direction that would slice the vicious attacks Kuro stubbornly delivered. At one final point, she only stood three feet away with Tojiro still in the middle of spinning the Nightmare Scythe. She covered her hands in purple Chaos energy, and stuck them forward to keep her fingers together. Tojiro prepared to strike.

Kuro moved forward, and from there it diverted into slow motion. The Chaos energy that was of a poison Chaos energy, she made it vanish. In surprise and shock, the Cloakmaster of War kneeled down to embrace the Cloakmaster of Darkness in a warming grip. Tojiro readied the Nightmare Scythe, but her grip tightened to hold him closer. Tojiro grunted, staring to the left. Her head laid past his. Her cold eyes were reverted to a gaze of concern. Her eyebrows were slightly raised and her eyes were hardly even open, showing a warming side of her character. Tojiro pointlessly lowered the glowing Nightmare Scythe.

"I…only came to speak with you. Odd…is it not?" her tender voice spoke.

Tojiro remained with an anxious glare. The flowing red that shined in his empty eyes vanished, giving back his orange pupils in the white of his regular vision. Kuro pulled away from the hug, her hands grasped onto the cloaked hedgehog's shoulders. A smile…and tears of blood was present on her face.

"I've came to tell you…of a desperate warning." spoke the female Cloakmaster with honesty.

"Warning? W-w-why would you come to-" he spoke, only to halt his words once Kuro stood up and walked past him.

Tojiro turned around with a slow effort, keeping the Nightmare Scythe lowered. Kuro wiped her face, surprisingly keeping her stagnant emotions strong.

"Earth. Please return there." spoke the lonesome Cloakmaster.

Tojiro reverted to his human form immediately, not taking a single thought of regret to hold within himself.

"Akuma is settling his own disputes amongst myself and the other Hell Gods. They're all waiting…_**for you**_." Kuro revealed in an unsightly mood, turning around with a determined look on her face.

Tojiro magnetized the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, turning his gaze back to Kuro, and with his arms crossed it was obvious he stood fearless.

"It's nothing of someone like you to worry over…but nevertheless, you must return to Earth. You know what shall happen afterwards. Right? Tojiro-kun?" Kuro continued with heart and virtue.

"Even so…why did you hardly even put up a fight? Why Yumi?" Tojiro questioned with low validity.

"Because…no matter this world has thrown at you…you've never gave up. And…I've always admired that about you." spoke Tojiro's dear past love.

Stubbornly, Tojiro remained with a distrustful look. Either Kuro's words meant nothing to him…or he truly didn't care to begin with. Kuro removed her smile, turning full way towards the Cloakmaster of Darkness ahead of her.

"You know what shall happen once I make it to Charon's vessel. It's a one way trip. And you better know for sure that I will not turn back." he warned in a heavy tone.

"You think I don't know that? I knew that ever since you first confronted Akuma." she noted, walking towards the Cloakmaster.

"Yumi…you and I both know what _will_ happen when I reach the Eighth Circle. No matter what, I shall k-" he was cut off after Yumi approached him to entice his thoughts and erase them with a voluptuous kiss.

She pressed her lips hard against his. She tenderly grabbed his face with both her hands, her head alternating slowly left to right and so on. Finally she split from the Cloakmaster of Darkness who was left with a deathly glare. Yumi vanished out of Chaos Control, avoiding a Rasengan he already had prepared in his right hand. With quickness did he spin around to see Yumi standing with her back turned to him.

"Yumi!" he barked, vanishing the Rasengan from his hand. Slowly did she look over her shoulder, her eyes turned into a solemn grimace.

"Then I'll just have to put up a worth while fight for you. Sayonara…Tojiro-kun. I'll see you in the Eighth Circle…if you can make it of course." Yumi spoke in dread, vanishing in a small cyclone of violet Chaos energy.

Tojiro was left with a demented feeling. Except this one completely varied in every shape, way and form. A woman he had fell in love with in the past; would fall by his hands. She's one of the Hell Gods…would it even matter to the Cloakmaster? Left with his spirit in shrewd tatters, he created a red Chaos Portal by waving his right hand. In seconds did he step forth into its spinning confusion, heading back to our dear planet. Did he truly care? Did his purpose and motivation really matter more than his own disputed feelings? Before he stepped into the portal, his expression had the answer; **and it was a yes**.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-Tojiro sits on a bed alone inside the Yokohama Landmark Tower. "A message sent," -Haruhi Suzumiya arrives in the room wearing her eponymous black bunny girl outfit. "A message of war burning," -Tojiro looks to the side of his bed. A wrapped up tuxedo awaits.- "Tojiro's grandest night is here."

"With the claiming of the Nightmare Scythe and this so-called _Hope_, Tojiro is honored at a party for his courageous defense of North High School." -A whimpering Mikuru in a red bunny girl outfit stands in embarrassment as Haruhi chuckles.- -Tojiro, dressed in his suit while in Hedgehog Form looks up at a smirking Tsuruya whilst amongst a group of guests in formal regalia.-

"The burning hope: His greatest wisdom has yet to be contemplated." -Amongst the guests the group splits in two awaiting one final guest for the evening.- "Tojiro is heartfelt...in a heartless body by one last commendable act."

-A beautifully dressed Kasumi Moriko bows in response to Tojiro's very own bow.- "One last day is all the Cloakmaster ever needed, all he needs is one last dance..."

-In shock, Tojiro witnesses Yoko Littner in a wonderfully fitting black dress that tightly reaches down to her knees, along with a golden ring around her wrists.-

"Tojiro must not only extend his hand, but his will: As he prepares for a war unlike any other." -Yoko's hair is let free, curling down are her crimson bangs.-

"A night to remember is this day: A knight in a Nightshade. This is the final day:"

-In the rapture of the sunset from afar, with an enticing orchestra playing in the background, the silhouettes of Tojiro and Yoko begin to dance.-

"The night where the end begins..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LIV: BOUND FOR CELEBRATION  
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	54. Chapter LIV

_****_**CHAPTER LIV: BOUND FOR CELEBRATION  
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**READ THIS PLEASE! This chapter is indeed a special one. At the point you reach the paragraph that starts below the horizontal line there is a song playing in the background. Said song was chosen by me after a short hunt across Youtube. The song later of course takes center stage in a dance. In accordance, personally, listening to the song will make this chapter much more better in sense and scale. The name of the piece is: "Fields of Tranquility." Written before it is "Royalty Free Music #132. ALL CREDIT goes to that Youtube user for THEIR creation of the song. I claim NOTHING to it at all.  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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**The fourth segment in the "Last Days" Arc is here. Half of the day is gone and now the Cloakmaster of Darkness must prepare his will and body for what will be his last day on Planet Earth. If at all before the end of Saga I this scene is definitely my favorite. The thought of spending your last day on Earth before HAVING to fight through Hell's Nine Circles to stop them from invading humanity leaves me breathless. What would you feel? All reviews and feedback are most welcome!  
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_**Present Timeline, Yokohama Landmark Tower, 3:30 pm**_

A week had passed since Tojiro returned to Earth from Daten City. Plans had came down from friends that his so-called action of protecting North High School and the rest of Japan in the past has summoned a party that he _supposedly_ deserves. He wasn't contrite at all. He was just annoyed. _Just_. Even as he sat atop the humongous roof of the massive structure in the city of Yokohama, he remained quarreled. Wrong time, yet the perfect place. It seemed fair and square to him that such an event should be held. However, knowing that this sudden partaking through the Nine Circles would be soon, it didn't give any reason to feel joyful nor, respected. Like it mattered, correct? On the very roof of the Yokohama Landmark Tower, a large set of preparations were in the making.

Small light posts with stringed up Japanese themed lamps were tied in-between them. The party would begin at sunset. Perhaps that was the only good thought he could come up with! The sunset of course! How he respects and enjoys the sunset is far beyond imagination. It is curious isn't it? Where is the Cloakmaster anyway? Through all the long tables, drinks and delicacies being prepared and set by a vast majority of skilled patrons, Tojiro was found inside a room, sitting on a bed. Yes he was lonesome, but honestly it was the feeling of this entire party that continued to scratch at his nerves like a cat trying to play a violin.

"TOJIRO! Good afternoon!" shrieked Haruhi Suzumiya, standing proudly in the doorway.

Tojiro lazily looked over his shoulder, causing them to widen to a freakish length. Haruhi, along with Mikuru Asahina and Yuki Nagato, were all in bunny girl outfits. Black for Haruhi. Red for Mikuru. White for Yuki.

"All of you are fools. You realize that, correct?" he answered in an orderly fashion.

"Do not feel so ashamed Tojiro. I'm sure it's all for the sake of the country. That's all." said Itsuki Koizumi, coming into the room wearing a tuxedo.

"He's right. If I were Tojiro, I'd just get up and leave. And why did you force me to get dressed for this, huh?" exclaimed Kyon, facing Haruhi.

"Of course that suit fits you! Right? Mikuru?" nudged Haruhi to the innocent and sheepish.

"Hey guys! You need to come outside and help!" called the voice from outside in the hall.

The group moved away to reveal Tsuruya arriving, wearing a yellow bunny girl outfit.

"You're all idiots. Seriously." Tojiro added with impatience, forcing himself to tiredly stretch his bones by rising to his feet.

"Get dressed in your suit already Tojiro! All the decorations and food is almost ready! Remember, the entire frontier of the Japanese economy will be meeting you! So don't screw it up! The SOS Brigade shall succeed!" voiced the valiant Brigade Leader.

"Yeah. Just leave before I decide to jump out this window." responded the loathing Demon Demigod.

"You got it! Everyone, let's hurry! Outside to the party!" commanded Haruhi, forcing everyone out of the room, then shutting it closed, sending Tojiro one last warm smile before sealing it shut.

Lonesome once more. Tojiro looked down on the pillow on the bed. A packaged up tuxedo left for him. It was delivered earlier in the day…and let's just say his face was shocked when he was expected to wear one. Regarding his complaints, Tojiro dashed them away and reached for the packaged suit, preparing for his last night on our world.

Sunset had fallen. The sky was a mix of brilliant orange and eye catching purple. On the large roof, a slew of party-goers wandered. Champagne and wine was an obvious sight to see being held by many of the guest. However, Haruhi and the rest of her bunny girl squad were the waitresses. There are some uneven lines to be drawn, sure. However, it seems the budget may have been low. Throughout the crowd, several were looking down, clearing a path for the Cloakmaster.

He exited the crowd in his hedgehog form. Even in his hedgehog form, Tojiro managed to change to boundaries and change the suit's size to fit his hedgehog form's body. He had already met with wealthy businessman, famous artisans, important religious figures, and government attuned people. It was interesting for him, but 'interesting' was the only word on his tree of vocabulary that he only managed to pick off. His eyes were empty of his orange irises and black pupils, giving him somewhat of a relentless image. Isn't that suppose to be an obvious fact or a natural one?

Tsuruya stopped in front of him with a serving dish with a set of champagne glasses on it. Tojiro looked up with confusion but, a much more feeling of misunderstanding appeared in his eyes. He took one of the glasses and gulfed it down in one drink. He set it back on the dish Tsuruya was carrying.

"Tasty isn't it?" Tsuruya persisted with her unbeatable smile.

"You can't even begin to imagine how many drinks I've already had…and yet it fails to drunken me. It's just like drinking water." responded the demon in annoyance.

"So you are enjoying yourself! How cute!" noted the girl in the bunny suit, standing back up straight to walk off through the crowd.

"What nonsense." he grumbled, strolling off to one of the tables of food.

He researched closely after approaching one. He decided to pass, turning to the left only to end up with a surprised response.

* * *

><p>A bento being held right in front of his face. He looked up to see it was the young Kasumi Moriko. She was dressed in a long silver dress that fluffed out after passing her waist. Her long raven blue hair was tied into a delicate ponytail that halted at the middle of her back. Her ponytail was tied with a glittering gold bow. Her lips were painted with a light pink lipstick that showed vividly. It was just enough to cause the orange pupils in Tojiro's eyes to reappear, and once they did; they appeared rather frozen, or impressed.<p>

"You think it's too much?" asked the Shade Priestess. Tojiro shook his head, sighing in contrast.

"You presented yourself wonderfully, Miss Kasumi. Trust me. You already impressed me…which is difficult just to say." admitted the Cloakmaster, keeping his voice at what he called, a _stable_ level.

Kasumi looked off to the side, a hint of pink blush riveting on both her cheeks.

"So why stay in your hedgehog form? I'm sure many of the people here would want to see you as a human." Kasumi asked in curiosity.

"Actually the reason is because a lot of people noticed me fighting in this form the most. And with all the bruises, scars and damage my body took when in human form, it wouldn't be so pretty to appear half-dead. It's rather impetuous if you ask me." Tojiro continued, kindly taking the bento Kasumi was holding.

"What about that necklace Yoko gave you? Are you still wearing it?" asked Kasumi, kneeling forward.

"Indeed. Right here." Tojiro replied in assurance, holding up the skull icon from behind the white button shirt he wore under the suit section.

"Oh! I must apologize Tojiro! I didn't mean to mention her so suddenly!" Kasumi responded in a desperate search for forgiveness.

"You have no reason to be so tragic Kasumi. I know she's all right wherever she's healing at. I trust her with you, remember?" Tojiro spoke assertively once more, putting the necklace back down into his shirt.

"Y-y-Y-Yes! Of course. Thank you!" bowed the Shade Priestess.

"Okay, okay. No bowing! You're important to this whole party as well. Don't make yourself look foolish." he insisted, nudging her shoulder to make her stand back up.

"What do you mean, Tojiro-san?" she responded with her eyebrows raised.

"It's obvious priestess. You assisted me this far, so you deserve as much respect than I'm receiving. Don't be so foolish." explained the serious Cloakmaster, beginning to eat the contents from Kasumi's bento. It was meant as a caring voice…and so as she watched the Cloakmaster take his pick of food, she couldn't be any happier for how much kindness the Demigod has given to her.

"Tojiro…I truly have enjoyed being able to meet you." Kasumi spoke up, feeling prominent. Tojiro looked up at her with a differed expression. Kasumi opened up her glimmering eyes that shined like stars.

"_**I loved being able to be in the presence of such a determined being. I truly do. I…I really enjoyed being by your side…Tojiro-kun**_." spoke the priestess, all in the name of kindness.

Tojiro lowered the bento, tilting his head at the shimmering girl's eyes.

"You are entirely welcome…_**my close friend**_." responded the Cloakmaster, bowing to her.

Everyone watched the scene, all appearing to grow happy faces and interested ones. Kasumi bowed back to the Cloakmaster, hiding back her joyful tears with all she could.

An hour and a half into the celebratory event, Tojiro wandered his way to an open scene where a ring of guests were gathering. A spellbinding orchestra of instruments chimed their sound. Tojiro stopped, staring from left to right at all the clapping guests at the wonderful music playing through their ears.

"Now this is bothersome." he mumbled in response, placing his hands in his pockets.

Voices suddenly arose up, turning around to have their attention grabbed by the rivets. Tojiro took in a loathing sigh. He felt annoyed, and he would only feel bothered to actually turn to see what everyone else's commotion was about.

"Tojiro! Turn around already! Your _**date**_ is here!" called out Haruhi with a sharpened smile.

"That damn girl. What in the hell are you chanting abo-" went the speechless Cloakmaster, turning around halfway to eat Haruhi's words; even though he hated it to admit she was right verbally.

The crowd of people created a clearing path to reveal the stunningly dressed Yoko Littner. She sported a pure black dress, high heels to match her seemingly perfect outfit that fit nicely around her form that stopped just above her knees. Two gold wrings were worn around the wrists of both her hands.

Her long red hair was left down, streaming in a swaying motion down to her lower back. Tojiro remained at a halfway turned position, his eyebrows being raised. His helpless blank eyes appeared rather surprised. He almost looked like a frightened ghost the way he was staring at Yoko. The party continued, leaving fate up to fate. Yoko lowered her expression, walking forward through the cleared path the meet the frozen stiff Demigod. His orange pupils readily appeared in his eyes, looking up at Yoko's face.

"Hey there…Tojiro." she greeted with a warm smile from her scarlet lips that endured the secret feelings deep inside her heart.

"Greetings. I'm glad to see you're all right. You are, aren't you?" he voiced in equal kindness.

"Trust me Tojiro, ever since I've been able to use Chaos energy…I have had nothing to worry about. Knowing you of course helped me through the pain." Yoko replied instinctively.

"Yeah…I'm glad you believed in your recovery Yoko. I respect your bravery greatly."

"You definitely know every angle and corner about being respectful don't you? Then would you care to do me one more favor?" she requested, crouching down to grab his right hand, pulling it up with both her hands. He glared down at the hand she kept cupped with hers.

"Would be as kind to lend me…**one dance**?" voiced her honest riveting eyes of golden sun.

Tojiro's eyes remained stagnant, looking directly at her glimmering golden stars of kindness. Nothing could prepare Tojiro for this feeling in his spirit, nothing.

"Indeed…we shall." he responded, nodding in response.

Yoko's eyes turned to a dreamy stare, actually shedding joyful tears that spelled happiness. Yoko pulled Tojiro into a warming embrace, holding him close.

"You've always been a kind man to me Tojiro. I don't believe it matters what people call you…you're still such a diligent and loving friend. Even if you hate to admit it…you've made a lot of people love you." Yoko whispered in caring memoriam to the past memories they both shared together.

"Yoko…" mumbled the irate Demigod.

Yoko suddenly watched Tojiro hover off the ground, hovering directly to her height when she stood up. The open dance floor called their names. Tojiro and Yoko went hand in hand into the middle of the area where no one else stood. On every angle and direction, people turned to watch the duo.

The music from the players whistled into the air. A breezing sound of bliss, the stringing of violins, and the careful timing of a piano whisked through everyone's ears. Tojiro remained hovering off the ground, face to face with Yoko Littner who couldn't help but smile and laugh. The two moved side to side. Yoko's tender and beautiful legs pranced with precision across the stone. Tojiro spun Yoko around, giving her a warming feeling to laugh with heart. Yoko then spun Tojiro in response, making his eyes appear greatly embarrassed. Yoko giggled at his lonesome grumbling.

"You definitely know how to toy with someone's pride." noted the Cloakmaster, feeling troubled by Yoko's playful acts.

"And you know to reconcile with those problems, right?" she responded in truth, giving the Cloakmaster a rather shunned face, knowing she was right.

Tojiro spun her around once more with his left hand, catching her right hand with his, spinning her back to meet his gaze.

"And yet you manage to show no concern! I'm glad you're so brave in the face of a danger!" Yoko playfully stated.

"I have no worries when it comes to speaking with you, Miss Yoko. Believe it." he answered courteously.

"What do you mean?" responded the well dressed sharpshooter.

"A lot of things occurred in the moments we were separated from each other. I actually imagined I wouldn't know your face again, but I suppose I was just wrong for that _one_ moment." Tojiro explained, lightly giving Yoko a swing that made her side step around in a full circle until he grabbed hold of her left hand again.

"Tojiro…everyone has to feel guilty for their mistakes. That's why you accept them and move on. Wasn't it you who taught me that?"

"Yes, yes. Though such credit can't be tossed around like a prize. I earnestly give you enough credit and thanks to last more than a lifetime. Happy?" he voiced in a normal response, spinning her around one more time, letting the music slowly drown out from the wind.

Yoko laid her head on Tojiro's chest, holding her warm hands with his frozen, lifeless ones. Everyone around them that watched the spectacular dance clapped in excitement. Some shouted, others cheered, others whistled out with distinct commitment, and the applause was just enough to bare the moment between Tojiro and Yoko together. Tojiro dropped himself back onto the ground, still holdings Yoko's hands. She was bending over, happily smiling at the Cloakmaster's stern gaze.

"Tojiro…" she said, crouching down one more time.

"Uhh, Yoko? What are you…" he bickered.

Yoko grabbed both sides of his head, kissing him on the forehead, on the symbol of the Great Shade Empire. After a series of various seconds, she pulled her head back, embracing the Cloakmaster once more.

"**Thank you…**_**Tojiro-kun.**_" whispered the heart felt friend of the legendary demon in the backdrop sunset that turned their bodies into glorious silhouettes.

Tojiro remained speechless at her words, looking to the left at the side of her head. Yoko stood back up, walking the opposite way, keeping her head lowered and her hands cupped in front of her lower body. Tojiro was left alone. How ironically dreadful. As the party sank on for the rest of the night, Tojiro was left with only one thought as where he must go next to make his final preparation.

This night surprisingly changed him. It managed to change him to the point where his wisdom was _too_ astounding. He let thoughts of past and present endeavors circle around his mind, letting them develop into his so-called sinister and malevolent forms of belief. It didn't matter to him anyway. All that mattered was that this journey was finally going to come to an end. He would settle everything about his life by ending the life of his blood brother: Akuma Kyofu. Tojiro later fled the scene of the party to rendezvous at the location he promised to arrive at after the party: **Saichouji Temple**.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-Tojiro arrives at the temple doors of Saichouji Temple to a gray mist.- -Another scene displays Tojiro removing the skull necklace given to him by Yoko, wrapping it around his journal.- "One day, one night. Tojiro arrives at Saichouji Temple for the Chaos Portal to Hell's Shores of Acheron."

-Ryu stagnantly questions Tojiro as the pair walk in the moonlight.- "On this night of fear, Tojiro is driven only by vengeance,"

-Tojiro and Ryu arrive at the **Danda Cave**.- -They turn around to face a restless Kasumi Moriko, violated of her own breath after running the whole way.-

"The will of the Shade Priestess is all that keeps Tojiro from achieving what he wants most, what he demands most: Regardless of the world around him."

-Kasumi falls to her knees in disbelief, hopelessly hiccuping in cries.- "Kasumi refuses to give Tojiro appointment to following his way, his path that leads straight to Hell."

-Kasumi pounds the Demigod's chest as he crouches before her.- "Nothing can prepare Tojiro or even _**our** _world for the aftermath if Tojiro succeeds in murdering the Nine Hell Gods."

-Tojiro marches towards a huge crimson Chaos Portal that will lead him beyond the Gates of Hell itself.- "As one...hope and hatred influences the Cloakmaster onward to his tragic descent through the Blind World."

-Ryu and Kasumi watch, speechless. As the black silhouette of Tojiro marches on, he extends his right arm high and raises his thumb up.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_**Last Days Arc Finale  
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_****_**CHAPTER LV: BOUND FOR HELL  
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	55. Chapter LV

**CHAPTER LV: BOUND FOR HELL  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze, and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other character NAMES (since there are no other appearances in this chapter) belong to their respective creators/owners.  
><strong>

**The finale to the five part "Last Days" Arc reaches its climax. This night truly belongs to the Nightshade. One final meeting between friends is all that defines the meaning of Chapter 55 here. Tojiro has but only one ticket and no possible way back. He either ends Hell or Hell ends him. The time for the end of time's greatest legend of evil begins now...  
><strong>

_**Saichouji Temple, 11:45 pm**_

Dressed back in his normal attire, Tojiro heading for the front of Saichouji Temple. His plain black t-shirt, his baggy black cargo pants, and a pair of large black shoes to make it complete. Tojiro walked towards the temple doors, snapping his fingers in the process. A mist of black surrounded him, giving him his cloak back, as well as changing himself into his repaired human form. Tojiro pushed his way through the doors, taking a slow pace into the main room. A dreary mist of gray swarmed down from the ceiling, forming on the wooden floor in front of the Cloakmaster. Crossing his arms and expecting the obvious, Tojiro watched the mist dissipate to reveal Ryu Kaze.

"As if you were to arrive early, eh?" first spoke the Demigod of Death.

"True enough. Have you made the necessary preparations?" responded the real Nightshade.

"You have no reason to ask such a question. You already know the answer." barked the serious demon, unfolding his arms.

"And Yoko's with Ikko and the other nuns, correct?" asked the deathly demon, adamant to confirm something.

"Indeed they are. They're all with Miyako right now. You shouldn't have no worries."

"Good. That's good." responded the delirious Cloakmaster, turning his back to Ryu and walking out the front entrance.

Ryu hurried after him in a desperate walking motion. Tojiro walked onto the gravel, dragging his feet, much to Ryu's keen eye to notice things.

"So am I wrong to be worried right now? Or is it simply just me? Hmm, Ryu?" grumbled forth the Cloakmaster, actually turning around to face the real Nightshade.

Ryu halted by Tojiro's side, nodding his head. "I would say yes. Why? Are you actually concerned?" wondered the god, taking a quick glimpse at Tojiro.

"Not entirely…but somewhat. Why? Does that demoralize your logic? I'm not concerned for anyone but…" trailed off the Cloakmaster in confusion.

"You may give them your earnest goodbyes if you wish. It's not a curse to say farewell to friends. This you should at least be able to agree with, yes?" explained the god.

"So telling Yoko I'm going to Hell is being tender? Don't be so damn foolish, Ryu. I refuse to speak such a thing to her." responded the infuriated Demigod.

"Why only mention Yoko instead of the others? Hmmm?" pondered Ryu, making Tojiro far more annoyed.

"Keep _that_ determination up and, I'll make sure you remain in Hell forever."

"Isn't it one of your famous beliefs to share and speak a dreadful truth than telling a useless lie? I thought you hated lies?" Ryu pondered at Tojiro's perspective, showing no mercy.

"This time's quite different…it's just that you're too damn blind to see them." said the Cloakmaster of Darkness, walking away from the temple.

Ryu was swift to follow after him by simply hovering inches off the ground. Tojiro held his hands out. In a small flash of red, an orange box decorated with beautiful dragon carvings appeared. Ryu curiously stopped, hovering off to look at the box from an angle. Tojiro held the box in his left hand, "Take this for a moment." he demanded, forcibly shoving the box at Ryu.

He took hold of it, taking it from Tojiro's hand. In silence, Tojiro reached down his shirt to remove the skull necklace he had been wearing for so long. He then dug his right hand into the right pocket of his cloak, taking out his very dear journal. He busily wrapped the necklace around the journal, leaving the skull icon on the front. Tojiro held out his left hand, expecting Ryu to respond. The ancient god placed the orange box back on the demon's left palm. Tojiro flipped the box open with a flick of his thumb. It opened up in a quick motion. Tojiro took a solemn and distressful glare at his journal.

"It's been a many thousand centuries since you've been able to show such more care for this world. Including humanity itself, you have truly changed my friend. I must give you my respects for being so noble. Ryu stated in honesty.

Tojiro, without no final regret, placed the journal in the box then sealed it shut. "Nobility has nothing to do with my broken soul, Ryu. Believe it or not, I've strived to force humanity to answer its own problems. However…" the Demigod trailed off again.

"However?" Ryu insisted curiously.

"…I've never thought my own humanity would be at risk. Up until now…I just discovered that truth. It leaves a rather distasteful flavor in my mouth if I think about it for too long." willfully stated the shady demigod.

Ryu chuckled at his response. Tojiro held the box up, using Chaos Control on it. Without another thought to choose another path, the box had vanished without a trace. Tojiro slowly lowered his left arm down by his side, flipping his hood over his head to blacken his face, hiding the Cloakmaster's expression. Ryu and Tojiro faced forward, away from the temple.

"I have to say…you made getting these weapons a real pain. You do realize that, right?" questioned Tojiro without uncertainty.

"They will be needed to complete this quest, my friend. The blunt and unimaginable power of the Nightmare Scythe is unfortunately not enough to defeat the minions of Hell. Right?" the god retorted, managing his laughter under control.

"Never mind the past, Ryu. The journey begins here."

"So it shall. You have indeed came far, Cloakmaster Tojiro. I believe you will do what must be done." enacted the ancient god.

The two beings began to step forward, letting the eternal shine of the moon glow upon them. "**Let the next Great Pilgrimage…**_**begin**_." Tojiro quoted with determination and sincerity.

* * *

><p>His very spirit ravaged by the flames of his past, the memories of today forgotten, the storm in the future readying to explode and shine upon humanity; so began the final stage for the Cloakmaster of Darkness in his saga of pain and regret. Everything he has done…would be settled on this final day. The coming of the age would begin with one step towards a bleak, unimaginable world.<p>

Tojiro and Ryu left the temple grounds. For the Demigod of Death, it would be the final chapter to settle his nightmares all at once, once and for all. The path to his dark tomorrow awaited him on this road that seemed to illuminate with the ever watching moon above him. Nothing else could stop him…nothing else would cease him from achieving the life source that gave him reason to fight; **vengeance**. And on this day, he would finally begin its forgery.

Midnight had came. Tojiro and Ryu walked with patience towards a large cave in the distance. A long caged door ran in front of it. "This is it. **The Danda Cave**." Ryu awakened in a strict tone.

"It's one of the very few places closest to Hell. There's suppose to be a portal inside at the end, right?" urged the Demon Demigod.

"Indeed there is. One of the Chaos Hell Portals. They're only located in distinct places that host a sense of dread and evil." Ryu explained further.

"Then let us begin." Tojiro said, quickly running towards the cave.

As he ran, the hand of a being stuck out, aiming at the unaware Cloakmaster. A fierce stream of blue shot out from the hand. A pointed spear tip shaped on the front of the Chaos energy beam. Ryu quickly turned around, swinging the Golden Dragon Staff once to completely dissipate the beam. Tojiro heard the ringing noise that shrieked from the impact. Ryu held his legendary staff in his right hand, not surprised by who he saw. Tojiro watched as Ryu cleared Tojiro's line of vision, revealing Kasumi. She was dressed back into her priestess outfit and with her right hand extended out; her sweating face sent the Cloakmaster a disappointed glare.

Kasumi and Tojiro; two of the same civilization. Two people that have lived since the day they were born, and neither have failed life once. Tojiro remained with in a still stance, fully turning his way around to face the far away priestess. Kasumi in a fray charged directly at Tojiro, letting her long raven blue hair drift across the wind.

"Kasumi…why did you have to be so determined?" mumbled the Cloakmaster.

Kasumi sprinted by the silent Ryu without even looking at him. Kasumi stopped right in front of Tojiro, throwing a Chaos Punch at him. He surprisingly raised his right hand forward to halt it, dissipating the blue Chaos energy that revolved around her fist.

"You…you…why did you have to be so arrogant?" stuttered the grieving priestess, hiding her expression by keeping her head lowered.

"Lies have never been my strong point. That's why I never make promises." Tojiro said, feeling off topic.

"_YOU_ LIED!" screamed the tear strained priestess's face. Tojiro's face was left blank, yet left with sorrow on the inside.

Kasumi let her tears run freely, her grit tightened with anger, and her motive true.

"You can't go through the Nine Circles now! You…you still have to train! You have to train…with your Nightmare Form! That's what! You still need training!" she convinced herself, tugging Tojiro the other way.

He didn't move an inch, causing Kasumi to lose grip of his cold right hand. Tojiro retracted his arm back by his side, continuing to look at the saddened priestess.

"Kasumi…_**don't be so foolish**_." stated the Cloakmaster.

Kasumi was left with her heart drained of all moralities. It was as if someone beat it like a drum until no more sounds would echo out. She was left lifeless and cold, frozen by Tojiro's honest words. Kasumi completely turned herself to face the last Cloakmaster.

"I can tell how desperate you are to keep me here on Earth…but this is _it_. No more training. No more fear. No more regrets. **I'm going to Hell Kasumi.** You shall not stop me. I deeply…give you my apologies." gave the Cloakmaster in deep seriousness, hinting at no emotions.

The sadness gave to her legs, forcing Kasumi to drop to her knees, tears of ever-growing sadness pouring from her eyes.

"I…I…then, I'll come with you! I'll follow you to Hell! Just as long as-" she stopped, succumbing to the thought that whatever she would say would only be of a pointless and impossible dream.

Kasumi placed her hands on the ground, appealing to her overwhelming pain that forced it's weight upon her heart. She cried and hiccupped in the darkened night of tomorrow, her cheeks flushed, mixing with the demeaning tears that symbolized how successful her life truly was.

"Just don't go! Do you even know…how many people you're letting down? How much disappointment you're bringing them! EVERYONE! They've trusted you the very moment you met them! Yoko! Tsukune! Kokoa! Moka! Kurumu! Simon! Hakufu! Kan'u! Gentoku! Ryomou! Haruhi! Yuto! Himari! Naruto! My father! _**ME!**_ All their dreams; YOU'RE DESTROYING ALL THE TRUST AND LOVE WE GAVE YOU!" screamed forth the crying girl, rising to her feet.

Tojiro's orange pupils were left widened in sheer disbelief. He was left dumbfounded for how the Shade Priestess knew so many names of so many kind and amazing people he met in the past.

"Kasumi…"

Kasumi ran right into Tojiro, embracing the much taller Cloakmaster. She gripped his ebony cloak, keeping the right side of her face pressed against it. Her eyes were struck with devastation, and no matter how hard she tried to seal her eyes; sadness still managed to slip through.

"I refuse to lose someone like _you_! You and I are the only true survivors of the Great Shade Empire, right? You said it yourself! You lied about that too, you made me that promise! You believed in me…**and I believed in you!**" she ruthlessly shouted, refusing to open her burning eyes.

Hesitation was only a convenience in his arsenal now. No power in his mind, body, or spirit could reprehend this situation.

"Kasumi…I want you to hear my final words…_**they're only meant for you to hear**_." the Demigod of Death proposed willingly.

"I WON'T! I'll close my ears before I hear anything else from you! You big…_**failure!**_" screeched the suffering priestess.

Ryu fully turned towards the pair, astounded by Kasumi's bravery to keep Tojiro here…with her. Tojiro was left with a darkened gaze. No sign of affection was hinted on his face. Tojiro kneeled down, slowly embracing the priestess into his arms. Kasumi slowly descended into a calming state, her arms lowered down by both her sides.

"Hell is a place for evil people like me to belong in. In fact, if you ever wandered into such a world, I can for sure state that it would be completely purified by the light of your heart." Tojiro opposed with a enduring voice.

"You have surely left a mark on me that will remain within my spirit forever, Kasumi. You can believe that…_**I promise**_."

"_Tojiro_…" voiced Ryu's thoughts, amazed by such duty to protect Kasumi's heart.

Tojiro broke apart from Kasumi, grabbing her right hand with his right, holding her delicate hand with his metal clawed fingers.

"Remember me for yourself. Everyone else shall do the same. For no matter what card of fate I'm dealt with…I'll deny the bad ones…and make my own peace. In the end; _**no light will burn brighter than the Fire of Retribution**_. Take great care…to remember my words. Shall you or shall you not?" enacted the Cloakmaster of Darkness in his most serious tone.

Kasumi was left with guilt ridden marks of sadness. Her soft eyes blinking several times. She shut them once more, jumping into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. With that action, she valiantly shouted; "_**I shall always treasure your dreams of peace! Tojiro Ankoku!**_" In a final fleeting moment, Tojiro rose up to his feet, flipping his hood over his head to darken his expression from being seen.

Ryu hovered over to the gates that blocked the way into the Danda Cave. With a single wave of the Golden Dragon Staff, the gate swung open. Stomping the staff down once more, a small sphere of red formed inside the few first steps into the overwhelming darkness. It exploded into a large red Chaos Portal with a whirling black buzz saw shaped vortex in the center. Tojiro's hand remained holding Kasumi's.

"_**Sayonara…Kasumi Moriko**_." muttered the helpless Cloakmaster.

His hand left the priestess's grip. She outstretched her hand, but all she could do was watch him walk towards the massive portal that filled the entire front entrance of the cave. Kasumi mournfully watched his silhouette step closer towards it. Ryu quietly passed on through the portal to Hell, leaving Tojiro to be the last one.

Tojiro extended his right arm out to the right. One symbol that would define itself as his last action on Earth. It would be his _true_ goodbye to his dear friend, Kasumi. His thumb raised up; a sign of luck, a sign of motivation, a sign…that voiced his final goodbye. As he drifted into the Hell Portal that would bring him to the Blind World; the setting for where everything in his past…shall come to rest in peace.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
><em>

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-On the shore of Acheron, Tojiro and Ryu Kaze look to the massive vessel given life; **Charon**.- "Hell," -Tojiro falls towards a platform surrounded by veils of fire.-

"The Blind World, The Living Inferno of Sin. This is Tojiro's mission. To destroy the Nine Hell Gods." -Tojiro looks to Julius Tsuiho as he releases a spiraling beam of black and white.- "His greatest challenge starts at Acheron to which Tojiro must board Hell's ferryman." -Julius is launched high above Acheron by a vile blast of blue Chaos energy.-

-Tojiro stares up at a fearsome Asterian Beast, spewing fire from its mouth.- -From the side of Charon's humongous head, two huge metal Chaos Cannons fire beams of purple Chaos energy.-

"To save the world, to bring his vengeance into stage one he must defeat the will of Limbo's Hell God," -Tojiro's hair turns silver as he slams against the two merging beams of purple Chaos energy in an epic light show of power and dominance.-

"And it's own King of the Damned..." -Julius Tsuiho awaits the Cloakmaster of Darkness as the shadow of **King Minos **rises behind him.- -The Judge of the Damned throws his fist down at the battle ready Demigod of Death as Julius leaps into the air to destroy Tojiro for all time.- "So begins, the Second Great Pilgrimage..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_**"The Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc begins!  
><strong>_

**CHAPTER LVI: SPEARHEAD:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS. JULIUS TSUIHO  
><strong>


	56. Chapter LVI

_****_**CHAPTER LVI: SPEARHEAD  
><strong>

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS JULIUS TSUIHO  
><strong>

**WARNING, READ HERE: Starting with this chapter there SHALL be M Rated content of diabolical levels. Not much cursing at all but the violence and gore is definitely something to watch out for. Readers read at your own discretion as only YOU can. You have been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze and Julius Tsuiho. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters, elements and/or settings SPECIFICALLY this chapter and onward, belong to their respective creator/writer. Does it wonder I matter? It's just someone's idea of Hell, who would claim ownership of that?  
><strong>

**"The Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. AT LAST! The epic finale arc to Saga I of "The Nightmare Wars" shall shine brightly in action and scale even in the realm of history's greatest evils! Are you ready for a one-man war? Would you be able to handle descending through Hell itself to stop the Devil himself from destroying our world? All feedback and reviews are most welcome.  
><strong>

_**Hell, The Shores of Acheron, Destination: Limbo**_

Falling down a portal of flames and screaming voices went the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Flaming corpses passed down on all sides, shouting out in pain and woe. Tojiro saw surface below as the portal of hazy white gave him a vision of stone. Tojiro set his feet down, crashing down onto a rounded surface. He turned his head up, watching Ryu slowly pass down, hovering down next to Tojiro. Walking down the set of small steps, Tojiro went to the edge of an elongated pathway that stretched to the far right.

"Almost forgot how it looked like. Eh, Ryu? This is the land you nearly could have ended up in." instigated the Cloakmaster. He watched a flaming corpse smack down onto the edge of the stone, and continue falling downwards into a massive gray fog that obscured everything below.

"The Blind World we have descended into. You're not so quaint when it comes to describing things such as these, aren't you Cloakmaster Ankoku?" Ryu interpreted, hovering onto the path and watching the thunder and lightning boom in the background.

"Not so much. We're only at Acheron…so where the hell is **Charon** then?" Tojiro persisted, running down the only widened path he had to traverse across.

As the wall of stone left him, Tojiro saw Charon's mighty form in the distance. This time, however, the dreadful carrier of the damned appeared much more differently. Charon's head was mounted at the very front, half of his face re-constructed out of metal. On both the left and right sides were large cannon ports, where gigantic cannons stayed placed that could fire out bursts of Chaos energy.

"And there is the ferryman." confirmed the ancient god, Dragon Wind.

"He appears to be more much of a cruise liner now. Hell never seems to stay unfilled, doesn't it?"

A storm of flaming meteors with black cores crashed into the footing. Tojiro quickly unsheathed the Blade of Darkness to point it forward and fire thousands of golden Chaos Spears out from the tip. The barrage of heavy flaming rocks were tarnished into exploding with clouds of black and orange flames. Tojiro looked forward, seeing a gathering of black ash to form into an uncertain shape.

"Ryu…you may go on ahead. I shall handle the First Hell God…by myself." demanded the silent Demigod of Death, raising the Blade of Darkness before his face.

"It is your destiny after all. Meet me at the fortress in Limbo. Take care my son." Ryu adhered to the Cloakmaster's request.

Ryu quickly soared over across Acheron's deathly lengths, flying past the massive Charon who began to motion with giant puffs of steam that exploded out from vents placed on the stern of the gigantic ship. Julius Tsuiho formed in the clearing fog, his hood lowered to send the Cloakmaster a valiant stare. The two Cloakmasters stood each other down with anger and determination.

"You and I have several uncertain similarities. Wouldn't you agree?" began the Cloakmaster of Purgery.

"No. I'm not holding a single thought right now. I only hold objectives; and that is to kill the Nine Hell Gods. Unluckily, I'm starting with you." growled the Demon Demigod, two full crimson red eyes glistened within the darkness of his hooded head.

Julius created black and white auras around both his fists, pointing them forward to release a beam of spiral death. Tojiro threw the Blade of Darkness straight through the center of the beam, causing the entire spiral beam to nullify and evaporate. Julius quickly dodged to the left, but watched as Tojiro appeared in a flash right next to him. In a ferocious swing of his right leg, Tojiro performed a Chaos Kick directly against Julius's skull, throwing him down the winding path that ringed around the towering rock formation. Tojiro flashed the Blade of Darkness back into his right hand and sprinted down the path. Julius quickly landed back on his feet, fleeing from the Cloakmaster. Julius sprinted to a halt, spinning around in the process.

"Raven Chaos Needle Barrage!" he shouted, clapping his hands together.

A series of hundred violet Chaos Needles appeared before the Cloakmaster of Purgery, and with immediate precision did they all fire forward at the Demon Demigod. Tojiro continued to sprint, only to throw the Blade of Darkness into the ground and keep on running. Tojiro then readied Black Death, then transformed into Stage One; the Dream Form of his Nightmare powers.

"DRAGON STRIKE OF DARKNESS!" thundered the deathly Demigod.

Pointing Black Death forward, a gigantic blue Chaos Spear was fired from the barrel. The magnificent force obliterated through the Chaos Needles and exploded against Julius with intense force that fired him off from the cliff and across Acheron itself.

With his hair changed to silver and his eyes filled with blue, Tojiro used Chaos Control to have the Blade of Darkness reappear in the grip of his right hand. With Black Death in his left and the Blade of Darkness in his right, the Cloakmaster of Darkness launched himself across the sky. Thunder boomed to echo amongst the air. Storms of lightning snapped in the blackened sky just as Tojiro passed on over Acheron.

Julius landed on Charon's back, skidding to a fearsome halt. Tojiro crashed onto the same area, except he stood far apart from the Cloakmaster of Purgery. Tojiro pointed Black Death and the Blade of Darkness forward.

"Elemental Chaos Technique: Blaze Wave!" Tojiro summoned in all his power.

From the tip of the Blade of Darkness shot a fire stream of red Chaos energy while out from the barrel of Black Death released a series of blue rings that surrounded the entire fire burst. Julius was suddenly surrounded by a pair of large black arms that used their hands to block the beam, resulting in a vicious shower of red and blue light, mixed with gray smoke. Tojiro suddenly took a desperate jump back to avoid the rubber stretching arms. He shot five to pieces, unaware of how a horde several hands came up from the ground with speed. Tojiro looked over his shoulder once, causing his eyes to widen.

"CHAOS IMPLOSION!" roared Julius, smashing his fists together.

The arms stretched and wrapped around Tojiro, resulting in an explosive yellow dome of Chaos energy to detonate. Tojiro surprisingly crashed out of the ground behind Julius, impaling him through the chest. Julius growled in agonizing sensations. Tojiro spun himself around to toss the Cloakmaster of Purgery towards the back of Charon's head. Julius grabbed the Blade of Darkness, using Chaos Control on it to force it to appear right in front of Tojiro, impaled into the ground.

"Chaos Implosion Blast Technique!" Julius yelled, flipping himself into a back-flip to land on the top of Charon's head.

Tojiro forcefully swung his legendary cloak around himself in just seconds before the Blade of Darkness released a Chaos Blast. Julius separated his hands from each other, standing up in a straight pose. Julius' eyes flickered. Clapping his hands together, he created two of Charon's massive Chaos Cannons to appear in mid-air to his left and right. A colossal Rasengan split between blue chakra and red Chaos energy came out.

"ROT IN SORROW!" screamed the maddened Cloakmaster of Purgery.

The two massive Chaos Cannons fired gigantic beams of purple Chaos energy from their cannons. Tojiro, who was behind the fearsome Rasengan rammed it with the two purple surges released from Julius's Chaos Cannon summons.

"Damn…" Tojiro cursed, sweating form all over his face.

Tojiro's black hair turned to silver. The blue chakra changed to silver. The red Chaos energy changed to white. Julius witnessed the two purple beams becoming forced back to where he stood.

"THIS…IS THE LENGTH OF MY HATRED DAMMIT!" thundered the almighty Demigod of Death.

The entire Rasengan sank into one single beam that fired out, and blasted through Charon's head, obliterating both the ferryman and the two Chaos Cannons. Julius' torn and scarred corpse went flying towards the lower sections of towering walkways that were balanced on thick hides of rock. Julius smashed into the stone column on the right, spitting debris out from the force of impact. Tojiro left his Dream Form again, charging through the air at where Julius was left implanted to.

Julius immediately aimed his arms down, firing surges of purple Chaos energy to rocket himself skyward. Tojiro crashed against the stone column, but didn't harm himself. Reverting to his hedgehog form, the Cloakmaster of Darkness sprinted with super sonic speed up the stone column. Julius took a single glare down at the Demon Demigod, he was very far below.

"He doesn't have the chance of catching up to me. I must only reach my master, and then he'll be sorry…that damn Tojiro." stated Julius, looking back up.

Tojiro clapped his hands together. "Time to try out my estimation." he grumbled.

Placing his hands towards each other and keeping a space between both, a furious blue Rasengan formed. Tojiro then attached blue glowing wires of Chaos energy from the tips of his fingers and thumbs. Tojiro then sprang his arms out to the left and right, causing the Rasengan to span out in size, leaving Tojiro on the inside of the giant Rasengan. Julius was forced to stare back down after hearing the ripping wind that continued to vibrate with power.

"Rasengan Technique: Spin Dash Eradication!" he yelled in anger.

Forming into a ball, he simply shot straight up. The massive riveting Rasengan remained as his very own barrier, and his very own weapon to destruction. Julius made it to the top and quickly sprinted across the walkway that began to crumble and shake uncontrollably. With the giant Rasengan that contained the Cloakmaster of Darkness on the inside, it was simply an oversized variation of his lesser known regular spin dash attack. Julius quickly leaped off the falling walkway he was forced to leave behind.

Tojiro continued to charge forward with his Rasengan Technique, carving through the entire walkway that shattered it to a thousand pieces. Julius anxiously continued to run from his impending suffering, but the moment he looked back, the humongous Rasengan rammed into him. Tojiro maneuvered himself towards a gigantic castle that was in Limbo. With Julius stuck to the front like a fly to a car window, Tojiro penetrated straight through the fortress, carving through the stubborn rock and concrete. In took only several seconds for the Cloakmaster to burrow straight through the fortress, splitting the entire castle to crumble on top of itself.

Finally, Tojiro and the gargantuan Rasengan that surrounded him broke through the other end of the fortress. Julius' ragged corpse shot straight off the front of the Rasengan, flying towards his planned destination. Tojiro waved his arms out to the left and right, causing the momentous Rasengan to vanish in a single flash.

Tojiro front flipped through the fighting wind that forced itself against his face. Julius smashed into the ground on a flat stone carved ground, ending up at the presence of Hell's judge. Tojiro landed on the edge of the ground Julius crashed onto, raising himself into a straight standing posture. A large black blade slammed down on the ground with both edges glowing red, dripping with vial discharged Chaos energy. Tojiro looked up to see it was in then hands of Hell's resurrected Judge of the Damned; **King Minos**.

* * *

><p>"Resurrected, I see. Akuma must have been desperate to have someone do his <em>off work<em>." the Demigod of Death persisted.

Minos swung the gigantic blade down, only hitting the ground left of Tojiro. The Cloakmaster remained still as a reflecting pool of water, only managing a glare to focus on Minos.

"And I can tell I am in the presence of yet another sinful creature. Yet; I smell nothing but a murderer. There are far more beings in this place that make your foul stench look like the smell of a rose. You have no business here Cloakmaster Ankoku; _**leave or be judged**_." Minos insisted in his dark yet wise tone.

Julius slowly rose up from the ground, slowly turning to face the Cloakmaster of Darkness who stood several feet away.

"You disappointed me, my disciple. However, with his death, I can ensure my forgiveness." began the Judge of the Dead.

"Of course, master. I shall sever his head with the very weapons he took from me." prepared the Cloakmaster of Purgery, his fists becoming enshrouded with violet colored Chaos energy.

Reverting to his human form, Tojiro placed Black Death back in its holster, readying a flaming red aura around the Blade of Darkness at the same time.

"It's time you faced your own verdict, King Minos." voiced the Demigod, pointing the Blade of Darkness forward then quickly pulling it back to hold it in an offensive fighting stance.

Julius' patience and integrity snapped like a string. He ran forward with immediate determination. Tojiro stood ready to charge as well, setting his deathly orange pupils at his half-brother. A sudden spiked tentacle that belonged to King Minos came out of the ground to wrap Tojiro in it's bind. Julius leaped off the ground, punching Tojiro directly in the face, then grabbing him by his face, turning around to toss the Cloakmaster of Darkness at Minos. Minos smashed Tojiro into the ground by belligerently slamming his left hand down on Tojiro. Julius landed back on the ground, standing where Tojiro just was. A sudden blade of red pierced from underneath Minos' hand.

He roared in great pain, raising his hand off the ground to reveal Tojiro hanging underneath from his palm. Tojiro held onto the handle of his blade, looking over his shoulder at the anxious Julius. Tojiro looked to the left with his acute hearing. Minos swung the massive sword in his right hand at a horizontal angle. Tojiro quickly grabbed the handle of his sword with his left hand, then placed his feet up against Minos' wrist to dodge to deathly blade. Tojiro then removed the blade from Minos' palm, falling down to the ground.

With his back turned to him, Julius shot himself like a spear directly at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro flashed with Chaos Control, causing Julius to spear his master in the gut, causing him to gag and groan in pain. Julius remained hovering before his master, only to turn around and faced the Nightmare Scythe be thrown and impaled through his chest, pinning him against King Minos.

Placing the Blade of Darkness back in it's sheath, all with agility did the Cloakmaster of Darkness readily prepare the Chains of Fear. Tojiro swung the chained kusarigama weapons so that the chains would wrap around the staff section of the Nightmare Scythe. Keeping the chains wrapped around his very own arms, Tojiro's body was surrounded with a light green aura.

"Chaos Shock!" he shouted, letting the dancing bolts of electricity tour up the chains.

Once the technique crawled onto the Nightmare Scythe, it forwarded on to electrocute both Julius and Minos at the same time with brilliant flashes of green lightning. Tojiro stood his ground, refusing to let their power overcome his. Julius steadily clasped his hands together to summon a Chaos Control. Tojiro's eyes widened at the same time. Julius appeared behind Tojiro to kick the Cloakmaster in the spine, throwing him towards Minos who was freed of the repetitive lightning shocks.

Immediately did the Judge of the Dead swing his massive cursed sword down upon the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro was able to touch down on the ground first, immediately sticking his hands up to halt the blade from completely obliterating him. Removing both the Nightmare Scythe and the chains that were wrapped around it, Julius retracted the Chains of Fear back to their normal lengths. He swung the kusarigama forward. The blades penetrated Tojiro in the back, causing him to groan with further pain.

"GIVE IN TO HELL! GIVE IN!" barked the rash Minos, pressing more force upon the Cloakmaster's burden tired shoulders.

Tojiro kept himself on his feet, utterly refusing to let himself fail in such a pathetic manner. Tojiro kicked the front of right foot into the ground. A deafening pillar of earth forced Minos' cursed blade to rise away, causing Minos to stretch his right arm out to the right, sticking it into a set of stone pillars. Tojiro reached back to grab the handles of the kusarigama that the chains stretched them out on.

"No! CHAOS SHOCK!" commanded the Cloakmaster of Purgery.

Purple and black streams of lightning traveled across the chains. Tojiro charged forward at Minos, leaping up towards his face. Tojiro stabbed both blades into the Judge's blind face. Inside Minos' screaming soul, the tips of the two blades remained inches apart. Julius quickly reversed the electric bolts back down the chains, absorbing the energy back into his body. Tojiro immediately leaped down at Julius, seeing his weakness.

Julius kicked Tojiro in the gut with a dreadful Chaos Kick. Tojiro tumbled back across the ground, looking up to see Minos blindly throw his left fist down. Readying the Nightmare Scythe and covering the blade with glowing silver with a blue lining, Tojiro sliced off Minos' forearm. Blood choked out from his forced amputated appendage, dropping his chin down onto the ground. Tojiro faced Julius only halfway, sending him a vile glare of death. Julius, who remained holding of the chains that connected to the kusarigama that were stuck in his master's face.

Julius slowly lowered his arms, causing the chains that both appeared on Tojiro's left and right.

"You damn coward." mumbled the Demigod.

Tentacles of purple and black lightning were released from only the small sections of the chains, but Tojiro readily swung the Nightmare Scythe around to deflect the lightning bolts into nothingness. Tojiro then used the Nightmare Scythe to vault himself towards Julius, kicking him directly in the stomach. Behind Julius was the spiked wheel where Minos would send the damned to the Circles below, and that's directly where the Cloakmaster of Purgery was thrown onto.

Soaked in his own blood, Tojiro magnetized the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, then by grabbing the chains on the ground, he flung the chains onto one of the spike spokes of the wheel. Tojiro leapt back towards Minos, who began to rise up from his suffering. Tojiro was quick to grab the kusarigama blades embedded in the spots where his eyes would be. Tojiro yanked them out, only to cause Minos more suffering. Tojiro jumped to the top of Minos' head. Julius slowly lifted his head up, widening his eyes greatly.

"Good night, Watcher of Limbo." stated the careless Demigod.

He pulled back on the handles of the kusarigama with tremendous strength. Minos dropped his massive curse blade, using his right hand to catch the spike wheel, one sticking through his palm. Tojiro growled with annoyance while Minos gurgled in pain, leaving blood to pour and squeeze out from in-between his lips. Tojiro pulled further back with fervor, causing one of the spikes to split through Minos' skin and past his ribs.

"You…will…you shall NEVER have your incompetent wishes answered! You…are destined…TO SUFFER HERE!" coughed up the bloody mouthed Judge of the Damned.

"Then let it be dealt." the Demon Demigod promoted.

By releasing fumes of fire from under his feet, he shot higher, dividing Minos' chest in half, cutting his face in half directly afterwards. Tojiro landed back on the ground, letting the spike wheel crash into the ground behind him. Tojiro retracted the chains back to their normal size, holding the handles of the kusarigama weapons in his hands. A sinister set of choked laughter echoed from behind him. Slowly did the Cloakmaster of Darkness turn around to see Julius still impaled onto one of the spikes, leaving the sideways laying wheel slightly tilted because of Julius supporting it with his shoulder.

Julius crawled his way off the spike, gagging on blood as he rolled onto his back, freed of his torment. Tojiro completely faced the Cloakmaster of Purgery, setting the Chains of Fear back into their slim holders. Julius swiftly released a spear of purple Chaos energy from the palm of his left hand. Tojiro leaped into the air, followed by Julius.

Tojiro was quick to dive kick Julius straight into the chest, throwing the Cloakmaster of Purgery back into the stone hardened ground. Tojiro landed beside Julius, grabbing him by the throat and tossing the Cloakmaster of Purgery into the air. Tojiro ran over to the spiked wheel on the ground, kicking it up from the ground, then grabbing one of the spike stokes to fling it up at Julius. Julius was surprisingly agile, able to stretch his legs over the vertical spinning wheel. However, his eyes were turned still with fear. The two chains from the Chains of Fear stretched past Julius, wrapping onto one of the spikes. Tojiro, below, yanked it back.

"Curse…him." mumbled the suffering Cloakmaster of Purgery.

The spiked wheel was sent back, impaling Julius one more time, splattering glowing purple discharged Chaos energy from the entry wound of the spike. Tojiro leaped into the air, front flipping over the falling spike spoke wheel, retracting the kusarigama weapons back into his hands. Julius was impaled directly into the ground, the deathly spiked wheel leaving him impaled directly into the ground. Every bit and drop of his Chaos energy dripped from his cold corpse. Tojiro used Chaos Control to flash himself back onto the ground, placing the Chains of Fear back into their holders once more.

As Tojiro watched the blood of Julius's Chaos energy continue to spill, all that he felt was there only existed eight more to defeat. Tojiro swiftly back-flipped off the ground where he stood, landing on the rotting corpse of Minos' back, then taking another leap to land on a ledge that led into a deepened cave. The Hell God of Limbo; Julius Tsuiho was gone and erased from existence. Only eight more were left for the Demon of Dread to annihilate. Running with determination, Tojiro made his way through the darkened cavern towards the Circle of Lust. There, he would face the Cloakmaster of Fate; Cassandra Shukumei.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-Standing before a tornado of dark, evil winds, Tojiro watches as the **Carnal Tower** reveals itself.- "Beyond one dimension of hell lies one far worse,"

-Tojiro defends himself with a sphere shaped shield of Chaos Light as a swarm of flames rolls right over.- "Tojiro must cling to both the metals of murder he wields and the mettle that will kill him his second Hell God: Cassandra Shukumei." -Cassandra stands in the center of a circular platform floating down to the Carnal Tower's base, taunting the Cloakmaster of Darkness.-

-A foolish Cassandra watches in favor as two splashing beams of acidic purple Chaos energy close in on Tojiro.- "To the victor goes the spoils and the stronger mind. Tojiro must clash his will with a temptress who is far more insane, and terrific in evil, if he wishes to see the Third Circle."

-Tojiro explodes a beam of Chaos Blast energy from his mouth in an epic stance.-

"Cassandra speaks of great falsehoods, heartless of the fallen Julius Tsuiho." -Tojiro smashes the bottom end of the Nightmare Scythe to release a hundred crimson bolts of Chaos Lightning up the gigantic tower.-

-Cassandra falls down the center of the Carnal Tower.- -The Nightmare Scythe, its blade straightened to shape as spear, penetrates straight up through her back and chest.-

-Tojiro covers his gaze as a humongous cloud of stormy green Chaos energy flashes in the thunderous skies of Hell's Second Circle.-

"Tojiro must end this Nightshade's wrath," -Atop Carnal Tower's peak, Tojiro is overshadowed by a malevolent winged beast of prey.- "Before it ends him..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LVII: TORTURE AND APATHY: **

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS CASSANDRA SHUKUMEI  
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	57. Chapter LVII

_****_**CHAPTER LVII: TORTURE AND APATHY  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS CASSANDRA SHUKUMEI**

**WARNING: Remember! You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter including the following chapters shall contain horrific content and gore not suitable for some ages. Suggestive content especially for this chapter if I remember right. You HAVE been warned.  
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**DISCLAIMER: Well, well, what do I say? I claim NO ownership to ANY of the monsters/sites in this chapter. I ONLY claim ownership over Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Cassandra Shukumei. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.**

**_Tojiro has the claim of one Hell God's life under his belt; now only eight remain. Arriving in the carnal lands for those who have put desire before reason, Tojiro encounters his sinister, twisted half-sister. The two wage war along the Carnal Tower for total victory. _  
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_**Descent into Lust**_

Running along a cliff side, Tojiro set his gaze to the right for a quick moment to see several Shades impaled onto sharpened wooden sticks. People that descend into Hell; Shades they call them. Those who have been wickedly given this afterlife instead of a peaceful one in the skies above our world of life. A world between life and death. Tojiro felt shameful to be walking this land for the second time, as annoying and wasteful as it was. As Tojiro halted at the end of the slumped path, a dangling rope awaited him on the side of the humongous wall that further fell into Hell's evil domain. He leaped over to it, grabbing onto the rope to throw himself away from it, and plant his feet on the steep wall.

With speed, Tojiro sprinted down in a diagonal direction to charge down the gigantic canyon wall that spanned on forever. Tojiro made to another rope, feeling a sense of hopelessness and sadness overwhelm him. He slid down the rope, seeing a long walkway with golden statues that crouched down and held connections of light purple electricity that connected to the same kind of statue that stood apart from each other.

Tojiro finally hit the ground, immediately running down the twisted path that traversed to the left. Onto the long pathway, Tojiro spotted the storm of the lustful. A towering cyclone of Shades that were sent here. Shades that believed their intense desires of the flesh meant everything more than those of people around them.

Black and violet purple mixed with dancing bolts of lightning, filtering the moans and groans of the Shades trapped by their lust. Inside, Tojiro sensed the presence of a famous structure inside the storm.

"**The Carnal Tower**. Cassandra's at the top I wager." pondered forward the determined Cloakmaster of Darkness, his hand up to his chin.

The three rotating golden circles on the path continued to turn around, letting out bursts of focused purple lightning that shot towards Tojiro. His eyes flashed, releasing a pair of red Chaos beams from his eyes. The beam shattered through the lightning wall, and on towards the tornado of lust, blowing a hole in it, revealing a convenient path into Carnal Tower.

"There!" he shouted, sprinting forward with adamant agility.

Tojiro suddenly lifted his head up to witness a swarm of harpies flying in. Small glints exasperated from their deadly talons as they stretched them wide. Tojiro prepared to leap himself into the air, readying globs of yellow Chaos energy around his hands. He punched the head of a harpy clean off, spinning himself around to dodge another that swooped in from the right. Tojiro lifted both his legs out to dodge a single harpy from clinging its claws into his chest.

Tojiro fired the globs of Chaos energy out from his arms, using them as propulsion. Heading down towards the opening in the lust storm, a sudden beast marched its way out. Tojiro quickly halted himself in mid-air, crossing his arms together. A black sphere formed around the Cloakmaster to protect him.

The monster was an Asterian Beast. The creature that burdens Hell. It released a steady burst of destructive flames out from its mouth, rebounding off Tojiro's spherical barrier to explode into several hundred embers. Tojiro revealed himself to be unharmed. Readying the Blade of Darkness, he charged down, free of his barrier. The minion atop pointed forward. A slew of harpies tackled Tojiro with intense fervor. He was thrown into the ground on the bridge.

The minion atop the Asterian Beast's head commanded the monster forward. It snarled and scoffed with roars of burden. Tojiro cut the head off one harpy, then grabbed another by its skinny neck to snap it. Tojiro was ready to jump up, but instead was impaled by two harpies who dug their talons into his stomach. The Asterian Beast stood over the Cloakmaster. Its shoulders heaved up. The monstrosity raised its arms back. Tojiro stunningly let out a small dome of intensified Chaos Fire to burn the corpses of the harpies into ashes. With his feet forward, he released a surge of jet propelled fire from under his feet.

The Asterian Beast let loose its fiery hell. Tojiro sent himself skidding across the ground, merely avoiding himself being reduced to a shriveled crisp raisin. Tojiro managed to roll backwards across the ground, arriving to a halt on his feet. From in front, another wall of purple focused lightning from the golden statues charged towards him. To the left and right were two of these golden statues. Tojiro took a small jump back. He pointed the Blade of Darkness, collecting two strings of purple lightning that were released from the two conductive statues. Roaring with power, Tojiro slammed the Blade of Darkness down on the ground.

The intensified power released an arrowhead blast of white Chaos energy that was outlined with a purple aura. Tojiro's blast easily overpowered the simple burst of lightning, then went on to explode against the Asterian Beast. The towering beast was blown into a hundred bits of chunky flesh and blood. Tojiro immediately set his focus forward once again. Keeping the Blade of Darkness in hand, Tojiro immediately stared to the right to witness a gigantic black harpy fly towards him.

With only inches between the entrance into the Carnal Tower, the Cloakmaster of Darkness managed to leap forward. He managed to look over his shoulder and witness its gigantic talon hooked feet swoop by. Tojiro stood up, watching the opened section of the lust storm vanish.

His breath was halted. A long snip of organic material wrapped itself around his throat. Tojiro grabbed hold of it with adamance, tearing it straight off. He turned around to angrily faced one of the Temptresses of Lust. Five more of the same minions of Lust appeared.

"Perfect. I do enjoy slaughtering beings I despise." he voiced in the name of murder.

Three of the Temptresses charged forward. Tojiro ducked off to the left, elbowing one in the chest. He quickly punched the second Temptress in the face thrice, then went on to drive his right arm through her stomach. Immediately did he pull his arm out, converging onto the third. He was severely scratched across the chest, but was agile to grab her arm. Her lower area split open, making her moan with a sexual pretense. Growling with disgust, Tojiro grabbed the beast by the face. He turned around, throwing her off the ground and pumpkin smashing her skull into the ground.

"How's that for a splatter effect?" barked the Demigod.

He was impaled in the back by the remaining Temptresses.

Incinerating his body with a ravaging aura of crimson red Chaos energy, Tojiro's deathly power caused the three Temptresses to flee. They dropped to the ground, lifting their bodies in several unusual directions. The aura of Tojiro's Chaos energy surrounded them each, burning away at their corpses. Taking his senses forward towards the snake head, Tojiro enveloped himself in a black shroud.

Charging out the ebony cloud was the Werehog transformed Tojiro. He grabbed the stone snake head, forcing it up with his sheer muscle. Until he forced it to break, the Cloakmaster pulled the entire off its hinges, tossing it off to the side. He spotted two dangerous looking fangs made of stone. His decision was obvious.

Moments later, he was already running. In the center of Carnal Tower, he witnessed a giant rounded platform. His eyes formed into an evil gaze. Walking onto the center of the platform that would elevate to the top of Carnal Tower was Cassandra Shukumei; The Cloakmaster of Fate, and Tojiro's half-sister.

"You've nowhere to flee, Cassandra. Stay where you stand. There's no point in making your fate outweigh its limit." Tojiro arrogantly stated.

"So does that mean Julius has failed? Pity. My heart is full of dread. Oh…I don't have one!" laughed the second Hell God.

The round platform began to rumble. Tojiro readily leaped forward with one single push off the ground. The winds of moans pushed the platform up. Tojiro held his hands out to the left and right, preparing the two stone fangs in his hands. He landed in front of Cassandra, immediately impaling the Cloakmaster of Fate with both. The platform increased its speed. Tojiro was kicked back by Cassandra's long black boots.

He dug the claws of his right hand into the ground to halt himself at the other edge of the platform. Cassandra grabbed the two fangs of stone, creating long violet points to extend out from the tips. The focused Chaos energy that shaped itself into the very point of the fang was exactly eight feet long. Tojiro readied himself on all fours, growling in a vicious manner.

"Come to me…my little brother." she said, waving the two fangs left and right.

* * *

><p>Tojiro kindly agreed to her request. With fearsome hatred did he charge at his half-sister. She formed a detested expression, slashing away with both of the fang shaped masses of Chaos energy. Tojiro grabbed the ground, causing the earth beneath Cassandra to rupture and break. It caused the ground underneath her to crumble, sending her falling. Tojiro stretched his left arm down the small hole, grabbing Cassandra.<p>

He swiftly retracted his arm back up. He took two steps. With his left arm, and as Cassandra passed up through the hole, he readily flung Cassandra extremely high. Preparing a large Chaos Sphere in-between his hands, Tojiro pointed it up. The Chaos Sphere glowed. In an instance, it released a monstrous barrage of sharpened green Chaos Spears. Cassandra pointed both of her arms directly down at the upcoming storm.

"Raven Waterfall of Suffering!" she summoned with a maniacal glare.

From her hands, black lined with violet Chaos energy began to pour and seep out from the pores on her hands. Tojiro witnessed this technique. He opened up his mouth. All the flying Chaos Spears suddenly halted. In an instant of seconds did they all fly back down. A stream of the black and violet Chaos energy shot down from both of Cassandra's hands.

All the Chaos Spears began to gather in Tojiro's mouth. He continued to keep his neck bent back, as well as keeping his face staring up so his mouth would stay open. The two streams shot from Cassandra's hands splashed down in a spiral motion onto both sides of Tojiro.

Several drops of the energy splashed onto the Cloakmaster's body, giving off an acid effect that burned through his flesh. Even as the pain seeped through his very body, and no matter how literal it was, Tojiro kept his strength and ambition put forward. He finally collected all the Chaos Spears in his mouth. Cassandra continued flying up. The platform that continued to rise was still far below Cassandra. She desperately clasped her hands together. Tojiro squatted down. The purple Chaos energy that poured down suddenly jumped at Tojiro. It entrapped the Demon Demigod with vile evil.

"Raven Cage of-"

"CHAOS BLAST!" roared the Demigod's voice.

The dome of dark violet Chaos energy exploded, revealing Tojiro to fire out a massive light red beam of Chaos energy out from his mouth. Cassandra quickly wrapped her body with her cloak, also creating a black sphere of Chaos energy to protect her just in case. Even with her high defenses, the beam imploded with sheer monstrosity. It resulted in a mid-air explosion that shot out meteors of red energy, with black rock on the inside to explode out from every side of Carnal Tower.

Tojiro enveloped himself in another black fog. Once it vanished, Tojiro was reverted to his human form, only to stare up and widen his eyes. Cassandra charged down, swinging the Whip of Tortured Souls around Tojiro's throat. Cassandra slowly landed in front of Tojiro, pulling him forward. Tojiro readily pointed his right hand forward to blast a surge of yellow lightning into Cassandra's face. Sent with pain and agony, Cassandra was thrown back but quickly knocked back once Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear behind her.

He swiftly delivered a Giant Rasengan directly into Cassandra's back, tossing her with devastating momentum back onto the center of the rising platform. Cassandra rolled onto her back, rubbing her face clean of blood and sweat. Tojiro readied the Nightmare Scythe. Adhering his power into the legendary weapon, the blade of the Scythe shifted forward to give it the form of a spear.

With power and hatred, a sparkling red Chaos Sphere was created on the tip. Cassandra rested her elbows on the ground, staring up at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Her hair drifted across the right side of her face. Tojiro's orange pupils stared with importance of murder, immediate murder.

"You know nothing…of that power. Nothing! You do realize that…right Tojiro?" Cassandra spat, managing a vile smirk.

Tojiro remained silent. Cassandra rose to her feet, ignoring the Chaos Sphere on the Nightmare Scythe's tip.

"Your power…like mine…and all the other Hell Gods…are cursed." the Cloakmaster of Fate made her statement.

"No it isn't." snapped the demon.

"Don't falsify it Tojiro. This is the truth…**your truth**! You're as crazy as the rest of us." Cassandra continued with a stark smile.

"You're nothing but a living lie, Cassandra. Silence yourself!" he shouted, firing the Chaos Sphere.

Cassandra was surprisingly quick, shooting straight up Carnal Tower. Tojiro slammed the bottom staff end into the ground, releasing a hundred bolts of crimson Chaos Lightning from the tip of the Nightmare Scythe's blade. Cassandra quickly flew out one of the many crevices that were all around Carnal Tower, escaping the thunderstorm of violence. Tojiro lowered the Nightmare Scythe, the blade returning to its normal shaped form.

The stone round platform finally reached the top of Carnal Tower. Tojiro quickly looked over his shoulder. A humongous Hydra stormed over the edge of Carnal Tower. Its wide open mouth contained a glow of insurmountable Chaos energy. Tojiro was swallowed by the monster in a flash. It lifted its massive snake body up, chewing and gnawing it's teeth together. The creature's eyes froze for a split second.

From the back of the lower jaw, a streak of glowing red slice through, and down fell the Cloakmaster, along with the entire lower jaw of the Hydra. A waterfall of slimy red crimson spat down from the creature' forcibly removed mouth piece, falling back off Carnal Tower. From in front, another Hydra passed over the top of Carnal Tower. Tojiro actively readied the Nightmare Scythe, using the long staff section to throw himself into the air. Letting the Hydra passed under him, Tojiro turned around to drive the Nightmare Scythe into its skin.

With intensifying speed did the Demon Demigod sprint across the Hydra's back to cut a massive swath through the beast's body. Finally reaching the top jaw, he split it completely in half. Tojiro landed on the ground, immediately having to confront two Asterian Beasts appearing out of Chaos Control. Tossing the Nightmare Scythe up for it to magnetize onto his back, Tojiro prepared spheres of Chaos Fire in the palms of his hands. Tojiro skidded across to the left on his feet, dodging a double fist slam by the Asterian Beast on the right. He then leaped towards its face, latching onto the Asterian Beast's jaws.

Together, he manipulated the Chaos Fire around his hands to burn through the beast's skin, melting to the bone. The Asterian Beast next to it suddenly grabbed the one Tojiro was latched to and knocked it to the ground. Tojiro readily leaped away from the dying monster's face, letting the flames spread amongst the rest of its corpse. Tojiro quickly jumped to the right to avoid the still live Asterian from crushing him to a pulp. Tojiro immediately wrapped himself in his cloak. The Asterian Beast let loose flames to shower around the Cloakmaster of Darkness. It was forced to halt, collecting its breath. Without hesitance, Tojiro swung his cloak open. He flew up at the Asterian Beast, but the minion atop the Asterian was quicker to order the beast to slam its right fist down on Tojiro.

The Demigod of Death was ruthlessly slammed into the ground, summoning a small cloud of dust and smoke. The monster raised its hand off the ground. Tojiro charged up, shoving the Nightmare Scythe straight up its open mouth. With a single pull, he tore the monsters' face in half. Taking a back flip away from the creature, he let it fall down to freeze and rot with the wind.

Forcing his nerves to remain agile and lightened with focus, Tojiro turned around to catch the Whip of Tortured Souls on the Nightmare Scythe's blade. Cassandra hovered far ahead of Tojiro, standing still with a visceral glare. Tojiro readied an aura of yellow Chaos energy around the blade. Cassandra instinctively retracted the whip back, its size retracting back to its normal length. The aura around the Nightmare Scythe changed to a vivid orange, sparking with orange lightning.

"You still haven't viewed anything into conception, haven't you? Have you any idea of the events that have happened right before your eyes?" spat forth Cassandra's thick ego.

"Like anything in the past matters to me." barked the rough voiced Demigod Cassandra insanely laughed at Tojiro's response.

Her laughter quelled down into an emotionless face. "You know nothing of that weapon on your back. It wasn't MEANT to be wielded by the LIKES OF _**YOU!**_" shrieked the Cloakmaster of Fate.

By swinging the Whip of Tortured Souls round and round, a cyclone of violet and black Chaos energy shot forward with deadly penance. Tojiro impaled the Nightmare Scythe into the ground, readying the Blade of Darkness. He simply sprinted forward with arrogance. Pointing the Blade of Darkness forward ahead of himself, Tojiro leaped through Cassandra's beam, slicing it up the middle.

The simple move absorbed all the Chaos energy into Tojiro's blade. As he appeared on the other end, Tojiro was forced to bend himself back to dodge a side swipe swing of Cassandra's vicious whip. He managed to reach out to the right to grab the whip. Cassandra widened her eyes with horror. Tojiro summoned waves of red lightning to quickly dash across the whip and electrocute Cassandra.

Screaming with disaster and pain, Cassandra was left overwhelmed. Tojiro then halted the stinging electricity. For that single moment, he yanked back it all his force. He immediately held the Blade of Darkness forward. Cassandra stared at her bitter fate, but quickly kicked Tojiro across the face with a kick from the right. She snatched the Whip of Tortured Souls that Tojiro grabbed onto, sliding on past him.

However, Tojiro slid his right foot across the ground, quickly pounding it down with one simple step. Cassandra watched as the Nightmare Scythe Tojiro left in the ground shot up and charged towards her. The blade positioned itself into its spear form. It impaled through Cassandra's chest, causing blood to evoke and gag out from her body. She was spun around, leaving Tojiro to grab onto the staff section of the Nightmare Scythe, then using his left hand to grab her by the throat. Cassandra's feet hung loosely.

Blood coursed down her whole body, adding to the affect of her hoarse coughing that spat forth more putrid blood. Tojiro fiercely removed the Nightmare Scythe out from her chest. He growled with vengeance, tossing her across the ground so she rolled onto the center of the large circled top of Carnal Tower.

Her blood left a rather ambiguous trail across the ground, and it only continued to gather around the Cloakmaster of Fate's ravaged corpse. Tojiro once again magnetized the Nightmare Scythe onto his back. With patience, he strolled over to her, keeping his hood over his head. Left with a face full of suffering and discord, Cassandra stared into the Demigod's darkened face; where no expression lied.

"You continue to surprise…Ankoku. You always manage to surprise…I cannot wait to see what expression lies on _**Kuro's**_ face once you confront her." chuckled Cassandra with slight severity.

Tojiro remained in solace. He refused to cope with the vile Cloakmaster's petulant words. Nothing mattered to these Hell Gods. Nothing. Cassandra suddenly warped away in a flash of green, releasing a monstrous storm of green Chaos energy into the clouds above. Tojiro's eyes set upon the sky that crackled with green shocks of lightning. Thunder statically banged with immersive power, exploding into a gigantic green flash.

Tojiro waved his right arm to block the shining lights of brightness. In slow stuttering flashes did the green light in the sky diminish. Tojiro was forced to leap back. The action was to avoid the presence of a gigantic black harpy from landing on top of him. The Cloakmaster of Darkness came to a distant halt, away from the massive beast. Tojiro rose up to his feet. The harpy had black feathers, a large glowing red X across its chest, and on the inside of its wings was a violet purple hide. Standing before him was Cassandra…in her "true" Nightshade form; _**the Giant Harpy**_.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
><em>

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

****-The hideously transformed Cassandra screeches to the dark clouds above as Tojiro stares up at his powered-up opponent.- "Within temptation, Cassandra unlocks her truest Nightshade power and takes the form of her most powerful transformation." -Tojiro prepares his Tsukikagegan.- -Cassandra is smashed in the face with a parade of lightning bolts.-

"In an instant, Tojiro must rally with his own wrath to secure victory," -Cassandra flies off the Carnal Tower, encircling it with a bloodied mouth.- "To achieve his vengeance, Tojiro must believe in the arrogance that has brought him this far."

-Tojiro viciously smashes the Dragon Guardian Cestus against Cassandra's massive, bestial head: Releasing splashes of red and green Chaos energy with every punch.-

-A humongous green beam is shot out of Cassandra's mouth.- "Two opponents who have believed in nothing but arrogance, clash for the final time. Whose will is stronger?" -Tojiro points Black Death forward.- -Hundreds of Cassandra's feathers on her back are released into the sky, culminating in a sky-splitting explosion of violet flames.-

-Tojiro flies across the air armed with the Blade of Darkness.- "One stage ends, and another begins anew." -Cassandra releases hundreds upon **_thousands_**of black and purple Chaos Needles from her mouth.- -Tojiro shoots straight through the storm.-

-High in the sky, Tojiro hovers whilst in Hedgehog Form, empowering the Dream Stage that turned his fur white.-

-The Blade of Darkness summons a monstrous glow of silver around the blade, leaving bolts of blue and red lightning from the thunderclouds to strike the iron hot sword.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LVIII: UNFAILING IGNORANCE  
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	58. Chapter LVIII

**CHAPTER LVIII: UNFAILING IGNORANCE**

**WARNING: Remember! You are reading the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the following chapters until this saga's end contains graphic content and action violence DEFINITELY NOT suited for certain audiences. YOU have been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the creatures and/or depictions of the netherworld. I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Cassandra Shukumei. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
><strong>

**Tojiro and Cassandra's duel to the death begins as Cassandra unleashes her purest form of hellish Chaos energy. In order to defeat his demented half-sister, Tojiro must summon an even greater arrogance and hate...to become another step closer to achieving vengeance.  
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Cassandra shrieked to the sky above, summoning vicious hordes of green lightning bolts to strike. The white of her eyes became a glowing red. As were her pupils; they were replaced with her Tsukikagegan. The symbol was made out of four thin diamond shapes. They all formed into a wide and stubby larger diamond, with a snake eye down the center. The entire symbol was colored black, like any other Tsukikagegan. Cassandra breathed out a mist of toxic Chaos energy. It was a form of Chaos energy that feeds on the cells inside Chaos energy itself, eating it away until nothing remained.

Tojiro readily knew the next plan of advance. He prepared a Giant Chaos Rasengan in the palms of both his hands. Both were vibrating and screaming along with their orange colored hue that he added to both. Quickly encasing himself in a barrier of silver light that surrounded his entire self, the mist of toxins stormed down upon the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Cassandra flapped her massive wings after several seconds passed. The mist began to clear. Within the fog of death lied nothing but silence. Cassandra's large eyes widened with shock, only to hear a distinct puff noise come from behind. She quickly turned around, releasing a massive spiral beam of purple Chaos energy from her very mouth. Tojiro had already charged down at the Cloakmaster of Fate, using his twin Giant Chaos Rasengan technique to counter Cassandra's sudden attack.

Cassandra continued to let the barrage of purple Chaos energy shoot out from her mouth, yet the Cloakmaster of Darkness remained in mid-air to combat it with his equal power of death.

Tojiro readily focused his Chaos energy to his eyes, but not to prepare his Tsukikagegan. Tojiro showered his eyes open to release a thundering amount of Chaos Lightning energy from his pupils. The sheer power literally tore through the beam coming out of Cassandra's mouth, hitting Cassandra dead on in the face. The Chaos Lightning was sent dancing across her body with wild intent to fry and kill the Chaos energy in her body. Tojiro safely dropped onto the ground, his hands steaming with smoke.

"You…filthy…little…BASTARD!" screamed the utterly broken minded Cloakmaster of Fate.

She charged directly at Tojiro by setting her mouth forward. Tojiro forced himself to his feet, grabbing hold of the lower jaw of Cassandra's massive mouth. Tojiro's metal legs began to shriek. Crackling noises erupted from the inner workings, symbolizing too much pressure was being forced upon him. With Cassandra's irritating force pushing him back, Tojiro nervously sweated to the extent where he felt nothing could be done.

"GIVE UP! GIVE UP JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER WHEN _**YOU**_ KILLED HER!" barked the horrendous Cassandra, showing no mercy.

Tojiro's conscious snapped as easy as a piece of string. His black hair turned to silver. Three golden streaks with glowing prowess crossed across hic cheeks. The moment he lifted his head up, his face was full of vengeance. With eyes full of glowing azure blue, Tojiro pointed his right hand into Cassandra's mouth. Seeing this, Cassandra immediately released a mist of toxic Chaos energy right out of her mouth. Tojiro remained still, fighting through its affects. With blue and gold lightning bolts sparking around his body, Tojiro lifted his head one more.

"WIND NEEDLE STORM!" he commanded with deathly intent.

A gigantic blue dome of Chaos Wind type Chaos energy formed around him. The sphere spun so fast it slashed through the insides of Cassandra's mouth, and just about everything outside of her. Immediately she flew back with a flap of her gigantic wings. She flew off Carnal Tower, circling around the top where the Cloakmaster of Darkness remained. Keeping his blank anger locked onto Cassandra, Tojiro readied the Dragon Guardian Cestus.

The two massive gauntlets were indeed a force to be reckoned with. Cassandra's massive harpy self vanished in a green flash. Tojiro took a quick take to turn around, swinging the right Cestus around to punch the ebony feathered harpy that reappeared with a full on charge from behind. The very force of the punch caused a splatter affect of green Chaos energy to splash out in every direction. Tojiro was left standing covered in it. Taking no time to hesitate, he leaped into the air, and charged down to elbow smash Cassandra on the neck. The Cloakmaster of Fate was left to slam to the ground. She readily rose up, spreading her wings.

Tojiro jumped into the air, pointing each of the Cestus diagonally down at Cassandra's wings. The glowing red eyes on the dragon heads shined to a crimson limit of hatred. From the open mouths, a vortex of red and black striped Chaos energy shot down. On the very front, the head of a dragon formed. Their heads were stream shaped, and with that shape in mind, they flew down to impale Cassandra's wings. Leaving her to screech to her honest content of agony, Tojiro flashed with a single use of Chaos Control to appear down in front of Cassandra.

Using the Dragon Guardian Cestus with every inch of strength, he ran forward to repeatedly punch her massive face. Each punch shot off sparks of red mixed with green Chaos energy, giving it a blood like affect when it splashed out by every punch.

The streams of black and red striped Chaos energy that kept Cassandra pinned suddenly dissolved into sparks of light. Cassandra focused a monstrous stream of green Chaos energy to be released from her mouth. The blast shot Tojiro straight off the top of the Carnal Tower. Across the thundering clouds he went: Steam of translucent green drifting off his body.

They were stains of taking such a powerful attack at such a close range. Cassandra had already took flight to chase after the half conscious Demigod of Death. Reverting the Dragon Guardian Cestus to their bracelet form that wrapped around his wrists, Tojiro swiftly armed Black Death in his right hand.

Cassandra opened her wide mouth, "GOTCHA!" she screeched.

Tojiro began firing hundreds of shots straight into Cassandra's face and mouth. Several belligerent shots found it possible to split straight the point of impact and exit out her back, giving off a flurry of blood streaks to swerve slither through the sky. Cassandra still managed to fly forward, but the Demon Demigod managed to plant his feet on Cassandra's forehead and run over her back.

"Chaos Poison Technique: TOXIC ERUPTION!" screamed the Cloakmaster of Fate.

Tojiro stopped on the portion he stood on, noticing several hundred of the feathers on Cassandra's back beginning to glow a bright purple color. In one instant, a small orange flash was overcome. A gigantic series of purple poisonous feathers lifted off Cassandra's back and into the sky above, delivering a quick and easy fate to the Cloakmaster of Darkness. A booming, air shattering combustion of violet flames, black smoke and silver light claimed the sky as its own. Turning her gargantuan body around, Cassandra stared up to see nothing in the sky above her.

"N-No-Nothing?!" she arrogantly said with a shrewd tone.

"Wrong answer!" boomed a monstrous voice.

* * *

><p>Cassandra was only able to turn around for a second until the image of a one-hundred fifty foot tall, titanium armored Werehog charged at her from behind. It was the Cloakmaster of Darkness in his mecha form. Tojiro flew back to the top of Carnal Tower, grabbing Cassandra by her throat, slowing down to smash her directly into the top of Carnal Tower. Tojiro immediately beat his fearsome metal fists to break Cassandra's right wing, but she quickly smacked him across the side of Tojiro's head with her left wing. Cassandra jumped up and clamped her deadly talons into his chest. She then began to drive her mouth into his stomach, tearing through the armor!<p>

Tojiro growled, coughing up a glowing red glob of discharged red Chaos energy from his mouth. Tojiro grabbed hold of her head, shocking it with orange Chaos Lightning. The minute Cassandra stepped back, Tojiro instantly punched Cassandra in the gut, then spun around to clobber her in the back with both of his clasped hands. Tojiro swiftly grabbed the back of Cassandra's head and began smashing it repeatedly into the ground. Such anger and hatred caused green discharged Chaos energy to spill out from Cassandra's mouth, and any other open wounds she had.

Suddenly, with a distinct warning, Cassandra swung her head around to release a fiery surge of green and orange Chaos energy directly into Tojiro's face. The very blast stretched miles and miles, seeming to have no clear end. Minutes dropped to seconds quick. The blast finally halted to reveal the mecha transformed Tojiro left with a gigantic open hole that obliterated half of his upper body.

"Y-E-YES! SUFFER FOR ETERNITY! I…I DEFEATED THE CLOAKMASTER OF DARKNESS!" she screamed in a violent tone of confidence.

The giant mecha, however, simply vanished with a gold flash of vivid light. Cassandra's eyes were left with disbelief. All the gold light that flashed suddenly swarmed around Cassandra and focused on one sole spot behind her. She slowly and tiredly turned around, seeing the real Cloakmaster of Darkness standing below. He lowered his right arm after collecting all the spare Chaos energy that he put into making the **Chaos Clone** Cassandra was so lucky to defeat. The Demigod of Death remained in the Dream Stage of his Nightmare Form, luckily.

"You…what kind blasted move did you just fool me with?!" she blatantly ranted.

"Call it my _**Chaos Clone Jutsu**_. Although, I haven't used that word in a while now, so neither technique or Jutsu matter. Sounds rather powerful any way you put it." stated the frivolous demon.

"How DARE you!" she screamed, causing the wind around Carnal Tower to insanely pick up.

A maelstrom of wind and thunder excitedly exploded across the land, the very Circle of Lust was becoming chaotic with every passing second. Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness, preparing a lightning blue aura of Chaos energy around its blade. Cassandra consumed the Chaos energy within her own body, twisting and turning it to make its effects twice as deadly as they were previously.

Tojiro sensed her desperate plans. Tojiro shot off the ground, breaking the barrier of sound with one single leap. Cassandra let loose thousands of black and violet Chaos Needles from her mouth. Holding the Blade of Darkness forward, the Cloakmaster of Darkness vigorously spun it around like the blades on a windmill.

With every Chaos Needle that hit his blade, sparks ravaged on in all directions. Tojiro finally smashed directly into Cassandra's face, causing her to fall straight onto her back. Tojiro flew on into the air, having to bring himself to a stop. Turning around, Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form. Pointing the Blade of Darkness up to the sky, he used the power of his Dream Form to infuse positive and negative Chaos energy.

It created a brimming form of silver to brighten his sword while blue and red bolts of lightning from the skies clashed against the steel. Tojiro charged down with all his power, forming into a spin dash. The blade stuck out even in his ball form. He sliced straight across Cassandra's belly, cutting a clean yet ravenous scar of spurting blood to gush out.

Cassandra screamed in desperate need for help, knowing none would come. Tojiro exited his spin dash form, skidding across the ground to a steady halt. Turning around, he witness Cassandra rising off the ground and into the sky. Tojiro quickly sheathed the Blade of Darkness and charged forward to the center of footing. He stopped in front of the massive pool of blood. He began waving and swinging his hands left and right. The blood began to rise up, collecting to form a shape. It stood slanted off into a diagonal direction. Finally, Tojiro crossed his hands over one another. By the simple act of clenching his fists, the blood froze and formed into a seriously deadly spike of pale crimson.

Preparing the Chains of Fear, he swung them around and around over his own head. He slung the kusarigama weapons out of his hands. The chains stretched out far. One wrapped around Cassandra's very neck, and suddenly duplicated it's length. The other snake like chain wrapped around Cassandra's left wing. She halted in her rise, causing her eyes to stretch with fear. Tojiro focused all the Chaos energy of his Dream Stage into his legs. He began stepping back, actually managing to bring Cassandra down inch by inch, closer towards the frozen spike of blood that grimly awaited her. The inside of her wings shined a brilliant violet.

"DIE YOU ACCURSED HELLSHADE!" thundered the damnation in Cassandra's voice.

Thunderous storms of Chaos Needles stormed down at Tojiro with intensive force. Tojiro…felt his victory awaiting him. Simply jumping backwards, Cassandra's eyes were left with pure failure.

"Farewell." mumbled the heartless Demigod.

In that simple jump backwards with his legs pointed forward, Tojiro released a steady stream of overpowered jet fumes to burst out from under his feet. Cassandra was viciously pulled down to the frozen blood spike. The spike pierced straight through the center of her chest, spewing a gushing fountain of glowing green Chaos energy to throw up out from her chest and back. Tojiro stopped in mid-air outside the rim of Carnal Tower, lowering his arms. In a quick flash did the chains recoil. Tojiro caught the kusarigama by their thin handles, easily placing them back in his hands.

Tojiro flew back onto the footing of Carnal Tower, staring. A bloodied corpse of glowing green and darkened crimson soiled itself all over Cassandra's Giant Harpy body. Tojiro's hood was lowered, his white fur returning to black, exiting the Dream Stage of his Nightmare Form. His eyes remained pale white; the image or form of his pupils unseen. No emotion mattered whether you'd look into his eyes or not.

For the Demigod of Death had no reason to courteously show weakness in any dire situation of battle. As Tojiro turned away from Cassandra's rotting corpse, he only imagined what waited below, and below that, below that, and below that. For these were only the first two Circles of Hell.

Only seven more to go. Only seven more Hell Gods to kill…and it would all be over. The Cloakmaster of Fate, Cassandra Shukumei was gone and erased from existence, her corpse to rot away and her Chaos energy only to dissipate with the diminishing of her very bones. Tojiro left nothing behind but destruction, for the minute when he jumped off from Carnal Tower, it began to crumble into oblivion. Lust had been conquered by hatred. A hatred that only Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku knows.

**つづく**

****_To be continued_

__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
><strong>

-Within the Third Circle on a field of organs and mushed goo, Tojiro is surrounded by Gorger Worms.- "Tojiro has defeated another of the Nine Hell Gods," -The three headed "Great Worm" Cerberus rises with the third Hell God on top of its center head.- "And is one step closer to getting his revenge."

"This time, Tojiro must face the overwhelming madness of his uncle, Maximus Itami." -Tojiro's shocked face explodes as he is slammed in the chest with one of the Axes of Punishment embedded in his sternum.- "The two fools speak of days never brought to fruition, berating the other back and forth like scum."

-Tojiro rolls onto his back after throwing the Axe towards a huge beam of green and yellow Chaos energy firing from Cerberus' center mouth.-

-The Cloakmaster releases his own brand of hellfire of orange Chaos energy from his mouth.- "The madness and wrath between the two monsters continues. As they lick their wounds during battle, only destruction replaces it." -Maximus slams the ground with both Axes whilst tan Chaos energy surrounds them.-

-An orange X shoots from the Axes of Punishment.- -Tojiro points Black Death forward with supremacy on mind.-

"Their respite in battle...never takes shape."

-Tojiro falls towards a pit of fifteen Gorger Worms.- -Maximus watches in horror as a fiery explosion releasing comets in all directions leaves him blind.-

-The shadow of Tojiro...launches out of the fire: Hatred boiling in his eyes.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LIX: METHODS TO MADNESS  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS MAXIMUS ITAMI  
><strong>


	59. Chapter LIX

_****_**CHAPTER LIX: METHODS TO MADNESS:  
><strong>

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS MAXIMUS ITAMI  
><strong>

***WARNING* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the following others contain intense action and severe visions of gore and violence. This section is NOT suitable for certain audiences. YOU have been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY depictions of the unholy netherworld known as Hell. Still don't feel right about saying that, but nonetheless. I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze and Maximus Itami. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
><strong>

**Tojiro Ankoku has the murders of two Hell Gods steady in his conscious. Only seven remain. Within a realm as putrid, nightmarish and disgusting as Gluttony, how would you keep your sanity in check? I certainly could not. All feedback and reviews are most welcome.  
><strong>

_**Descent into Gluttony**_

Landing on the thin rock path on the other side of the wide open canyon that Carnal Tower split off, he charged down the rugged path with adamancy. A disturbance crawled through his nerves and triggered his heightened senses. Up ahead at the path that led down to the cliff into Gluttony stood Ryu Kaze. He appeared rather patient of all things. Tojiro left his hood down and casually approached the man known as 'Dragon Wind'.

Tojiro showed a rather look that Ryu wouldn't be able to deduce. Call it Tojiro's brutal honesty, but he managed to maintain the thought that Ryu would have been capable of intervening in Tojiro's fight with Cassandra. It does sound rather ridiculous, yes. However, reading Tojiro's expressions is similar to trying to make him conjure up a promise. Ryu felt relatively relieved at the point when the lonesome demon stepped up to his side.

"So how-"

"Don't even ask me **how it was**. That's a petty question fools keep in their pockets to throw into another's face whenever they feel like it. We fought. I lived. She died. End of story." answered Tojiro, wearing his despicable expression.

"Ahhh. Yes, of course. I simply wanted to make sure you kept your mission before your feelings." replied the ancient god, hovering down the path that led to the cliff.

"See? I knew I was a good storyteller." responded the Demigod of Death in a rather calm tone, walking down the path at Ryu's side.

"I do assume you had much more to think about during this fight, correct?" Ryu persistently asked.

"Cassandra lasted longer than I thought. Longer than Julius even did. Why should it matter anyway?" Tojiro consciously advised to Ryu.

"Simply enough, my friend. Simply…enough." Ryu answered in a steady tone.

"Though I do believe I have mastered the Nightmare Forms' stages pretty well during the fight. It always feels different with positive Chaos energy surging through my veins."

"And with that stage, all your negative Chaos energy is focused inside your right arm. It is truly intriguing as to how Victoria's purpose in life was to make you live on and on. Without her, you wouldn't have had that arm right now." Ryu spoke in an admiring tone.

"I wouldn't have my life either, Ryu. The arm does not matter." Tojiro securely stated.

Ryu looked rather surprised at such an immediate response yet, Ryu was very aware of how much care and love Victoria put into the young Cloakmasters' life and spirit.

"These seven shards…the jewels from the Necklace of Remembrance. They're all my memories. Some I haven't even looked at…more I was forced to face. Without them, my Chaos energy would burn out. Everything inside me would turn to dust." Tojiro voiced with a steel strong determination.

Ryu turned his gaze forward, respecting the Demigod and his ways.

"But somehow, just like Earth itself…I've left trails of ash." added the Cloakmaster.

"It is not your fault, my friend. There are many more Nightshades that have been unable to cope with their powers." Ryu safely confirmed.

"That's already obvious. I know what you mean, though. However, why was my power so…unrivaled by anyone else? All I remember is staring into a mirror, looking at all the bruises and cuts humanity gave to me. When I turn around; **I look at all the scars I left on humanity**." Tojiro preached, feeling unsightly quarreled.

It only took minutes until Tojiro found himself flying down through the air into the Third Circle of Hell; Gluttony. Alone and carrying numerous unsettling emotions upon his shoulders, Tojiro stared to what awaited him below. Landing on a large surface of organs and slime, Tojiro rose to his feet to face; nothing.

A clear and wide open space led him towards the entrance into Gluttony. It was a land for those who wish they had never been born. Suffering eternally in the mud, pelted by the rain and the mud. It was rather an atrocious fate no matter what angle it was looked upon.

Taking the time to march across the organ layered footing, Tojiro looked on all sides. On mounds and hills of this Circle, Gorger Worms spout out to desperately feed and devour whatever nears them. It only took slight thought and imagination that made Tojiro disgusted by this land. However, an earth rattling rumble gave him the message to halt in his path. A whirling storm of orange and black appeared in the center of the ground. Tojiro managed to arm the Blade of Darkness with precaution. Two gigantic gray feet stepped out, and out came the guardian of Gluttony; the Great Worm Cerberus. Standing atop the middle head of the ravenous beast of overruling appetites stood the third Hell God.

"TOJIRO! I congratulate you upon arriving here! At the Third Circle of Hell! I'm sure you may have questions, yes?" voiced the Cloakmaster of Pain: Maximus Itami.

"I hold no personal wonderments to seek from your filthy voice, Cloakmaster of Foolishness." denounced the ill voiced Demigod of Death.

"Nothing has ever mattered to you to begin with. You even know its an eligible statement." Tojiro added in a vicious tone.

"Very true. Very, very true. Perhaps you have learned what it means to acknowledge those who are more powerful than you are." Maximus readily answered.

The left Cerberus head swiftly stretched its neck forward to engulf Tojiro in one gulp. However, on the back of its head, Tojiro shot straight through the beast's mouth and towards Maximus. The Cloakmaster of Pain smirked, placing his right hand down on the Cerberus' head. Its mouth of drool opened up to unleash a large barrage of dark green and yellow Chaos energy mixed together. Tojiro was able to spin himself around in circles to slice through the very middle of the belligerence Maximus unleashed. Tojiro made it to the other side, but the second he flew towards Maximus, ready to strike, Tojiro was violently struck in the chest.

Tojiro shot down back towards the organ covered footing, one of the Axes of Punishment embedded in his chest. Tojiro aggravated with grumbling of hateful words. He grabbed the Axe of Punishment, immediately focusing on the center head of Cerberus. It violently released another barrage of green and yellow mixed Chaos Spears.

Tojiro quickly tossed the Axe of Punishment straight at the barrage with carelessness, but quickly clapped his hands together to release a monstrous storm of orange and yellow hellfire from his mouth. Maximus readily jumped off from the center head of Cerberus, having to let his so-called pet become absorbed in a mountain of flames and carnage. The flames were so powerful that it didn't even allow Cerberus to shout or roar.

The very foundations of pain can be so easily broken sometimes. Maximus landed on the cleared area where Cerberus once stood. No ashes. No remains. Not a single mark even reminded Maximus of Cerberus' existence. He felt quaint to be able to face the Demigod of Death in such a fight. Maximus readied both Axes of Punishment, keeping them lowered at first.

"Halt right there! Cloakmaster Ankoku." summoned the voice of Gluttony's Hell God. Tojiro stopped his somewhat able charge, drawing back his distant vigil back into his hands.

"Tell me something; just between you and I…why do you feel the thirst to do away with us all?" Tojiro surprisingly remained silent by such a fleeting question.

It was such an uprooting sentence that dug right under Tojiro's skin and peeled out his nerves one by one. Nothing more bothersome could give any more reason to simply take several steps forward and beat Maximus into the mud and dirt until he physically becomes a part of the Circle he governs over. Unbeknownst to his own righteous feelings, Tojiro stood in a normal straight standing posture. Maximus noticed a slight form of willingness come from Tojiro. Maximus felt pressured and disgusted at the same time. For one, Tojiro could be using Maximus' question to simply think of a plan. On the other hand, however, Maximus felt annoyed to selflessly think Tojiro was capable of winning this destined brawl.

"I'm not going to be held accountable for mistakes I know I can correct. You and all the other Hell Gods are each forms of a disgusting thing called disrespect. In the name of my people, you've fought for your own means to an end where your kind becomes the sole winners. You get everything…everyone else suffers. Don't give me that half hearted bull-crap about how you suffered as a Nightshade either…because even I can tell…_**you haven't clearly suffered enough**_." Tojiro voiced in an enraged state.

"So you follow the path of blind hatred. Too bad we don't have a circle for that." Maximus responded half jokingly.

"Laugh and taunt…I shall silence that filthy mouth of yours so only blood is the only thing coming out of it! I have witnessed enough disrespect in this world! My mother and father, everyone else I've met! You're all disrespecting their names for your own sinful desires and actions! I SHALL NOT HAVE IT! Not again!" roared the raging demon, preparing a taunting aura of red and black around the Blade of Darkness.

"It doesn't matter _who_ you're fighting for you damn fool! Our people have foolishly chosen to honor Ryu for what he so foolishly unleashed upon humanity. The Great Shade Empire only followed a darkened path into their own destruction. Your parents and everyone that you've held dear are ALL responsible for our existence!" Maximus shouted back with reason.

* * *

><p>Tojiro was left with only hatred. A hatred that continued to chew at his soul like a caterpillar eating a leaf.<p>

"My parents and friends; back then they were everything to me. But…you dare call them…the faults to my life? Are you calling them…the reasons for my suffering?" mumbled the soulless Cloakmaster of Darkness, his fists shaking down by his side.

"My parents and friends; THEY'VE DONE NOTHING BUT CARE FOR ME! They are the most peaceful and respectful beings I could have ever met! For such idiocy…I shall cleanse you from history's existence so no one knows your name! NO ONE!" echoed the fearsome demon's rage.

Reverting to his human form, Tojiro flipped his hood over his head. Two completely crimson red eyes appeared in the emptiness of his hooded face. His pupils gone…just as his soul. Darkness against Pain. Two vial Cloakmasters in a duel to the death to decide who would continue to carve a path through agony.

Preparing the Axes of Punishment with glowing tan auras of Chaos energy on the blades, the Cloakmaster of Pain viciously slammed them into the ground. Tentacles of intestine shaped ropes shot out of the ground around Tojiro. He swiftly swung the Blade of Darkness in a complete circle to cut them all in half.

Tojiro charged forward with desperate haste. Maximus crossed the Axes of Punishment to shape an X. Tojiro strangely sensed a faulty attack to come out. An orange X shot out of the Axes of Punishment. It carved through the ground as it continued to charge forward. Tojiro readied Black Death in his left. There was an open gap under the X for Tojiro to slide under. He dashed forward, just like his constant initiative. However, a smirk appeared on Maximus' expression.

The X grew five times its regular size and began like a giant windmill blade. Tojiro stared up with a gaze of disbelief. Ignoring his thoughts of being blown away, Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness. Covering it with more of his enhancing negative Chaos energy, he lunged it forward through the air like a spear. The sword swiftly managed to pass through the X. Tojiro managed to press the trigger back, firing a single shot. The Blade of Darkness was able to stab and impale Maximus in his large gut, but it hardly even pierced through.

The large X suddenly exploded before it could hit Tojiro. The power from the explosion set riveting orange meteors to shower out from all sides of the invoked combustion. The single bullet Tojiro fired found its use. The power of the bullet, enhanced through the giant X Maximus released, hit the Blade of Darkness on the underside of the grip, forcing it all the way into Maximus' belly. He bended forward, appearing to be sick and grotesquely nauseous.

Tojiro's hatred pushed him through the lingering cloud that exploded from the X mark of Chaos energy. Maximus swung one of the Axes of Punishment down, but Tojiro was able to land under it, kicking it out of his hand. Tojiro gave a fierce uppercut by using a Chaos Punch. Using the top of his head, Tojiro leaped up to grab the airborne Axe of Punishment. He immediately turned around to toss it back down to impale the Cloakmaster of Pain in the front of his left shoulder. Tojiro used Chaos Control to have the Blade of Darkness reappear in the grip of his right hand. Maximus swiftly and regrettably pulled the Axe of Punishment out from the deep yet empty wound.

"I assure you must already be attuned to what _shall_ happen if you _do_ reach Akuma's Circle of Treachery. Right?" Maximus feigned in fear.

Tojiro remained tired with solemn solace growing around him. The situation at hand may not have been bothering him, but the entire idea of being here in Hell once again was more than he could handle. It was unbearable. He felt trapped in a small steel box with nothing to do, drink or eat. It was as if he was destined to feel like a freak of nature.

"Or is it actually plausible that you haven't assumed the best from the worst. You must be more than a coward than I took you for, Cloakmaster Ankoku. Have you no reason?" bragged the fearless Cloakmaster of Pain.

Aggravation enjoyably fed on the strings that held Tojiro's reason together. If any, reason wouldn't have been such an important factor in this journey. In life it mattered more. In life, reason mattered all too much. With the Cloakmaster of Darkness, however, enough isn't enough. Satisfaction through his eyes are seeing those who he deems unfavorable by human nature and personally ridding of them from existence. Nothing could replace that responsibility.

Even now as he stares into the demented eyes of Maximus Itami, Tojiro refuses to show reason here. For in Hell…_**death has no reason**_. The hatred that fed away at Tojiro's conscious etched his mind to sprint forward. With deadly intent, Maximus swung both the Axes of Punishment to spin out to the left and right. In a sideways position, the Axes glowed with an orange monstrous aura. Tojiro easily skidded across the ground on his knees to dodge them.

However, with the second that gave the two Axes a collision with one another, the Chaos energy between both of the weapons exploded into a storm of orange Chaos Needles. Tojiro jumped back to his feet, jumping to turn himself around and slash away at all the Chaos Needles that came close to him. Immediately did Tojiro force himself to turn around. Maximus had both the Axes of Punishment appear back in his hands, holding them high over his own head. Tojiro managed to jump straight at Maximus and drive the knee of his right leg directly into his face.

Tojiro pressed forward with his knee to back-flip himself over the air. Maximus tossed both of the Axes of Punishment into the ground on both of his sides. He then clapped his hands together. Down below, a slew of fifteen Gorger Worms shot up out of the ground. Desperately, Tojiro pointed the Blade of Darkness down. It seemed to no avail once the hungry worms gathered and wrapped around each other to catch the Cloakmaster in their ball of hunger. Maximus lowered his arms, grabbing the two Axes of Punishment.

"Comet Storm Blast of Chaos!" shouted the angered Demigod of Death.

Maximus hurriedly lifted his head up, as well as his weapons. The entire ball of Gorger Worms was blown and split apart by streams of orange colored meteors with long red streams tailing behind them. Tojiro flew up out of the chaos, pointing the Blade of Darkness forward. Like a frenzy of bees, the multitude of vastly numbered comet streams of Chaos charged on at Maximus. Digging the Axes of Punishment into the ground, he began to spin himself and the Axes through the ground.

A giant black tornado formed and protected Maximus. All the streams of Chaos energy from Tojiro's attack angrily collided and exploded on all sides of the black tornado. All the focused energy resulted itself into a gargantuan dome of orange light to explode out with several rays of white shooting out from it. Tojiro watched the dome shine on with its blinding force, keeping his focus steady. The black tornado that protected Maximus suddenly broke through the cloud of gathering smoke. Tojiro leaped backwards. Into the air he went, pointing the Blade of Darkness down at the tornado beam that chased after him.

"Chaos Lightning!" he barked with demand.

A flurry of red lightning bolts exploded out from Tojiro's blade, going inside to dissipate the tornado. In that single instant, Tojiro failed to recognize the large, obese Cloakmaster of Pain rise up and punched his oversized fist directly into the demon's face. Tojiro crashed into the ground with imminent force that boomed with a ferocious echo. Maximus dropped onto the ground in the center of the widened area. He waited with a rather intuitive form of patience, as if he knew what was to come next and more so. However, this was Tojiro he was facing. From in front, behind, the left, and to the right, streams of crimson red Chaos energy came out of the ground and all exploded against Maximus, launching his smoking corpse into the air.

From below, Cloakmaster Ankoku shot out in his Darkrai form. Preparing a sphere of focused lightning and energy from the Chaos Shock technique, Tojiro flew high above Maximus. Without letting more than five seconds of time pass by, Tojiro darted back down at Maximus with focus to murder and obliterate. Maximus worriedly smacked the two Axes of Punishment together. From the sticky and oozing mud that gathered around the entire footing below, a pair of Hydra heads shot. One came in from the left, while the other charged in from the right. Tojiro grabbed his right hand that held the sphere of lightning, creating another duplicate in his left hand.

"Wind Lightning Drill!" growled the Demigod of Death.

Pointing his hands out to the left and right, five silver mixed with blue blades of Chaos energy expanded out from the lightning spheres. The Hydra charged in at the wrong time, having no hope once the furious blades of swift wind completely decapitated their heads. Having to halt in mid-air to eliminate these threats, Tojiro pointed the lightning spheres forward again.

Maximus landed on the ground, looking up at the diving demon. The two lightning spheres suddenly turned into a pair of large silver drills striped with glowing blue lines all around them. The drills covered all the way up to Tojiro's shoulders.

With a furious growl echoing from his vocal cords, Tojiro pressed them forward to clash with Maximus, who forcibly raised the Axes of Punishment up. The Axes of Punishment were crossed together at this point, while the drills of lightning Tojiro prepared were desperately trying to shatter through Maximus' weapons. Maximus fretted. For all things to do, even now, he actually felt the grip of victory slipping out of his hands. Maximus focused his Chaos energy into the Axes of Punishment.

"SHATTER!" shouted the two Cloakmasters.

In a blink of white, a funnel explosion of red, orange, white, and brown smoke exploded off in every direction. Tojiro was found in the midst of the smoke, using his right hand to carve through the ground, bringing himself to a steady halt. Tojiro rose to his feet, his single turquoise eye burning with a vivid image of Maximus' dead corpse. A large carving of organs and earth that shaped into a triangle shot through the smoke.

Tojiro turned his back to the left, letting it pass by him. He then ducked his head, taking one step back. Another projectile of the same form came, causing him to turn to the right, jump up over another, pound one into a cloud of smoke with one punch, then quickly cart wheeling one flip back to dodge the last. Every dodge he took caused Tojiro to stop on a glowing silver panel that rippled. Tojiro suddenly fell into it, giving off a bright shining silver glow to explode.

Tojiro found himself lying on a white stone floor. He reverted himself to his human form, and as he rose, his hood fell back. Tojiro annoyingly felt a banging on the inside of his head, and it wasn't the landing. Tojiro immediately lifted his head up. A ravenous and fat ugly beast reached down at him. Tojiro thrusted his right fist into its mouth and out the back of its head. Easy, right? Tojiro pulled his fist back out then kicked the gluttonous monster back across the floor. Tojiro saw a visage of black fog gather on the outside of this place.

With not much respite left in his hoarse breath and concrete heavy lungs he spoke, "**The Hall of the Gluttons**…"

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
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__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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****-The Cloakmaster is hoisted off the ground after tentacles of darkness spear his ankles and arms.- "The Hall of Gluttons. Within this menagerie of figmentation and twisted reality, Tojiro is confronted."

-A kneeling Tojiro roars at anger, sitting on a pool of his own blood.- "His blood, his own brother; Akuma Kyofu comes to Tojiro with a subtle revelation."

"He mentally assures the Nightmare Scythe will be his; along with the **Scythe of Hell**." -Akuma clenches his fist before the Demigod of Death with much promise of a new **Apocalypse**.- "Tojiro soon rationalizes nothing: Seeing all but his wrath." -The gut of a wandering Glutton is slashed open, unleashing a parade of vile bodily contents.-

-Tojiro charges towards a silver arched doorway.- "All but this wrath is his weapon. Tojiro returns to Gluttony's full realm." -Tojiro jumps towards both Axes of Punishment after seeing them be flung out of the archway portal, kicking them back.-

-Tojiro arms the Dragon Guardian Cestus while falling from the sky. Trails of a misty crimson swarming off the dragon eyes.-

"This path that harbors murder is the correct path." -Tojiro turns his back to avoid a humongous force of swing by Maximus and both his Axes.-

-Tojiro leaps to Maximus with his right arm yanked back.- "This wrath is all he has. There are no friends. No conscience. No peace."

-A blood and mucus covered Cloakmaster stands with retribution branded into the fibers of his very brain.-

"This is...the power of _**Chaos**._"

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LX: FORSAKING HOPE  
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	60. Chapter LX

**CHAPTER LX: FORSAKING HOPE**

***WARNING* READ HERE: You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This Arc and specifically THIS very chapter contain extreme action violence and scenes of disturbing gore. If you are against such genres or of audiences that should NOT be reading this content, stop here now. YOU have been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the depictions/location creations of the imaginary underworld that are the Nine Circles of Hell. I ONLY claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Akuma Kyofu and Maximus Itami.  
><strong>

**Tojiro is confronted by the Hell's current ruler and the New Devil himself; Akuma Kyofu. Within the Hall of the Gluttons, Tojiro is taunted by Akuma's master plan for his invasion of Planet Earth. Afterwards, the one on one war between the Cloakmaster of Darkness and Cloakmaster of Pain reaches its tyrannical climax...  
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"The Hall of the Gluttons. Maximus is indeed a coward if he thinks their hunger can outlast my hatred." the devoted Demigod of Death stated.

Streams of darkness spat out from all sides. Tojiro was unsightly skewered through both legs, and his arms coiled in the streams of black. Tojiro coughed out nothing but a hopeless gag of air. It was quaint for the Cloakmaster. One enemy and then he gets stuck in some horrible situation. Nothing more can surprise than what had just happened.

Tojiro's inky red blood dripped from his metal legs. Since they hold his Chaos energy, it also contains a liquid form of his Chaos energy when its at sustained levels. However, if he sees glowing red energy spilling it is a sign that the Chaos energy in his body is becoming discharged. It meant a certain death. A horrendous laughter echoed throughout the Hall of Gluttons.

Tojiro kept an anxious glare forward, hoping that his brutal form of hate and power would give him the strength. Appearing out of a black fog before the Demigod of Death appeared Akuma Kyofu.

"Akuma…you filthy scum. You cowardly intervene in my fight?!" Tojiro denounced in a form of utter hatred.

"Not at all. I've only come with a warning…and possible revelation.

"However, I'm not sure your eyes will be able to believe the images that appear in your mind." Akuma voiced, putting his fingers together and turning away from the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro was lifted off his bloodied legs, hanging up from the floor. Akuma stopped in his tracks, lowering his arms down.

"So I'll just give you the warning. Is that okay with you, brother?" wondered the Cloakmaster of Fear, turning around to face him.

"You are not my brother. None of you accursed Hell Gods are related to me!" Tojiro spouted in an uproar.

"You still refuse to accept the truth? Now that I think about it…you haven't been so good at keeping any truth to yourself have you? You have always managed to hold the fates of any disregarded soul in your very hands. Not once have you actually-"

"DON'T YOU SPEAK OF MY CHOICES!" interrupted the painstakingly adrenaline in the Demigod of Death, his orange pupils vanishing from his eyes.

Crimson glowing red incinerated Tojiro's hate, giving him his cursed power.

"You have nothing to fight me with, Tojiro. Haven't you noticed your current situation, or have your five faces of evil gone blind for good?" Akuma mumbled like self centered scum, glaring at the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"You have no authority to judge my life or any others! You've already said enough dammit…and I shall make sure I repay you for your foolish ways." Tojiro denounced with visual anger shimmering in his eyes.

"So you assume! Have you not listened? I've only came to this horrid Circle to warn you of the Nightmare Scythe…_**it's going to be mine**_." Akuma promised with a distant glare, standing directly in front of his suspended brother.

"Its power is mine to wield. You shall not have it until you kill me." Tojiro growled through his gritted teeth.

Akuma prepared a scythe of his own, bringing it to Tojiro's very neck.

"Don't test me now, brother. I just might give myself that luxury." Akuma glaringly smirked.

Akuma pulled the scythe away from Tojiro's neck. Akuma held in his right hand the Nightmare Scythe's twin; **The Scythe of Hell**. The long staff handle was black and had several white stripes run around the entire handle. The blade was exactly the same size as the Nightmare Scythe's. On the left side of the blade, it was forged black with the Japanese symbol of harmony on it. The symbol was colored crimson red. On the right side of the blade, it was forged crimson red with the Japanese symbol of war on it. The symbol was colored black.

"With both Scythes in hand; I'll reforge the ancient weapon of old to bring about a new Apocalypse. The Apocalypse where the very birthplace of evil shall ascend and ensnare humanity under its rule!" Akuma ruthlessly preached, holding his arms out to the left and right, laughing mercilessly at his blood brother.

Tojiro was left with a face full of deathly grimace, wishing to drive the Scythe of Hell straight through Akuma's chest then do the same with his very own Nightmare Scythe…just to be sure.

"It is truly an honor to have you here in Hell, Tojiro. I'm sure Lucifer must've enjoyed your presence when you first visited. If only I knew such a place existed, I would have killed you off earlier. But for now, I'll let Maximus have that pleasure." planned the Devil of Fear, spinning around in a fog of orange fire, vanishing in the process.

The streams of darkness vanished into drifting particles, dropping Tojiro onto the ground. He easily landed, but felt his mechanical legs tremble with pressure. Breathing out several much needed courses of air, Tojiro dreadfully sweated with a tired judgment being forced upon his very shoulders. Many things have managed to persuade Tojiro to think in some other unconditional way, but this one managed to make him think in a completely different perspective. Nothing managed to persuade to believe in anything else but his own beliefs.

No one could see their way through the fog that surrounded Tojiro's life and personality. It was obvious now. Much more hellish things were awaiting him in the Circles below, and much more powerful Hell Gods waited as well. Everyone single one of them were eager, even Tojiro. Tojiro slowly reached for the handle of the Blade of Darkness. With patience did he quietly draw the blade out of its sheath. At once when he removed it, he stared at its mystical appearance. His full crimson eyes left. His orange pupils reappeared with the white of his eyes, giving him a form of humanity to lean upon.

Tojiro knew life could be short. With no path in life one can become blind and clueless. They have no reason to judge or support their own reasons to confront the challenges that force themselves upon peoples' lives. It all becomes…hopeless. Tojiro could have ended his life millennia ago, but even as his wavering face of confusion and heartlessness grew, he couldn't bear to tolerate this world any longer.

He grabbed the blade with one single grip, summoning a fearsome crimson red aura to sharpen itself all across the blade. He held it backwards. It slightly pointed to his right hip. Emptiness. It was all he could feel right now. For whatever maddened plan Akuma had, Tojiro knew it would succeed. Through its unraveling, humanity would be thrown to the ground in fear.

No corner of the world would be safe for them to seek shelter. Fire would replace the sky and its clouds. Blood would replace the lakes, rivers and oceans. Death would be the controller at the center of the universe. In this dreary scene, Tojiro lifted the Blade of Darkness up, preparing for something that should've been decided seconds ago.

He spun around to completely slice open the gut of another Glutton, causing it to drop to the ground dead. Death is a luxury. Life may be challenging and hard, but death is just too easy to accept. Six more Gluttons appeared out of Chaos Control, surrounding the Cloakmaster of Darkness in the center. Besides, it wouldn't even be fun if he gave up so easily.

He has a destiny to fulfill…and there's no way on Heaven, Hell, or Earth is he going to let that get away from him. Never will he let his choices become a burden. For everything he has done was right and wrong. That's as simple as it gets…so let it be as it is. Tojiro is the last true Cloakmaster alive in existence, and if he were to state it with irony; _**he'd be damned before he let his life get away from him**_.

* * *

><p>Quickly readying the Nightmare Scythe with his left hand, Tojiro kept his eyes stone cold locked on every direction pointing towards him. The ravenous Gluttons remained still. They gurgled and hoarsely burped with a disgusting noises. It left Tojiro more reason to let them attack first. He believed these unfathomable masses of useless protoplasm deserved to die through their foolish acts.<p>

One single step forward made Tojiro's ears flick. With the Nightmare Scythe, he easily swung the blade around in a full circle, actually causing the neck of the staff to stretch out the Scythe. The blade viciously sliced open all the stomachs of the six Gluttons in one single swipe. Tojiro pulled the Nightmare Scythe back, the weapon returning to its normal form. Tojiro took a gaze forward, seeing a glowing silver door that arched itself in a slim fashion.

Tojiro ran towards it with the utmost of desperate haste. He was left dreadfully surprised once he saw one of the Axes of Punishment be thrown out of the portal and flew directly towards between his eyes.

Tojiro swiftly managed to leap forward off the ground and kick it back. Maximus hardly appeared through the portal, but was unfortunately caught in the pain of the Axe of Punishment came in burrowed itself into his flesh. Tojiro, in the midst of his jump, drove the Nightmare Scythe and Blade of Darkness into the Cloakmaster of Pain's chest and belly. The force pushed both Maximus and Tojiro through the portal.

The two reappeared falling down through the sky in Gluttony. Maximus punched Tojiro in the face, but Tojiro only pressed the two weapons deeper into Maximus' body, harming several organs and killing off his Chaos energy inside. Down below, the two fell towards a field of mud and organs. In the form of this very Circle of Hell, a rather outgrown Gorger Worm pierced out through the ground below the field of organs. Opening its wide mouth open, the beast caught both Cloakmasters in one easy chomp.

It happily grinded its teeth together for several savoring moments. It screeched in pain once a large hole exploded out, sloshing out a waterfall of blood and disgusting leftovers from its stomach. Maximus was thrown into the air, covered with scars and temporary burns. Tojiro quickly stood in the hole. With the Nightmare Scythe attached to his back and the Blade of Darkness back in its sheath, he turned around to grab the Gorger Worms' spinal cord. Tojiro turned back around to the outside, tearing it out and throwing a good fraction of the spine out into the air. Tojiro fiercely jumped out of the hole, landing on the end of the airborne spinal cord. Tojiro lightly ran up the diagonally pointed bone structure, preparing the Dragon Guardian Cestus.

Reaching the very top of the drifting bone fragments, Tojiro cast himself into the high sky. Tojiro quickly faced himself towards Maximus, who was still falling. Blasting fumes of fire from under his feet, Tojiro strengthened out his body and dive bombed directly at the Cloakmaster of Pain. The glowing red eyes on the Dragon Guardian Cestus vibrated, leaving small trails of misty red to rivet and glow. Preparing his Tsukikagegan, the Dragon Guardian Cestus around Tojiro's fists and up to his mid-arm glowed with red, outlined by a black line. Tojiro collided the two dragon heads against the Cloakmaster of Pain's chest, his shocked face spelling out his own emotional mastery of pain.

The power sent Maximus plummeting down to the ground with impacting force that Tojiro continued to force upon him. The very impact caused the organ made landscape shake and explode with fountains of orange Chaos energy, causing violent earthquakes to rivet all across Gluttony. Tojiro stepped off from the corpse of the vanished will that the Cloakmaster of Pain's body slowly disheveled from itself.

Tojiro stepped past the body of the still laying Maximus with no formal emotions. No sign of victory. Not even a thought of it echoed within Tojiro's spirit. He only knew there was more Hell to combat…and the second he stopped; he knew. Tojiro swung around the use the right Dragon Guardian Cestus head to deflect a blast of spiraling orange Chaos energy. Maximus charged towards the Cloakmaster of Darkness, his body still host of a fiery rage that pained his soul. A pain that wanted Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku dead and done away with.

"I'll give you only slight commendation to how you were able to find the will to escape Akuma's words. You surely must've wanted to see him dead!" rose the voice of Maximus, slashing both Axes of Punishment.

Tojiro was quick, taking careful and perfect steps back to block every single attack that came near him. "I bet it makes you curious as to how I'm letting myself up so easily?" Maximus added, finally clashing both of his Axes with both of Tojiro's Cestus.

Maximus stuck his neck out with a face full of madness, "It's because I'm aware of how powerful you can become. That hatred of yours is something of a burden of luxury and invincibility. No one has that power but you. Tell me, why is that?"

"You need no reason. After I silence you from existence, you won't need to know anything until then!" raised the Demigod of Death's voice, pushing Maximus back.

Taking a full charge sprint at the Cloakmaster of Pain, Tojiro quickly turned his back to the left to dodge a full downward swing from both Axes. Tojiro quickly delivered a face full of extremely durable metal to the Cloakmaster of Pain's face, throwing his massive body smacking and bouncing across the muddy ground of Gluttony's landscape. Tojiro automatically appeared above in the sky, quickly stomping down both of his feet upon Maximus' belly to halt him where he stopped. Tojiro was suddenly forced to leap back once Maximus shot a blast of Chaos energy up. Tojiro skidded to a halt, keeping his feet steady for a charge.

"You have no reason to defeat US! You're only trying to satisfy your own wicked thirst for revenge. You have no ability…to defeat all of us." Maximus tiredly grumbled.

In a split second, Tojiro charged forward, punching Maximus dead in the chest with the right Dragon Guardian Cestus. On that one strike, the ribs of Maximus snapped inward. His mouth coughed up glowing orange discharged Chaos energy. Tojiro looked up with a soulless glare.

"Then I'll make the most of my life. All I need to do; is try my best." answered the Demigod of Death.

The two Cestus reverted to their bracelet form. Tojiro quickly jumped onto Maximus, forcing his right arm straight down the Hell God's throat. Tojiro managed to manipulate the Chaos energy into his arm, making the metal stretch, giving him more length to thrust his arm further down the Hell God's throat. Even in such a vile state, Maximus dropped to his knees, wallowing his mouth full of putrid blood, saliva and slight bile mixed with his discharged Chaos energy.

Tojiro finally busted his fist out of Maximus' back. The eyes of Maximus Itami widened with disbelief. He felt silent, feeling the arms of death grab him by the shoulders. Tojiro pulled his hand back, grabbing hold of the spinal cord, clenching it. Cracks skewered up the spine, giving Maximus a dreadful cold tense.

"Onto the Circle of Greed. Your gluttonous efforts of pain failed to devour me. Sayonara…Maximus Itami."

One single tug was all it took. A shower of blood exploded out from the mouth of Maximus as Tojiro tore out his entire bloodied spinal cord out up through his throat, and out his throat. Maximus' corpse turned into a simple bloodied mound of rotting protoplasm, letting the germs and bacteria of this disturbing circle feed on his remains. Tojiro simply snapped the spinal cord with one forceful grip, dropping it. Tojiro turned away from the Cloakmaster of Pain's ruined corpse, knowing full well that this time could not be wasted any longer.

Three Circles of Hell conquered and left without their masters; they would soon fall apart by the leaving of their presence. Seven Circles remained…seven Hell Gods left with fresh Chaos energy that gave them their eternal life. Their destruction would be Tojiro's will. It was his destined will that no one could steal away from him. It may have been quick and effortless, but somehow he only managed to prove to himself that no ambition is without the strain to make it real. For now, Tojiro strives on what he has left behind him; three dead Nightshades…and many more to throw over his shoulder…and let nature take care of the rest.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
><em>

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-A rage induced Tojiro thrashes his right fist into Vulcan's defending arm.- -A leaping tiger made of cybernetics is slashed up through the belly by Tojiro.-

"Fortune is greed given unstoppable power. Within Greed's Circle." -Six glowing red propeller blades extended from Tojiro's cloak: Shooting through a huge net of spiking red lightning.-

"The brutality between two focused minds of both metal, blood and bone could not be any more destructive. The greatest technician in power shall walk away from this battle as the best."

-Within the sky's graces, Tojiro turns around, arming the Nightmyare Scythe.- "With minds dependent on the hate they had for humanity and what it's done, Tojiro all but wonders of the magnificence his wrath has incurred in these Hell Gods." -Vulcan fires a **gigantic** beam of Chaos Lightning energy.-

-In another event to a large city built in the Fourth Circle, Vulcan clashes and conversely annihilates the ground.- -Tojiro tiredly lays in a crate of gold coins, keeping his half shut pupils locked on the Cloakmaster of Machines.- "The two square off in their greatest duel of Chaos energy to date,"

-Huge golden arms of metal stretch out to grab Tojiro Ankoku.- -Vulcan is horrifyingly electrocuted and blasted off his footing inside a dreary factory.- -Vulcan looks down in fear as a divine pillar of red Chaos energy erupts from underneath his feet.-

"Without hearts, neither can perspire. Neither feel pain: Neither feel mercy. _This_,"

-As if in slow motion, Vulcan's face is crunched as both Tojiro's feet smash against his hideous face.- -Tojiro is ricocheted off a central tower by golden Chaos energy, his body steaming.-

"Is the extent of their wrath..." -Tojiro charges down with his face roaring in power and burning wrath; carrying a Massive Rasengan made out of green Chaos Wind.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXI: COLD SOULS:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS VULCAN KIKAI  
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	61. Chapter LXI

**CHAPTER LXI: COLD SOULS:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS VULCAN KIKAI  
><strong>

**READ HERE: Remember! You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the final others afterward contain intense action violence, disturbing images and gore. Certain audiences should NOT read sections of this Arc: So only you can control what you can read. You HAVE been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to any of the depictions/images/locations of the imaginary underworld known as the "Nine Circles of Hell." I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Vulcan Kikai.  
><strong>

**Tojiro becomes more far away from thinking of any other beliefs but his own. That is simply what becomes of a person when a Nightshade. Their hear voices in their head and the best one to listen to is their own. All reviews and feedback are most welcome. Enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

_**Descent into Greed**_

Tojiro scurried up a black rock path. On both sides of the walls, small glints of gold managed to shine and blink. If nothing ever mattered to Tojiro, he wouldn't need money or wealth. His own two feet and right hand would be the only necessities he could deal with…nothing else seemed to strike his mind as _important_. Imagine that tale! Tojiro came to spot a large gold light at the top of the ascending path. He felt a very diverse and rather abundant form of Chaos energy resonating over the hill. His legs shot him forward, keeping his focus strong like his metal arms and legs.

Tojiro appeared at the top, gazing over at how the Fourth Circle of Hell great change. It was no longer a factory of torture; but a full fledged metropolis of mechanisms! Golden lights shined in several spots, and there were more than Tojiro could even begin to count. Nonetheless, Tojiro focused his gaze towards the far center of the city that was quenched in its own greed. A monstrous tower with flat topped spikes stuck out from every side on the way to the top. At the very top, the famous Wheel of Fortune stood at the top, giving the structure the appearance of a clock tower.

The Wheel of Fortune was the device used to give the damned in this Circle of Hell their judgment of suffering, and now it stood as a warning to every Shade in this circle. The very top of Greed Tower was flat, but rounded with a giant rusting gold crown. Tojiro readied himself into a sprinting position. An aura of green surrounded him, outlining his body. Pressing his fingers lightly on the ground, Tojiro repressed his body back then amazingly shot off the ground, heading towards the city's outer rim.

Several structures appeared with large Gatling guns, large crossbow launchers, and even rocket stations. Tojiro just happened to be the only target. And with that, hundreds of rockets showered into the sky, surrounded by golden auras of Chaos energy. Tojiro prepared the Chains of Fear on instinct. Infusing Chaos Wind energy into the two weapons, he vividly spun himself around in various circles to create a cyclone of green Chaos energy to protect him.

The rockets exploded in showers of sparkling gold rain showers. The moment of lowering the tornado, a large arrow shot from one of the massive crossbows came towards his stomach. Its massive size allowed Tojiro to press his feet on the very front of it, forcing it to straight down to the ground. Just with a mere touch, his Chaos energy managed to get inside the diving arrow.

Tojiro clapped his hands together, "Chaos Blast!" he summoned with power.

The arrow hit one rooftop, resulting in a five mile radius of red light to explode forth in the shape of a dome. Tojiro safely landed on one of the many thousand building rooftops. However, he stood in-between two menacing Chaos Cannons. He merely waved his left and right hands up, actually forcing the cannons to flip up and aim down at other directions to release humongous beams of yellow Chaos energy with beams of red through the entire middle.

The destruction swelled the city into madness, if it wasn't already insane enough, destruction slowly fed away. Tojiro may have made slight progress but, knowing Vulcan, the Cloakmaster of Machines was most likely awaiting at the top of the tower. Fighting against the city's defenses may be Vulcan's way of teaching Tojiro how to earn what you want. It just happened to bother Tojiro to the bone that what he wanted most from Vulcan was the image of his corpse shut down for all eternity. Tojiro swiftly leaped off the rooftop, dropping down into a long narrow street. The stone was carved out of raggedy black material, lined with faint lines of gold. Tojiro looked to the left and to the right.

The buildings were merely facilities to make machines or to house the gold and worldly splendors of Greed to create more machines by the use of combining metal, gold, and Chaos energy. His blackened expression that his hood offered him gave the Cloakmaster of Darkness an unknown sense of feeling. A noise up ahead made him conjure up this feeling, and this first foe was only one out of many. One of the buildings was blown open, a large metallic figure dropped onto the street, causing gold coins to splash out from the cracks in the ground.

The smoke of gray revealed a tiger like beast. It was all made out machinery. Half of its face was carved out of steel and shaved out to give it the appearance of real gold. As perfect as it was, Tojiro glared at its right eye that glowed green, while the other shined red. On its back, a small repeating gun with the barrel of a Gatling gun was armed and ready. Tojiro looked to the high right, seeing the window shatter, two more of these metallic tigers appear. To the left, was quite more different. He indirectly charged forward. The tiger at the end of the road charged forward with brute instinct.

Tojiro merely grabbed the handle from the Blade of Darkness, unsheathing it up in a vertical motion to slice the entire belly of the leaping tiger in half. Its body butchered left both halves of its sparking body to fly past Tojiro. He quickly turned around to watch the two halves of the tiger machine land, only to be crushed. There stood a large brazen bull, carved out of brass, copper, and some steel workings. Its two horns transformed into small rocket launchers, firing both out at the same time. The two rockets switched positions back and forth, in sync as well. Tojiro was ready to expect a dangerous explosion.

He instantly created a slanted wall of golden Chaos energy by holding the Blade of Darkness forward. The bull's eyes flashed red. The two rockets vanished in the happenings of just one mere second. Tojiro was left with a face full of dread. Far away behind him, the same two rockets shot out of the ground and boosted themselves to Tojiro from behind. He easily did a backwards jump, but with his right hand did he trace the index finger of his right hand across the top of the right rocket. The rockets continued on forward towards the brazen bull.

Landing back on his feet, Tojiro summoned a very deathly technique: "Chaos Implosion!"

The two rockets were only inches away from impacting the bull until the right rocket exploded into a furious whirling tower of yellow and green Chaos energy that tore through the buildings on both sides of the road. Tojiro turned around, sticking his arms out in front. With spikes and rays of golden Chaos energy piercing out across his arms, Tojiro released two massive beams of golden Chaos energy to delve into the ground and simply carve its way forward. From a birds eye view, the two golden streams began going their separate ways.

One streamed off to the left while the other went off to the right. Tojiro clenched his fists, causing them to grow fearsome auras of red Chaos energy. He stretched his arms up, then slammed his open palms down on the ground. The two streams of golden Chaos energy heated up to a blood red color, exploding into two massive domes of Chaos Blast energy on both sides of Greed's city. Buildings were shredded to bits. Flames of red and gold surged up in a malevolent storm that completely changed the nature of the Fourth Circle's purpose.

"When will the time come…when you see that enough is enough?" voiced a distant voice. Tojiro focused his glare of death up into the sky.

Hovering above the ruined city of fortune was the fourth Hell God himself; the Cloakmaster of Machines, Vulcan Kikai. His desperate yet calm gaze glowed with visual control and prowess. Vulcan easily deduced an attack of rage would only give Tojiro an upper hand, and more power to rid that rage from Vulcan's soul.

"You've should have came to Fortune Tower if you wanted to see me Cloakmaster Ankoku. We can talk, can't we?" the half metal Cloakmaster persisted, shrugging without a care.

"No. There's nothing to talk about." said Tojiro, appearing behind Vulcan.

The Cloakmaster of Machines swung his right arm around to block a vicious Chaos Punch by Tojiro. Black spiked streams resonated off the back of Tojiro's hand, along with the fist itself covered in crimson red Chaos energy.

"You've definitely gained the ability to show courage in the face of disbelief. I would applaud you, but as you can see-"

"Shut up!" barked Tojiro, ramming his left fist into Vulcan's gut.

The Cloakmaster of Machines was sent plummeting down in a diagonal direction, smashing through and obliterating six buildings into large clouds of gray smoke. Without patience, the Cloakmaster of Darkness charged down to an expected counterattack. Vulcan released ten outsized gold Chaos Spears, their tips colored with red. Tojiro formed his legendary cloak around his body.

Vulcan flew out of the smoke, "CHAOS THUNDER IMPLOSION!" he commanded with a heated expression of ill valued dignity.

The ten Chaos Spears suddenly dissipated, releasing hundreds upon thousands of red Chaos Needles. Altogether, they were tied together by strings of red electricity, giving it the appearance of a humongous fishing net. As it surpassed over Tojiro, he readily punched his fists together within his cloak. Six long red blades stuck out from his cloak enshrouded body. He flew towards giant electrical net in a sideways position, giving him the impression of a propeller.

Vulcan watched Tojiro tear through the net with ease. Tojiro whisked his cloak open, releasing a stream of twenty Chaos Lightning streams out from the Blade of Darkness. Vulcan raised his arms up. A large wall of steel forged gold sprang out of the ground below to defend Vulcan from the riveting blast that resulted in a thunderclap that shot out all across the Circle of Greed.

Tojiro lowered the Blade of Darkness, keeping his eyes cleared of the Tsukikagegan. The orange pupils of the heartless Demigod of Death glared forward, remaining glued on the cloud that was summoned from the Chaos Lightning bolts collision with the golden wall Vulcan luckily forged. In a mere half second, Vulcan charged down with the Annihilator, firing away. Tojiro widened his eyes, flying in a backwards loop, descending down towards the city streets.

Tojiro stopped just minutes before smashing face first into the ground, shooting across the street with his body straightened. Even though his chest was mere inches from the ground, Tojiro looked over his shoulder to witness a large golden blast of Chaos energy explode out from the opened front barrel of Vulcan's overpowering mini-gun. Tojiro shot straight back into the sky.

"Not so fast you fool!" barked the Cloakmaster of Machines, aiming the Annihilator after the ascending Demon Demigod.

He wavered left and right, giving Vulcan troublesome time to even get a good aim on Tojiro. Forgetting his needs to be precise, Vulcan infused enough of his infinite Chaos energy reserves into the Annihilator. With the front multi-gun shooter flipped open, it was simply a large cannon.

"Chaos Lightning Technique: **LION'S ROAR!**" shrieked the utterly distinguished voice of Vulcan.

Six beams of yellow Chaos Lightning empowered Chaos energy shot out of the barrel. There were five swirling gold beams that circle around the center beam which was twice the size of the other five. Tojiro stopped in mid-air. He turned around sheathing the Blade of Darkness. Reaching back to prepare the Nightmare Scythe, he kept the ancient weapon of great malevolence raised up. He began spinning it around and around. The blade of the Nightmare Scythe changed itself into the use of a spear blade.

A large amount of debris and material began rising from the city below. Small streaks of black formed to gather all the random materials and debris into one large spherical shape. Vulcan smirked as he witnessed Tojiro's foolish technique. Tojiro floated onto the top, then flung his right hand up. The Lion's Roar technique passed right under the floating sphere Tojiro formed.

Following after it suddenly floated up just by a single hand gesture. Vulcan angrily pointed the Annihilator out at Tojiro once more. Tojiro remained crouched, stabbing the Nightmare Scythe upside down into the ground he stood upon. Aiming his left hand back, Tojiro released a surge of powerful Airbending to boost himself through the sky, and towards Vulcan Kikai with fearsome adrenaline.

"You may have defeated those three fools…but you shall NOT have my life!" announced the loud mouthed Cloakmaster of Machines.

Streaks of yellow Chaos energy collected around in a cyclonic pattern at the tip of the barrel. Tojiro kept his gaze stone cold just like the mass of material he rode upon.

"SUFFER!" roared the visually angered Vulcan.

The Lion's Roar technique was fired off once again, directly towards the center on the front of the rock sphere. Tojiro instantly pulled the Nightmare Scythe's blade out. Its blade sharpened back to a curved state. The Lion's Roar collided, obliterating the massive sphere. However, this force pushed the sphere back, and launched Tojiro directly at Vulcan with the wind forcing him closer towards the Cloakmaster of Machines.

"It was all planned?!" exclaimed the shocked Vulcan.

Tojiro creating a visually stunning gathering of red Chaos energy all across his right arm. Tojiro angrily smashed it into Vulcan's face, then drove the Nightmare Scythe directly into his steel armored gut.

Tojiro and Vulcan were both sent plummeting towards a large factory sized building. They smashed through the golden paneled skylight windows, falling towards a large pot of molten gold. Tojiro swung Vulcan out to the left, then flew to the right to hover in mid-air. Vulcan's corpse crashed against a pot of molten gold that was traveling across a magnetic line. It was a specific form of factory machinery, and it defined what Vulcan strived to complete.

The Cloakmaster of Machines smashed through two steel poles, buckling the two large metal platforms they both supported. Vulcan ended up releasing one stray blast of golden Chaos energy that hit Tojiro dead on before he could even raise his sword. The metal platforms smashed down upon the Cloakmaster of Machines. Tojiro's corpse dropped onto a stack of gold coins packaged in steel crates. The force of the drop caused several to fling and roll off onto the factory ground that was burned and rusted at more points than one.

Tojiro's drowsy head halted its insane ringing noise, allowing him to reach onto his agonizing legs that refused to stand for more than a second. Keeping his gaze set forward, Tojiro witnessed a large bin of molten gold flying at him. The gushing molten gold flew out at Tojiro in a rather wide spread form. He pointed the Nightmare Scythe forward out at it, tripping onto his back.

The gold halted in mid-air at the last second yet, Vulcan Kikai charged through the gold. Tojiro gasped, enforcing himself to succeed in standing up. Vulcan snaked the fingers of his right hand around the Demigod's throat, keeping him pinned down. The dripping glob of gold was dropped onto Vulcan's back, not harming his half steel body. However, as it managed to find itself onto flesh, Tojiro's eyes sealed with a distasteful pain.

"I find it plainly ironic that I'm managing to give you more pain than Maximus could. He must've failed in using his 'true' Nightshade form. More or less, he wouldn't even be able to handle the enforcement of his Tsukikagegan, either." Vulcan prompted with a miscellaneous tone of voice.

Tojiro grabbed onto the wrist of Vulcan's hand that kept the Cloakmaster of Darkness still.

"DO NOT TRY TO MOVE WHEN I SPEAK, BOY! You should do well to realize the authority of your superiors!" Vulcan angrily detested to the Cloakmaster of Darkness, leaning his horrified face down at Tojiro.

Half flesh and half steel was all Tojiro saw in his demented Godfather's face.

"What? Do you believe I will let go?", Tojiro furiously opened his eyes one more time, revealing his Tsukikagegan.

"DO YOU?! You SHALL not break my grip!" finished the wrath infested soul of Vulcan Kikai.

Tojiro forced both his knees into Vulcan's chest, causing him to hinder for a mere second. Tojiro stood up, grabbing the Nightmare Scythe. Vulcan quickly grabbed the blade of the deathly Nightmare Scythe to halt it from piercing through his chest another time. Tojiro immediately let out a single shock of point blank Chaos energy to blast Vulcan off from where he stood. He surged off into a large electrical device that conducted the workings of the factory machinery.

In that one impact, the Cloakmaster of Machines was struck with chaotic streaks of lightning with horrific consequences. Tojiro fired a surge of black Chaos energy that was outlined with crimson red. The blade released from the Nightmare Scythe's blade missed, as Vulcan was able to use Chaos Control to avoid it. Tojiro desperately jumped off into the center of the factory floor. He turned to the right, watching shards of glass shower down upon him. Tojiro rolled twelve feet to the left, but came into the point blank range of Vulcan's outstretched arm.

His fist glowed with brilliant yellow Chaos energy. As it connected with the side of Tojiro's face, he was sent smacking and bashing off the ground multiple times until he was halted after slamming back first into a large black container. Vulcan made the Annihilator vanish, then clapped his hands together.

A swarm of gold and armored arms stretched out from the ground and at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro shot out spinning blades of green Chaos Wind by placing the wrists of his hands together. The metal arms were tightened until all snapped in half by the cleaving green scars of wind. Tojiro quickly dislodged himself from the black container, having to roll forward to duck from a large metal pike. The steel weapon hit the spot where Tojiro was stuck into, causing the very container to explode out with a fountain of molten gold.

Tojiro lifted off the ground to grab hold of one of the many rafters attached to the ceiling. Vulcan released a single gold spike that was summoned from a gold flash by slamming both of his hands down. Tojiro watched the spike of death coming up towards him. Tojiro flung himself off the rafters, running down the spike with unstoppable speed. Vulcan released a beam of emerald green from the metal half of his face. Tojiro sliced the Nightmare Scythe in a sideways motion, spinning himself around in the process. Once Tojiro came back around, he blocked a Chaos Punch from Vulcan.

Tojiro then sent a direct Chaos Kick to Vulcan's face. The blow forcibly shoved Vulcan into the earth but, surprisingly bounced him back out to be sent smashing through a window that was heightened far up from the floor. Tojiro sprung off from where he stood. Vulcan slowly fell down to the street, only to be launched back into the air once Tojiro leaped up and gave the Cloakmaster of Machines a double Chaos Kick to the back. Tojiro reverted to his Darkrai form, bathing the Nightmare Scythe's blade in Chaos Lightning. The cloaked Demigod of Death flew up, shifting to the right and then to the left to dodge two massive golden Chaos Spears from exploding against him.

Vulcan stared down at the ascending Cloakmaster of Darkness. It only took several seconds for Vulcan to put his gaze back towards his flight path, which was heading directly for Fortune Tower. Vulcan pulled up through the air, easing up on his quick ascent. Vulcan surged over the top of the gigantic crown that circled around the outer rim of the tower. Seconds after landing, Vulcan turned around to stare up at Tojiro. The roaring Darkrai changed demon dove down with the Nightmare Scythe pointed directly at Vulcan.

"Thunderclap Break!" Vulcan shouted with arrogance.

* * *

><p>A set of eight sharpened streams of yellow Chaos energy exploded out forth from in front of Vulcan. The beams endlessly made several twists and turns to distract Tojiro's focus, but the Demigod of Death was too willing to admit such a pointless opinion. Tojiro collided with the eight beams. In one flash of gold, a large explosion of yellow flames and smoke shattered out in every direction.<p>

Blue streaks of blue lightning crawled across the explosive detonation, leaving seconds to let the explosion dissipate in the air. Vulcan remained standing where he was. He lowered his arms that shocked with rickety bolts of yellow electricity. Without carefree warning or thought, a fountain of red crimson Chaos energy exploded from underneath Vulcan's feet, shooting him sky high.

Flying up through the shattered hole was Tojiro, still in his Darkrai form. Tojiro flew up to meet Vulcan face to face. The two clashed through each other with nerve ripping Chaos Punches. Neither scored a fortunate strike, for their combined speed was too intense. The two remained hovering in opposite spots of the sky. Riveting plumes of gray smoke and golden fire soaked the city of Circle four, leaving its splendors to burn away with its inhabitants. Vulcan appeared dreadfully wrecked and tired. Tojiro remained stubborn and hateful.

The odds were as thick as both their egos, but their skills in fighting would be the reason for one victory in this hellish duel to the death. Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form, his orange pupils vanishing from his eyes to leave a blank white stare glaring into Vulcan's very soul.

Vulcan managed a lowly chuckle. Tojiro felt this as a message.

"Don't you give me that look…Tojiro. I do believe we're both very aware of how you've came this far. I bet even you know, right?" proposed the smirking Cloakmaster of Machines.

Tojiro…remained silent and strangely observant. Vulcan holstered a malicious laughter over the crackling of the fires below in the city. Buildings began to explode or overreact from the lingering presence of Tojiro's vile and surprisingly volatile Chaos energy.

"You've truly…no idea why you've been able to defeat Julius, Cassandra, and Maximus? My, haven't you failed to grow." half heartedly voiced the dying Cloakmaster of Machines.

"My pain isn't yours, Vulcan. Besides, pain is much more of a typical side affect of what life has forced upon my existence. My hatred and anger is all that feeds my power." Tojiro persisted in a mood to keep his dignity in balance.

"And that's your best perception? How carefree of you! The young spectacular Cloakmaster of Darkness has figured he only needs his mind to win over life. Not his indefinable weapons that destroy everyone's life they touch! How PATHETIC! You think that's the game you've been playing? Your disgusting power in the weapons you've wielded managed to bring you this ravenous strength! You have no skill because you live off the sheer torment you gain from the suffering of others!" Vulcan cold heartedly preached.

Tojiro flew forward, elbowing Vulcan across the jaw. He then grabbed hold of Vulcan by the front of his face. Tojiro charged back down to the center of Fortune Tower. Tojiro roared with great anger, thrashing the back of Vulcan's head into the ground, shattering several metal parts, causing a splatter affect of yellow Chaos energy to crack out of his skull like an egg. Tojiro raised his hand away from Vulcan's face, leaving him to painfully cough and choke on the discharged Chaos energy that foamed at his mouth.

Tojiro merely used his own cold eyes to pierce through the final pieces of whatever humanity Vulcan had left in his soul.

"Your…disgustingly unfitting…you realize that, I can tell." Vulcan outlandishly spoke out to the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro angrily formed his eyebrows into a more long-lasting stare. It was a single more thought for Tojiro to add to his everlasting bank of memories that only brought him more burdens. Vulcan was simply another set of pounds that brought more disturbance to Tojiro's conscious, and that only made him angrier.

"I've truly forgotten the _true_ reason you came down here anyway. Would you mind whispering it to me one more time?" Vulcan jokingly spat at the Demigod of Death.

Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness. Vulcan's eyes stretched wide with power. A humongous column of gold shot itself into the sky, causing Tojiro to be thrown off the tower. Tojiro managed to hover in mid-air, quickly looking at the top of Fortune Tower. The massive column of Chaos contained an unforgivable and cursed power to it, making Tojiro's stomach churn and mix with anguish. The pillar of glowing power vanished. Two large humanoid hands grabbed onto two of the golden crown's stocks. Tojiro remained still to gaze into the eyes of Vulcan's 'true' Nightshade form; a twenty five foot tall mechanized gorilla. With one single reel back, Vulcan let out a monstrous roar to beckon out the calling of his desperate last stand against the unstoppable quest Tojiro defined as his final mission.

Tojiro prepared Black Death in his left hand, pointing it at the tip of his already unsheathed Blade of Darkness. He flicked the trigger once. A small flame of red Chaos energy sparked out from the barrel. Vulcan slapped his hands together, creating a sonic boom. Tojiro was surrounded by a sphere of red just by a thought. Tojiro pressed the small red flame on the tip, creating a long pointed red colored blade to extend out, giving the Blade of Darkness an extra few opportunities to slice and amputate with either the blade itself, or the newly added streak of light that stuck out from the top.

Tojiro placed Black Death back it's holster. With the Blade of Darkness already in the grip of his right hand, he tightly grappled onto the handle with his left, hoping to add more of his Chaos energy into the sword. Vulcan transformed his entire left arm in a Chaos Cannon. With no warning, a monstrous spiral beam of yellow shot down towards Tojiro. Keeping still, Tojiro took the blast head on. With his blade held vertical, the gigantic beam was miraculously cut in two. Tojiro charged up through the constant force the beam pressured onto his arms. Vulcan opened up his mouth.

Two of his fang like teeth were missiles, firing out of their places to the targeted Tojiro. Tojiro had a definite plan, but it would cause him more pain. Like it mattered anymore. Tojiro let his left hand go, pointing it up to release hundreds of swift Chaos Discs out from his hand. The beam of yellow overwhelmed Tojiro, throwing him down below to the city with a menacing boom. The two missiles were sliced and exploded in mid-air, and still more Chaos Discs came. Vulcan was angrily pelted by the hungry storm of Chaos Wind powered discs of lethal velocity. His armor shocked, causing several puffs of smoke to be released from his back.

Vulcan dropped onto his forearms, exhausted and drained of much needed Chaos energy. Vulcan's eyes lit up. Tojiro flew up through the air, preparing with a double Chaos Punch attack. Vulcan gulped, releasing a monstrous silver beam out from his mouth.

"YOU STUPID BEAST!" roared the infuriated Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro pointed his fists forward, creating shield like barrier of red to combat the blast. Tojiro continued to push forward through Vulcan's constant blast of chaotic limits. Tojiro surprisingly rocketed through the beam, punching his energized fists into the center of Vulcan's face.

As if in slow motion, Tojiro raised his legs up to plant both of his feet flat against the Cloakmaster of Pain's face. One single push back, Tojiro not only launched himself down to the city below but, also managed to throw Vulcan onto his back. Tojiro, however, spiraled up through the sky, creating a spinning trail of glowing blue that followed his flight path. Tojiro stopped in the sky above Fortune Tower, turning into the Dream Stage of his Nightmare Form.

"Massive Wind Rasengan!" he shouted with death defying power.

A large yet still smaller green Rasengan formed itself inside the massive blue Rasengan. Tojiro smashed it directly onto Vulcan, summoning a monstrous dome of green to explode into the sky. Tojiro drove the Massive Wind Rasengan down through Fortune Tower with Vulcan on the underside of the vicious technique. Spouts of green flame shot out from all sides of the tower with every floor the two collapsed through. With the final floor upon them, the two pummeled into the bottom floor, exploding the entire remnants of Fortune Tower into a heightened combustion that released slices of silver wind in all directions across the city of Greed's Circle.

Nothing was left up to choice in Tojiro's journey, nor were the fates of these battles he defined himself to accomplish with every inch of his strength. Tojiro exited out of the crumbled ground, reverted to his damaged human form. His right arm remained in tact and perfect form, but the amount of scars and bruises were just beginning to heal themselves. Tojiro was forced to insanely leap forward, avoiding the monstrous awakening of Vulcan, standing up to let out a deafening roar.

Tojiro luckily landed himself on a pointed slab of earth, turning around to release a malicious fire ball from his mouth. Vulcan clapped his hands together. It released a shockwave of wind to distinguish the fire ball. Its power was impressive to the point that it through Tojiro onto his back. Vulcan jumped into the air, and elbow dropped down upon the outsized Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro reached up his right sleeve. His eyes flashed with a brilliant orange.

Vulcan smashed atop the ground, but he didn't feel the impact of earth, but the sharpness and durability of metal. Tojiro grew to twenty five feet tall as his Mecha Werehog form. He held both of Vulcan's arms up, fighting against Vulcan's unbreakable demeanor. Tojiro released a pair of devastating orange ring beams from his eyes, shooting Vulcan into a back flip. The gigantic mechanized ape landed directly on his stomach, immediately springing himself off the ground with the power of his arms. He soared over Tojiro, transforming his right arm into a single massive rotating mini-gun.

With this, Vulcan unleashed a horde of penetrated bullets with auras of yellow Chaos energy. Tojiro leaped forward across the rugged rubble, taking several hundred bullets in his back.

Tojiro quickly grabbed a large chunk of rock, crushing it into a ball between his hands. Vulcan crashed onto the ground with an angry boom, transforming his left arm into a multi barreled mini-gun as well. Tojiro turned around to toss the mass of pain at Vulcan with intense momentum. Vulcan unleashed the two bursts of ringing bullets out at the rock ball, completely obliterating it. However, Vulcan's slight moment of hesitance left him blank as Tojiro sprang through the cloud of smoke to tackle the Cloakmaster of Machines onto the ground. Tojiro punched Vulcan across the face ten times, with both fists each.

Vulcan released a single gigantic Chaos Spear out of his mouth, but Tojiro easily titled himself to the left, pulling Vulcan off the ground and launching him across the city. The Cloakmaster of Machines demolished through fifteen buildings, leveling and demolishing every single one of them. Raging clouds of smoke formed monstrous plumes in the sky, giving only a more visual idea on how the Circle of Greed began to suffer with it's masters' doomed fate upon his very head. With Tojiro already on his feet, his eyes that were filled with so much detest watched as a humongous sphere of yellow Chaos energy began to form above where Vulcan crashed.

"_He's that desperate. I have to finish this soon or else._" Tojiro carefully oriented with a careful take of his current energy reserves.

Vulcan was standing strong, his arms raised to the sky. Several key parts of the city transformed or collaborated together to form enormous four sided spikes. They gathered towards the ever growing sphere of yellow Chaos energy Vulcan was creating. Tojiro was left with little to nothing to act upon right now. He only had several places to go, yet so little time to counter such an attack. The oversized mass of yellow Chaos energy left hovering over the city, clearly outclassing it in size to the highest mile. Tojiro reached onto his back, two sliding ports opening in his clear silver armor. He grabbed two streams of gray tubing with thin, long drills on the front.

Two holes opened on the left and right sides that were besides the glass core of Chaos energy in the center of his chest. He plugged the two spikes into the two ports. With his hands, Tojiro slapped them together, keeping his fingers and thumbs vertically pointed. A devilish aura of orange Chaos energy swarmed around Tojiro's body. The sphere Vulcan had been created was growing out of control. Vulcan's eyes were both shimmering with a deathly emerald green power. Tojiro slowly parted his hands away from each other. He pointed his arms up at the ridiculously humongous planet sized sphere of Chaos energy. Tojiro's hands were dripping with raw Chaos energy, even giving it the presence of oozing off his fingers.

"Chaos Lightning Sphere: _**DOOM CRUSH!**_" exploded the voice of Vulcan Kikai.

He threw down the unstoppable power sphere, containing every last inch of Chaos energy he held left. Tojiro opened his mouth, a large sphere appeared in front of his mouth. With the sphere of glass that rested in the palm of his right hand, the same sphere of glass rested in his right, yet only for this form was his left hand filled with a glass orb.

In this form, Tojiro released his most powerful technique he could ever summon through the use of his Mecha Werehog form; "**Omega Fire Chaos Style: **_**RAGING INFERNO!**_" thundered the spirit of Tojiro's power.

From both of his hands, two spinning spirals of orange and red Chaos energy shot out. From his mouth, the Cloakmaster of Darkness released a single enormous beam of silver Chaos energy. Through the entire center of the silver beam ran a black beam. Tojiro's blast impacted with devastating force, actually managing to halt the falling of the planet sized ball of unsustainable Chaos energy. Tojiro focused an ample supply of his manic Chaos energy into the jets under his feet. With the blast still raging off out of Tojiro's mouth, he shot himself into the sky. Vulcan gulped in vast disbelief. Tojiro flew higher into the sky than the sphere, than pushed all the Chaos energy out through his hands and mouth.

The mammoth sized sphere of yellow shimmering Chaos energy immediately shot back down to hit Vulcan, resulting in a atomic bomb styled explosion. The mushroom cloud towered over all. Debris and smoke was shot everywhere; the city of Circle Four's Greed was completely obliterated in the blink of an eye. With his hands steaming and his mouth hung open, Tojiro reverted to his human form.

A flash of red symbolized his Chaos Control, teleporting him down onto the vanished city. Tojiro wandered over molten glass and torn apart earth. Everything was carved away by the chaos. If the irony had been too much for him too handle, Tojiro would've managed a slight snicker, but his view on laughter vanished a long time ago. Tojiro's hood was lowered. The only thing that retained itself was his expression full of hatred. This whole journey was a situation of kill or be killed.

Tojiro kept life problems as simple as they are _supposed_ to be made out to be, and that has given surprising amounts of fortune to make it through the most difficult of times. It made him uneasy to use the word _fortune_ in such an iconic place.

Whether he felt insecure or not wasn't much of a challenge for him to process. Tojiro gained this insecurity solely through the thought of Vulcan managing to live through such a blast. Tojiro surprisingly didn't feel bothered.

He wandered until the hoarse cough an old man echoed out. Tojiro hurried through the clueless smoke, finding the corpse of Vulcan. He was reduced back to his human form. His legs were blown off, as was his left arm. A mixture of blood and oil spilled from his wounds and mouth. His single human eye stared up at the dismal glare Tojiro gave to him.

"Tell me…what shall you make out of…that Scythe's power? Are you not afraid of what it _can_ and _will_ do to you?" he hoarsely choked, managing a smiling grimace. Tojiro's soulless gaze remained piercing into his Godfather's body, determined to keep his morale at its lowest.

"You've yet to realize…what that weapon's name…_**means**_." Vulcan sorely added, choking out blood and discharged yellow Chaos energy.

"You must not realize how I define myself, then. You've forgotten who I strive to be. A man who falters at nothing…remaining on my path. The path I believe in." Tojiro opposed in his usual tone, not seeking to impress or taunt Vulcan in his final moments.

"And you falter at those limits. Just you wait, Tojiro. Just you wait until you visit _**that**_ empty little word. When that time comes…you…s-s-s-sha-shall…se-s-e-see." answered Vulcan's dying words of monotone.

His metal green eye turned off into a harsh dark black. Tojiro blinked several times, staring forward to make his way onto the next circle. From a panned out view, Tojiro stood in the middle of a gargantuan crater that enveloped itself once Vulcan's sphere of Chaos energy was shot back at him.

With Tojiro, having conquered the first four Circles of Hell; he had added the lives of four legendary Nightshades to his body count. However, there still remained five more names. He walked with a resilient scorn, leaving any form of hatred behind him or inside his very body. The Cloakmaster of Machines, Vulcan Kikai was slain and erased from history's existence. Five Circles of Hell remained; five Hell Gods were left with their lives held in toll. It made Tojiro sick every time he thought about it. He gave up on believing their power could outlast his fury.

Speaking of fury, for the next Circle, it would recommend every inch of focus and control to dominate what lied in the Circle of Anger. There, Malcolm Nikushima governed over those who have suffered through constant curses and flogging. The next Circle was full of people Tojiro had killed in the days of his violent past, however, every other Circle was considered the same, as were the Circles below. Every square inch of Hell knew this Demigod, and they would be pay any money, believe in any false idol, murder any being, tell any lie, devour any good, and betray any friend just to watch the legendary Cloakmaster of Darkness suffer along with the Shades of Hell.

Anger had nothing to do with what Tojiro has become…it was of those around him that falsely fed his mind with thoughts of selflessness. Tojiro would become death itself in order to silence the lives of those who cannot grasp the lives _they _control…not the lives _another_ purposely whips at and barks orders towards. Tojiro left the monstrous crater and the Circle of Greed behind him. He left every feeling behind to replace whatever scourge of thought he would throw at the next Hell God and so on; for these malicious Hell Gods had no right to continue on living. By the will of his beliefs; **Tojiro would slaughter them all**.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-Dependent on this growing rage, Tojiro maneuvers through and around the marshes of Circle Five.- "Overwhelmed by the sight, the Shades of Anger lash out in an endless struggle to quell their wrath."

-Ryu and Tojiro stand beneath a dome of yellow Chaos energy while crimson meteors pummel the marshlands below.- "Quick does the anger tip into the hand of Malcolm Nikushima: Cloakmaster of Hatred." -A storm of green beams slash through a scarlet Chaos beam released by Malcolm.- -Tojiro shoots a Chaos Poison Sphere from his Blade of Darkness' tip.-

"All trapped in the land of muck where all are surprisingly even,"

-Out of fog, Malcolm pulverizes the Werehog transformed Tojiro with a Chaos Fire Punch.- -Lava catapults from the grounds below.- -Malcolm yells in pain as a fence of blue lightning tightens around his body. "Even between these two Nightshades."

"No longer are both threats nor stronger than the other. Tojiro strikes his wrath against Malcolm's hatred. The victor unseen by the Devil himself."

-Tojiro charges through a yellow sphere, absorbing all its Chaos energy.- "The heat of the battle makes these Cloakmasters unstoppable, neither being able to give up."

-Malcolm stands atop the crowned head of **Phlegyas**.- -At the center of the long swamp towards the city of Dis, a gigantic Mecha Werehog charges out with Tojiro on its head.-

-Malcolm rolls away to avoid a barrage of red Chaos Needles: In another scene he back-flips and smashes his foot across the right side of his face.- "This battle will finally seal Hell's fate as an invasion force."

-Tojiro and Malcolm jump off the heads of their respective beasts of nature and creation.-

-Tojiro violently slams his right fist into Malcolm's skull: In another scene Tojiro drives the Nightmare Scythe through Malcolm's belly. "Or it will finally bring justice...and vengeance to the world..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXII: CONQUEST:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS MALCOLM NIKUSHIMA  
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	62. Chapter LXII

_****_**CHAPTER LXII: CONQUEST:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS MALCOLM NIKUSHIMA  
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***REMEMBER* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the following others contain M rated content. Such as intense violence, gore, and language. Said content is NOT suitable for certain audiences: You HAVE been warned.  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to the creations/depictions of the imaginary underworld that was made famous in an Epic poem. I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze and Malcolm Nikushima. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
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**A half-way there. The centerfold that splits Hell from the circles residing around physical ideals soon falls into ideological sins. That, however, is below Circle Five. Tojiro's darkness must now contend with a will who's hatred may be stronger. The entanglement breaks: The brawl ensues between an entity of wrath and an entity of hatred. Who's who? Enjoy the chapter! All reviews and feedback are most welcome.  
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_**Descent into Anger**_

Dropping into a marsh of emptiness and regret, Tojiro arrived in the Circle of Anger. He took sudden care to maneuver forward over the vile vines that wrapped around the necks of Shades who unfavorably cursed at the passing Cloakmaster.

"The thief of human lives!"

"Burn him! Just like he did me!"

"You will stay here and rot with us you vile cancer!" barked several Shades, locked in glum puddles of the toxic marsh.

Tojiro pardoned his own violent honesty by simply keeping his steps short and calm, taking his time. Anger was one of those Circles to the Demigod of Death. It didn't matter too much, yet it didn't matter no less. Many more thoughts felt the excuse to wander around Tojiro's own self inflicted life of reasoning and action, but he thought of it as a bore and kept these so-called thoughts stone cold as his right arm. Tojiro watched the piercing black eyes of several Shades glare out at him.

Whether they desperately reached their hands out of marsh pits, he carelessly stepped on them without remorse. One instant made Tojiro tilt his eyes to the right, sharpening their feeling of discord. There by his right followed Ryu Kaze.

"Did I take rather long?" Ryu wondered to the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Like I care what you think, Ryu. I'm only trying to save as much of my words as I can for Akuma."

Ryu turned his head away from Tojiro to focus his eyes forward. Yes. Ryu wasn't surprised by Tojiro's sudden greeting.

"If I may be so persistent to ask, what is it that you're planning to ask Akuma? Regardless of whatever response you have! I simply wish to know." replied the man called Dragon Wind.

"It's rather a wrong time to ask me pitiful questions you already know the answer to. You only like hearing me say it, don't you? Why haven't I killed you, yet?" pondered the Cloakmaster, actually taking the time to put his right hand to his chin and stare up at the gray and dark green sky.

Ryu stopped a foot or so ahead of Tojiro, making his body go limp, sighing at the same time.

"See? That's how I feel when _you_ pester me!" said the enlightened Cloakmaster of Darkness, walking on ahead of Dragon Wind.

"I do suppose that makes sense, my friend. Yet must you always voice your opinions with such a serious tone?" questioned Ryu with insight on hand.

"My reasons are born from the faults of others who fail to live a substantial life." reconciled the dull voiced demon.

"Meaning what, exactly?" Ryu intelligently asked.

Tojiro's sheer cold presence managed to send a shiver over Ryu's shoulders, but that's as far as it went.

"Ahhh, of course. I shouldn't question your beliefs, yes? You being you, I already presume that whatever offends you ends up dead within the next ten minutes." Ryu noted without caution, yet still managing a voice that sounded off beat.

"And then I shall suppose you have finally made a correct judgment." responded the cold Demigod of Death. "_For once?_" Ryu irritably asked.

"Yes. _For once_." Tojiro simply stated.

"I should've expected this much from you. And I was only attempting to make you stay true to what you say. I assume I overdid." sighed the ancient god.

"You should be proud. You did get me talking…but I won't voice why Akuma deserves **all** my questions."

Ryu worriedly felt his plans going out of shape, but he purposely failed to show any reaction to Tojiro's idea.

"I've managed to locate the Signal Tower. It's not very far. You've caught eye of it as well, Cloakmaster Ankoku?" Ryu asked with kindness, looking over at him.

"The only thing I need to worry about right is crossing over the River Styx, scale the outer wall that protects the City of Dis, and then kill Malcolm. After that, it's Circle Six." Tojiro wonderfully exploited.

"You make it sound so complex and yet so simple. What of **Phlegyas**? Have you even considered him into your well thought out strategy?" Ryu surprisingly persisted through sarcasm.

A dome of yellow Chaos energy grew over Tojiro and Ryu. A storm of black and red meteors crashed onto the barrier, exploding and lighting several parts of the marsh on fire. Tojiro lowered his hands, forming a dismal glare that spelled out his hatred once more. Hovering in the air was Malcolm Nikushima; the fifth Hell God, and watcher over the Circle of Anger.

"Just meet me wherever I see you next, Ryu. That much I can trust you with." Tojiro blatantly scorned, jumping straight into the sky.

"Why…why does that _not_ surprise me?" Ryu muffled to himself with his head lowered.

Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness, pointing it forward to release five streams of sharpened green Chaos energy. Malcolm simply released a flaming beam of red from his right hand. The green streams cut through Malcolm's attack, completely dissipating it. Having no idea of seeing such a turnaround, he readied a Chaos Sphere on the palms of his hands. Tojiro's green beams of chaos collided with a dangerous overflowing sphere of red Chaos energy Malcolm created in front of himself. Tojiro began spinning the Blade of Darkness around in the air, creating a spiked ball of purple Chaos Poison.

"You'll regret having stand up to me." barked the Cloakmaster of Hatred.

"It won't matter after I see you dead and away from the existence of all worlds in creation.." Tojiro arrogantly barked back.

Tojiro swung the Blade of Darkness down, shooting the sphere of spiked Chaos Poison up at Malcolm. A mound of toxic marsh liquid flew up to swallow the technique, melting it out of appearance. Malcolm flew through the smoke, elbowing Tojiro in the face. He quickly spun around to hover above the Cloakmaster of Darkness and blast a single evil beam of red Chaos energy from both of his hands.

Tojiro exploded with a ferocious impact once he met the ground in the marsh of Anger's Circle. Malcolm used Chaos Control. He appeared on a path of broken down trees. With adamance did the Cloakmaster of Hate charge forward, leaping over a thin stream of golden Chaos energy, sliding across the ground on his back to dodge five green Chaos Spears, then sliding to a halt to create a flaming barrier of orange Chaos energy to stop a wall of flames from exterminating Malcolm where he stood.

Tojiro now stood in his Werehog Form, continuing the onslaught of flames in hope to break down the affects of Malcolm's barrier. Tojiro quickly flicked his ears. Out came the real Malcolm, punching Tojiro in the face with a surge of Chaos Fire around his fist.

Tojiro was catapulted into the dim sky once more, but he luckily had the ability to release a large meteor shaped breath of fire from his mouth. Malcolm, having regrettably ended up in the sky to chase after Tojiro was viciously overcome by the explosive sphere. It rammed against the Cloakmaster of Hate to shower several smaller red meteors onto the marsh below, lighting several more sections of the grim marsh on fire. Tojiro clapped his hands to revert into his Darkrai form. He reached back to ready the Nightmare Scythe, lighting a shocking red series of electricity bolts around the Nightmare Scythe's blade.

Malcolm sent several large trees shooting into the sky, simply by stomping his feet on the ground. Tojiro sliced one tree down the middle, blasted another into fiery oblivion, then angrily charged through five more with a lightning blue aura surrounding his body. Malcolm cautiously stepped back. He turned around in one desperate hop. Malcolm focused his power into a forceful sprint for his life. Readying the reeled back Nightmare Scythe over his head, Tojiro crashed into the ground, digging the blade of the Nightmare Scythe into the ground.

A shockwave of blue lightning carved through the ground, opening up several cracks that shot out red streams of lava. Malcolm was hit by the ferocious blast after several seconds, enveloped in a fence of blue electricity. Tojiro shot himself backwards through the air, and into the sky. Tojiro attached the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, then clasped his hands together.

Tojiro lifted his head up, seeing the vicious Malcolm come charging up with a deathly aura of orange Chaos energy dressed around his body Tojiro rammed his arms forward, grabbing Malcolm by the face with his right hand, and by the throat with his left hand. Tojiro spun down towards the ground with Malcolm in his hands.

"Chaos….Impulse Down!" shouted Tojiro's darkened voice.

In one single crack of light, a tornado of red Chaos energy reached over the marshlands height, standing over one hundred feet tall. Tojiro hovered in one quick dash backwards across the ruined earth, his arms and fists chained in red bolts of electricity. Malcolm, however, remained bloodied and scarred on his arms. Wiping his sweating face, Malcolm stormed out of the gray smoke cloud with fervor to annihilate the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Tell me what Vulcan has warned you of, Tojiro! Did his message honestly die _that_ easily?"

Tojiro readied his arms to cross them in the shape of an X. Malcolm slid across the ground, punching his right fist into Tojiro's diagonally crossed arms. The force caused Tojiro to surprisingly fire back, tearing and destroying ten trees by being thrown straight through them. Malcolm angrily infused serious amounts of Chaos energy into his legs. In one dash, Malcolm set ablaze to the ground he sprinted across. A single strip of flames followed in his path. Tojiro rose up through the layers of bark and wood, immediately releasing a surge of ten bolts of red and gold Chaos Lightning.

Malcolm simply leapt straight off the ground, seething through the lightning bolts and delivering both of his Chaos energized feet into the Cloakmaster's chest. Tojiro widened his eye. The Demigod of Death went as fast as a windstorm, crashing through more of the dreary trees, ruined earth and slimy marshes of this gloomy Circle. Tojiro quickly clapped his hands together to summon a large buzz saw shaped blade of green Chaos Wind energy to expand out. It devoured a rather gigantic fraction of the forest. Malcolm had already arrived in the sky above.

His vivid glare grew to an extended length that it would snap at any second if it continued. Tojiro fired himself into the sky, spinning around to slice away at two blasts of orange Chaos energy shot by the Cloakmaster of Hate. Malcolm angrily punched his fists together. From the ground far below, surges of wood and vine ascended. Tojiro readied oozing globs of yellow Chaos energy around his fists.

"Chaos Shutter Needle Storm!" exclaimed the Cloakmaster of Hate, stretching his fingers out.

The stretched pieces of wood and vine suddenly halted, releasing a multitude of purple Chaos Discs and yellow Chaos Needles. Tojiro readily began spinning in mid-air, instantly summoning a mid-air tornado of yellow Chaos energy. At the very bottom, it sealed to protect the Demigod of Death so none of the projectiles would enter in from below. The top sealed as well. It appeared to be a funnel shaped swarm of Chaos energy, but in one single break of wind, it shaped into a large sphere.

Malcolm steadily lowered his arms, scanning the sphere of Chaos energy that protected the heavily enforced Cloakmaster of Darkness. Malcolm calmly hovered into the sky, keeping his eyes locked on the vibrating sphere of maintained Chaos energy.

Malcolm, awaited with high amounts of patience. For one odd reason, the Cloakmaster of Hatred couldn't sense any distorted off Chaos energy that formed the protective sphere barrier, nor could he sense a change in its alteration of power output. It was ordinary, and far too cowardly for Malcolm to assess his own time into. He simply waited…planning a strategy of his own. A slight vision in Tojiro's sphere caught the eye of Malcolm.

"Hell Summoning!" he conjured by punching his fists together.

* * *

><p>Tojiro came charging out of the yellow sphere, collecting all of its Chaos energy into himself. With Tojiro reverted to his human form, and his hair silver, along with full blue eyes and three glowing gold streaks across his cheeks, Tojiro roared with immense power. A humongous gold cloud of smoke exploded around Malcolm in a defensive matter. Tojiro stretched his eyebrows up. A monstrous orange glow appeared and fired out of the cyclone of smoke, causing it all to vanish and reveal Phlegyas. Tojiro halted, spinning around in rapid circles to create an enforced silver and blue glowing sphere barrier around himself.<p>

The mass of flames impacted Tojiro with great power, yet it surprisingly wasn't enough to break the bind of Tojiro's belief of this journey. Everything he has done…everyone he has met…he wouldn't allow to let this beat him.

Tojiro raised both his hands up, creating a simple hand seal; "**Chaos Clone Jutsu**." he rambled in silence.

From the sphere that protected him, a towering inferno of flames and orange Chaos energy exploded into the skies of Anger. Malcolm stood atop the head of Phlegyas, his distant eyes trying to spot the Cloakmaster of Darkness. A roar of immense terror echoed from the wandering white fog that was left behind. Out stepped the Mecha Werehog form, with Tojiro himself standing atop its head. Both Phlegyas and the Mecha Werehog stood at the same height, towering over the land with great purpose. Tojiro angrily readied the Nightmare Scythe, having no reason to state his mind.

Malcolm ferociously readied auras of orange and red Chaos energy around his clenched fists. The Mecha Werehog crouched down. Phlegyas stood readied, roaring at the armored beast. Tojiro and Malcolm leaped off their respected summons. The two summoned monsters then charged towards each other as well. Tojiro smacked away a right hook, then kicked Malcolm up the chin, then insanely drove the blade of the Nightmare Scythe down into Malcolm's back. The agony caused the Cloakmaster of Hatred to be flung towards the ground. Unfortunately, the two gargantuan beasts were in a fierce struggle that demanded a lot of balance.

Malcolm quickly rolled over the ground to the right to dodge twenty red Chaos Needles shot from Tojiro. Malcolm back flipped off the ground, kicking a diving Tojiro across the right side of his face. Tojiro ended up under the path of Phlegyas' massive foot. Tojiro stabbed the Nightmare Scythe up. It actually halted the fiery demigod, causing him to be punched towards the ground by the Mecha Werehog. Phlegyas slammed to the ground in one massive storm of noise.

The Mecha Werehog readily released a wave of overpowered Chaos Fire from its mouth, down at the Cloakmaster of Hatred. Malcolm easily created a large slanted barrier of yellow to reflect the blast back into the Mecha Werehog's face. The beast stumbled towards Tojiro, who quickly rolled across the ground in one frontward roll. Tojiro, once back on his feet gave a fearsome Chaos Punch directly to the face of Malcolm Nikushima, rocketing him straight off the ground and towards the Signal Tower.

The two vengeful Cloakmasters crashed through the center, falling down towards a pier of flames that had a half sphere shaped metal floor. Tojiro bashed Malcolm in the face multiple times, even using his own forehead to bring on pain. Malcolm, however, breathed a point blank Chaos Fire Spear into Tojiro's face, blasting him against the inner wall of the cylinder shaped tower.

Malcolm stopped right above the pier. Tojiro remained lodged into the side of the wall, his face burnt to the very bone. Two red glowing pupils appeared in his eye sockets. Malcolm appeared out of Chaos Control in front of Tojiro with a handful of fire on both of his hands. Tojiro shot forward to impale Malcolm onto the Nightmare Scythe, then did a spiral dive bomb into the pier of flames.

The end result was a twisting tower of red to explode out from the top of the Signal Tower, causing it to light on fire. Tojiro appeared on top of a square pillar at the top of the Signal Tower, breathing heavily in his wallowing suffering. Tojiro looked over his shoulder to slowly gaze upon; the City of Dis.

Far below was the River Styx. Phlegyas was the ferryman to traverse across the toxic river. The only problem was that the ancient Phlegyas wasn't in that much of a mood to aid the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro glared to the left. A screaming Malcolm drove his right knee directly into Tojiro's chest. The Cloakmaster of Darkness shortly left the ground, but Malcolm reached up to grab him by the throat and smack him down into the narrow space of stone that ringed around the demolished top of the Signal Tower.

"I told you! I told you, didn't I? Vulcan's dying message was more important than YOU perceived it to be, right?" he angrily barked.

Blood managed to course from the Demigod of Death's skull and bone head. His hair and skin was burnt off, only the white bone remained.

"Even as I stare into those puny and lonesome eyes of yours; I realize what Akuma will say to you once you reach his **castle**. Can you make any assumptions as well? I would CLEARLY enjoy hearing them!" Malcolm continued to shout without reason.

Tojiro used the leverage of the Nightmare Scythe to reach his limit of height. His blood red pupils blinked in the darkness of his eye sockets.

"My reason is clear enough, Malcolm. Its clear enough that even with this Scythe, I could cut through it. If you want my reason; **you'll just have to cut your way through me**." responded the Demigod of Darkness, turning around to reveal a swipe of healing energy regenerate his skin and hair. Malcolm ignorantly glared at Tojiro's incompetence.

"I take by that putrid expression on your face that you believe in my defeat?" Malcolm sorely began.

"Yeah. I _really_ do." Tojiro answered, pointing to the right.

Malcolm shifted his eyes to the left. The massive corpse of Phlegyas came soaring towards the Signal Tower. Tojiro sprinted forward with desperate determination. Malcolm turned back to Tojiro, thrusting his hands out to release a steady stream of vile flames from his palms. Tojiro leaped directly over it, passing it by mere inches. With his left foot, Tojiro delivered a merciless Chaos Kick straight down upon Malcolm's skull. Phlegyas crashed into the tower with complete destruction.

Malcolm fell down through swarms of falling debris, his eyes stunningly opened to witness Tojiro's presence rising down from below. Malcolm pointed his legs and hands down, releasing a pair of Chaos Lightning bolts and streams of red Chaos Fire. Tojiro spun the Nightmare Scythe as a propeller on a plane would spin. Malcolm angrily jumped towards the nearest piece of debris, literally _climbing_ up the falling barrage of stone.

Tojiro swung the Nightmare Scythe to release a slicing scar of Chaos Wind colored crimson red. Malcolm waved his right hand to form a protective disc of Chaos Fire to block the shot as he continued ascending. Tojiro decided to do the same. He leaped off a statue head, ascending in a diagonal right direction to land on a slim piece of rock, then landed on a spike shaped stone. That one sight gave him a marvelous idea. Malcolm was hit in the back by five yellow Chaos Needles. Out of anger, he turned to face his gaze down to release a frenzy of twenty fire balls.

Tojiro, in one burst from the jets under his feet, broke up through the wind with tremendous speed. The sheer speed disintegrated the fire balls just as Tojiro passed straight through the center. Tojiro angrily smashed his left open hand against the front of Malcolm's face, sending him to a dreadful plummet towards the River Styx below. Tojiro charged down through the sky with clear intension to obliterate the Fifth Hell God.

In the River Styx, both Phlegyas and the Mecha Werehog angrily slugged out vile fist punches, and even forceful slams into the toxic marsh itself that burned around their legs. Malcolm managed to land on the back of the Mecha Werehog. He turned around to watch the Demigod of Death reel the Nightmare Scythe back. One jolt forward. Malcolm leapt off in one back-flip. Tojiro impaled a small section of armor on the Werehog's back, quickly lifting his head up with an expression full of angry grit.

Malcolm, in luck, landed on the crown of Phlegyas. Tojiro stared directly at the back of the Werehog, keeping his left hand on the armor, while keeping the Nightmare Scythe locked through the armor. Tojiro shut his eyes willingly. Mists of orange began to gather around his eyes, signaling a desperate change to end this pointless brawl. Tojiro removed the Nightmare Scythe's blade, and sprinted directly up to the Mecha Werehog's head. Phlegyas had already charged forward, punching its massive glowing fist into the Mecha Werehog's chest. Tojiro stomped his right foot once, then shot directly into the sky with one massive leap.

"DESTROY THAT ACCURSED DEMON!" ordered the malevolent voiced Malcolm.

Phlegyas grabbed the dazed Mecha Werehog by the neck, and with one toss did the demigod toss the monstrosity of metal up at Tojiro. Tojiro swiftly attached the Nightmare Scythe onto his back then clapped his hands together. The entire Mecha Werehog vanished in a huge cloud of orange Chaos energy. Malcolm widened his eyes with fright. All the Chaos energy swarmed into Tojiro's body, putting him into the Pain Stage of his Nightmare Form.

"_This jutsu…shall erase you…Malcolm Nikushima_." spoke the cleared mind of Tojiro Neo Ankoku. In one sequence of his hands, Tojiro performed the Tiger, Serpent, and Dragon seals.

"**Chaos Fire Style: Great Inferno!**" commanded the raging Tojiro.

All the Chaos energy he inhaled into his body through the release of his Chaos Clone, Tojiro shot out a gargantuan fire ball from in front of his mouth. Its shape spun with a red windmill streak of flames, while around the entire fire ball were claw shaped talons that stuck out to over eighty feet long. Phlegyas released its own demonic stream of flames. Tojiro, lifted up his left hand. The spike of stone he saw earlier. With a few amounts of yellow Chaos energy, its size grew five times larger.

Tojiro amazingly let go, appeared at the very back of the flat circular bottom to kick both of his Chaos energized legs into it. The humongous spike spun like an out of control drill, growing an insane red aura around it. The spike pierced through Tojiro's Great Inferno technique, actually impaling through it. With the very speed that it delivered, this forced the Great Inferno technique to plummet down and smashed with ten times the speed, resulting in a magnificent show of raining comets.

Tojiro exited the Pain Stage, reverting to his normal outputted self of leveled Chaos energy. With the sight of Phlegyas impaled through the heart with the stone spike and laying dead in the toxic River of Styx, Tojiro looked away from its darkened corpse to fly towards the towards the towering walls that surrounded the City of Dis. In mid-flight, Tojiro actively reverted to his hedgehog form. He gripped onto the lower section of the humongous right wall. Tojiro focused his diabolical Chaos energy into his legs. He planted the bottom of his feet against the wall. One sprint and there he went up the wall of Dis.

With his orange pupils gone from his eyes, Tojiro kept his vigil dark and grave. A ghost's eyes. Its possibly one truth that was oftently told to Tojiro by many people, right before he slit their throats. Leaving the rotting carcass of Phlegyas in the River Styx, and knowing full well that Malcolm was obliterated by the sheer raw flames of his Great Inferno technique, Tojiro gave one final charge.

His sudden regrets washed away, sliding off his shoulders and plummeting down from his very spine. In only minutes, Tojiro reached the top of the city's seemingly gigantic wall. There, the Cloakmaster stared upon the City of Dis, and also the path to the Sixth Circle; Heresy. Having the perception to think first, Tojiro filled his eyes with red Chaos energy, scanning across every inch of the city.

It was empty of threats. Nothing would stand up against him. Only the harsh words of the suffering Shades would reach his ears, but not his duty. Within the walls of this place, Tojiro would find himself on the path to the final Circle below. Each held their own Hell God, and with each shall they face Tojiro's raw power. With plenty of Chaos energy flooding through his very veins, Tojiro flipped his hood over his head, hiding his face. Only his two full red eyes of empty glowing crimson appeared. His expression would have been probably _too_ much to guess upon.

His expression was just and cleared to the most smallest tip of visual distinctiveness. With fire on every inch of the outside walls, Tojiro refused to think anymore of this cursed realm. Hell didn't deserve no title. It only deserves one word. A word that defines what Hell is expected to exist for. A realm of suffering and ill beliefs that feed away at every Shade for being so foolish in life. Tojiro lowered his grimaced face of lost feeling; staring at the palm of his right hand. He assumed the best from his life.

In his view, the end result would be no better than the victory or loss itself. Tojiro vanished in a flash of red, signaling his variant of Chaos Control. The first five Circles of Hell have been conquered by the Cloakmaster of Darkness. The Circles above remain clueless and lost without a being to govern over them. It made Tojiro's mind work like a clock. It has one function, and that's all its meant to do. As four Circles remained, as did four more Hell Gods. In the flaming tombs of Heresy, Tojiro would face the master of Chaos Light techniques. Alma Hanko, the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

Nothing made him think more or less of this ongoing journey of ruthless battles and disgraceful lands that continued to fill with souls of the departed. Even in this dreary afterlife, Tojiro would discover what true evil truly is. Everything else is nothing but a mere annoyance that he can slash aside and leave to rot. For now, more of Hell patiently awaited the Demigod of Darkness.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
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__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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****-Tojiro awaits a demonic black door from rising up, walking into a long hall with huge collections of burning tombs on the left and right walls.- "After passing through the City of Dis, and killing both Phlegyas and Malcolm Nikushima, Tojiro marches on to Heresy."

-Tojiro looks high as Alma Hanko blocks his path further into Heresy.- "To achieve the success and silence his madness, Tojiro must eliminate the Hell God that hates the Cloakmaster of Darkness more than any other Hell God." -Tojiro points Black Death. Alma extends the Staff of Judgment.- "The two exchange possibilities of differences. Alma refuses to believe that Tojiro is any different than her: Claiming they are all **Hellshades**."

-A determined Alma vanishes with Chaos Control as Tojiro decimates an entire wall with Black Death.- -Alma screams out, only to have Tojiro grasp her by her frail throat.- "The bonds of what can and cannot be. This is Circle Six." -Tojiro slams Alma into a cracked wall, yelling out in rage.- -He releases a chaotic beam of red Chaos energy to blast Alma through over three dozen walls.-

"The power of Tojiro: That which is desecration knows no bounds." -The Demigod of Death looks into Heresy's center while standing over the final wall Alma crashes through.-

-A vengeful red tornado slams against Alma's Staff of Judgment in an epic display of Chaos powers.- "The power of Alma: That which leaves desolation in the bodies of mankind."

"These two wills shall clash for the greatest prize of all: Life." -Tojiro looks in shock whilst inside a tornado.- -A large glowing blue spike falls down to Cloakmaster Ankoku.- -Alma impales Tojiro through the center of the spinal cord.- -The two smash onto a bridge that lightens it up with an infestation of glowing scarlet cracks.-

"And with life must come death. The path to vengeance, Tojiro's path!"

-Tojiro holds the Chains of Fear up high.- -Tojiro smashes a Lightning fueled Rasengan into Alma's stomach with a long thrust.- -A gigantic vulture opens up its wings at the toy sized Tojiro: A super blue tornado charged through a series of silver rings down at the Demigod of Death.-

"Tojiro's path of life...**must not end now**."

-The gigantic night colored vulture releases a gigantic sphere of rotating blue flames.- -Tojiro charges down with Dragon wings sprouting from his back, throwing his right fist, armored by one half of the Dragon Guardian Cestus, forward into the chaos.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LXIII: DESOLATION:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS ALMA HANKO  
><strong>


	63. Chapter LXIII

_****_**CHAPTER LXIII: DESOLATION:  
><strong>

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS ALMA HANKO  
><strong>

***Remember* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the following others contain intense action violence, gore and mild language. Such elements are not allowed for certain audiences. You HAVE been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the depictions/ideas/locations of the imaginary underworld. I only claim ownership of Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Alma Hanko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
><strong>

**The circle of denial. Tojiro is obviously on a roll with the deaths of five Hell Gods now in his hands. Passing Heresy is just another challenge and just another battle. To each one's own. Who will be left in "desolation" by this chapter's end? Can you figure it out? Think hard and strong: The secret is invisible to many. All reviews and feedback are most welcome. Enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

_**Descent into Heresy**_

Passing down a bloodied rope, the hedgehog transformed Demigod swung over to what seemed to be a ladder made out of dead Shades. He swiftly slid down it by grinding downward, cutting off several limbs of the already dead Shades. Tojiro closely looked over his shoulder to spot a horizontally stretched rope he could traverse across. However, his ears flicked with high awareness of the coming troubles. He dove down at a diagonal angle, dodging several hundred silver released projectiles. Tojiro landed on the top of the rope, standing perfectly balanced on it. Hovering out to the far left was the Cloakmaster of Defiance herself; Alma Hanko, the Sixth Hell God.

"Alma…" Tojiro angrily bellowed to himself.

"You've no reason to face me, Tojiro. You should be wise and not harm my Circle. I won't allow you to do it." she simply voiced.

Alma vanished in a flash of silver Chaos Control. "Alma!" barked the ignorant Demigod of Death.

The small whisks of silver drifted in the lone air. Tojiro lowered his outstretched right arm, keeping it down by his side.

Descending through the air to land on a small rounded stone platform, Tojiro met nothing but the screams of Shades. The burning tombs continued to light with flame to further their eternal suffering. Tojiro once thought damnation was to be treated as any other useless emotion. You may assume his vengeance isn't more better than the damnation of others. Yes. You may be right. However, it only proves that to some extent of flawless logic that Tojiro has no feeling of what others think of him.

For if he assumes the opinions of others are against him, which they are; Tojiro will toss aside the world so he may live his own life of reasoning. Tojiro simply walked forward to the door with a black demon on it. With his right hand, he grabbed its head to snap the neck. The door rose up, giving Tojiro immediate reason to dash on through and hurry down a hall aligned with burning tombs.

He felt hopeless to assume the worst and wait for any of Hell's minions to arrive, but if he were to do that, Tojiro would assume the worst to happen. Tojiro halted at one point where the flaming tombs in front of him were spewing out streams of flame. Turning to the left, he grabbed a lever on the ground. One pull from the right to left shut off the flames, and the suffering of the Shades.

Breaths of the exhausted Shades sounded off. Their coughs and mumbles filled the empty void of the hall. Tojiro went for the door, driving his right fist through the stomach hole of the black demon, causing the door to rise up and clear the Cloakmaster's path. He dashed out, sliding to a swift halt. His head turned to the left, then to the right. More emptiness enlightened him. He turned to run down the left hall, heading into a larger room that awaited him at the end of the hall.

Storming to a sudden halt in the very center, Tojiro gazed upon Alma. Once again she who stood upon a heightened platform that held the path further into Heresy's Circle. With the Staff of Judgment in her right hand, Alma stood patiently and aware of the Cloakmaster of Darkness and his maddening ambitions. She stared and glared with omnipotence. Alma left no lie in the soul of her eyes. Alma was well aware of how Tojiro would react to the most simplest of words.

Being a person who thinks herself as Tojiro's Godmother only adds on more annoyance to whatever Tojiro hears from the Cloakmaster of Defiance. No flames were flamboyant in this room. It was nothing but darkness and hatred. The hatred amongst the air between the two Cloakmasters was able to see itself as its own light. And yes; it would be completely impossible to extinguish it.

Alma's purpose was to defend this Circle. She could assume any form of defiance she could. All that mattered was how Tojiro would strive to wrought it away from her very body. Alma somehow remained soulless throughout this point. In the past, she's definitely gave Tojiro enough reason to form the power that Alma deserved the most painful hate he could surmount.

After all, every other Hell God Tojiro had already faced and destroyed had no matter in what he thought. It was clueless to pertain his own _selfless_ reasons for Alma's own distinction. It mattered not how either Cloakmaster viewed humanity. Humanity has done enough to every Nightshade ever chosen. The same went for each and every one of the Hell Gods. They both had equal dislikes. Only through that simple process did the Cloakmaster of Darkness and Cloakmaster of Defiance realize who truly deserved to suffer what, and by what actions were those decisions made upon. Alma spared any resourceful look.

So far, five of the Hell Gods failed to show any confidence in facing Tojiro. It might have been possible that each of the Hell Gods Tojiro faced, were already suffering themselves. With Alma before him, even Tojiro noticed something ominous. If it wasn't the pain and constant suffering of the Shades in this Circle of Heresy, it had to be Alma.

"You've really failed to state what you think these murders will suffer, Tojiro. Have you no pity for humanity?" roughly questioned the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

"I doubt it will matter, Alma. None of your kind matters to me." Tojiro protested without question or thought.

"You believe _me_ to be different from _you_?" Alma responded.

Silence floated amongst the two. Alma spilled into laughter after the silence. Tojiro readied Black Death in his right hand, lowering it down by his side. Alma ceased her laughing, retaining her devilish and pitiful look she sent to the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"You may be somewhat correct on what you say, Cloakmaster Ankoku. However…I refuse to be told how I can and cannot fight the ties that bind me!" she screamed, reverting her smirk into an expression of malevolent grit.

Pointing Black Death forward at her eyes, Tojiro stood vigil. Alma pointed her Staff forward as well. The tombs of flames on the far left and right let loose streams of angry flames. Tojiro easily rolled forward across the cracked stone. Once back on his feet, he fired away without mercy. Alma easily swung the Staff of Judgment left and right. The sounds of shredding metal echoed as every bullet crumbled into nothingness once they met the powerful weapon Alma wielded. Tojiro halted his firing, leaving his crouched position to form a free standing stance. Alma stomped the Staff of Judgment into the ground once more, bottom side first.

"You have no hope Tojiro! In all honesty, you shall have nothing but the suffering you've so fortunately been able to run away from for so long!" Alma declared with desperate rage.

"And you possess no judgment to throw upon me whatever you foolishly believe in! I've only come for AKUMA'S head! He is the man who shall suffer the most!" exclaimed back the Cloakmaster in rage.

"You pity us all too easily, Tojiro. Have you not learned anything from what you have done already?! Look back at what you have already-"

A blast from Black Death hit Alma in the chest, knocking her straight across the floor and into the far away wall behind her. The deathly Demigod leaped up, holding Black Death back.

"Strike…of…DARKNESS!" he yelled out.

Alma vanished with a quick use of Chaos Control. Tojiro struck Black Death against the wall to completely explode it into nothing but a gaping hole of destruction. He looked over his left shoulder, growling with more rage that seethed his nerves and bones. Alma held the Staff of Judgment out. A large white silver sphere appeared before her. Tojiro swiftly turned around. Streams of sharpened silver Chaos energy came out. The beams multiplied into tens of more. Tojiro held the trigger back once more.

"Strike of Darkness!" Tojiro desperately commanded again.

Another huge stream of red Chaos energy rammed against the multiple thorns of silver Chaos energy. Tojiro lowered Black Death. In one flash, Alma pierced through the red Chaos energy and white thorns to let out hundreds of small light flurries. Tojiro gritted his teeth, reach his right hand forward to grab Alma by the throat of her neck. In that one quick moment, Tojiro spun around to smash Alma into the already shattered wall behind him.

"You clearly have no restraint. That was a mistake!" he growled with vengeance.

With his right hand, Tojiro fired a chaotic beam of full crimson red Chaos energy. The blast pushed the Cloakmaster of Defiance out through several walls. Many of the walls she crashed through were made up of burning tombs for the damned. Alma screamed as her Circle was desecrated. Alma finally crashed out on the other end, plummeting down in the center of Heresy. Tojiro sprinted down the elongated tunnel of feeding flames and devastating destruction.

Tojiro halted at the very end, facing into the huge and bottomless room where the damned would burn for eternity. He spotted the golden statue to the far right, holding a book. A gracious beam of light shined down upon the top half of it. There, the statue was destroyed and done away with.

"You should have died a long time ago!" shouted out Alma's voice.

Tojiro focused his gaze upon the air higher up. Alma hovered with the Staff of Judgment being surrounded by rings of blue and white.

"I've made my judgment upon your life back then. Your father…however…" stammered off the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

Tojiro's blank white eyes widened, lowering Black Death in surprise. "…Your father…was a damn fool." finished the suffering Hell God.

Tojiro placed Black Death back in its holster, preparing the Nightmare Scythe out of sheer rage and fury.

"Your father showed too much mercy. He was a damn fool straight to the end! JUST…LIKE…YOU!" thundered the will of Alma's madness.

Tojiro shot off the ground with great momentum. Alma pointed the Staff of Judgment down at the upcoming Cloakmaster of Darkness. "Chaos Tornado!" shouted Tojiro, spinning around with the extended Nightmare Scythe.

A vicious red tornado impacted Alma, who readily raised the empowered Staff of Judgment to block it. On the very inside, Tojiro continued to use the Nightmare Scythe's decisive Chaos energy to super heat the Chaos Tornado. Steam began to wander off from the flaming tornado, as well as flames. Alma sealed her eyes in agony. Her hands began to burn from the intensive power. Screeching metal seethed across her ears, only bringing her more suffering to the merciless barrage. Instantly, she prepared the Staff of Judgment.

"Chaos Light Technique: Shimmer Crush!" demanded the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

From the top of her Staff of Judgment, four silver streams with blue thin beams that stretched through the entire middle flew out. Tojiro looked up through the top of his Chaos Tornado, knowing of this technique's deadly consequences. Alma swiftly pointed the Staff of Judgment up, giving away her defense. The power of Tojiro's Chaos Tornado was enough to throttle on forward with Alma on the other side.

The Shimmer Crush technique formed into a large glowing white sphere. Three more duplicated in other spots in mid-air. All at once, a long glowing blue spike stretched out. The Chaos Tornado rammed into a large section of the fiery tombs. The four spheres of Shimmer Crush released a long square beam of thick blue Chaos energy to stretch out and surround Tojiro in a large wired blue cube.

In one single second, all four sides shortened and crushed together with Tojiro in the center of the chaotic blue explosion of flames that shortly came after the four sides of the cube shrunk and collided. The smoking corpse of Tojiro Ankoku was sent falling towards the depths of Heresy.

In regrettable pain, he smacked across the fine edge of a stone bridge that was supported by several wood blocks. He was thrown into a sideways spin, his eyes dreary and lifeless. He took a direct impalement from the bottom end of Alma's Staff of Judgment. With Alma pushing down with all her force, the two crashed onto a large stone bridge, sending glowing cracks of red throughout the entire structure.

Alma dislodged the Staff of Judgment from Tojiro's spine, only using it to shield her face once Tojiro rolled onto his back and launched a Giant Rasengan at her. The Rasengan puffed away, forcing Tojiro to be thrown back on the ground. Alma drove the sharpened bottom end of the Staff back at Tojiro once more. Tojiro clearly had enough. He rolled onto his back, grabbing the Staff with both his feet and throwing both the Staff and the Cloakmaster of Defiance who desperately held on it, straight over his head. Jumping to his feet, Tojiro turned around to perform a low spin with his right leg extended to dodge a large white X from crashing into him. Alma raised her Staff up, releasing hundreds of kinetic blue and silver lighting bolts.

Tojiro readily punched his fists together then swung his extended arms outward to release a Chaos Blast beam to explode in the midst of Alma's lightning barrage. Alma's eyes twitched with unsettling discernment, having had seen enough of Tojiro's heightened forms of persistence and determination. It surely was enough to make any being just drop what they're planning and flee. For if Tojiro receives any more hatred from his pain, his power continues to increase dramatically, usually reaching god like abilities. Alma, without care, jumped off to the right.

"You damn coward." he grumbled in rage.

Tojiro quickly readied the Chains of Fear. He walked over to the edge of the bridge, driving both the kusarigama blades into the ground. He pulled back them back until he stood at the other side of the bridge. Tojiro stepped back, falling off the bridge. In one vicious swing under the bridge and after passing by the other side, he dislodged the blades and impaled them both into Alma's chest, causing both of the Cloakmasters to fall further into the depths of Heresy.

Tojiro tilted his head left and right, then left once more, dodging silver beams of Chaos energy Alma angrily released from her eyes. Tojiro forced the blades of the Chains of Fear deeper into Alma's flesh, causing her to cough up blood, and even glowing blue discharged Chaos energy, all from her mouth.

Tojiro kicked his feet against Alma's chest, removing the blades from her belly and sending the Cloakmaster of Defiance into a deadly dive bomb that obliterated three wooden bridges that stretched across one side to the other. Tojiro halted in mid-air, placing the Chains of Fear back into their holders. Clapping his hands together, a black mist ensnared the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Once it vanished, Tojiro was in his Darkrai form.

With sheer blinding speed, Tojiro charged down after the plummeting Cloakmaster of Defiance. Alma desperately swung the Staff of Judgment left and right, each swing firing out a large blue Chaos Spear. Simply with motions from his hands, Tojiro swiped away every Chaos Spear that came near him. Alma took a quick look over her shoulder. Another large stone bridge was coming up. She looked back up, holding the Staff of Judgment up. A furious Tojiro came down with his right arm reeled back. In the palm of his right hand was a Giant Rasengan with sparkling bolts trickling out from it.

"Lightning Rasengan!" bellowed the Demigod of Darkness.

He smashed it past Alma's Staff, and into her stomach. The various arms of lightning grabbed onto Alma, pulling her into the Rasengan, causing the whirling sphere to grow into a much larger state. At the top, a lightning bolt popped out. Tojiro quickly shot up to grab it like a rope. Tojiro began a furious ascent back towards the large room of fiery tombs where the golden statue's remains stood. With Alma encased inside the Lightning Rasengan, she was violently pelted from the left and right by merciless lightning bolts that made it impossible for her to try anything.

Tojiro arrived at the spot, stopping for a brief second in mid-air. With the chain of lightning he held, Tojiro began to swing the large Lightning Rasengan around and around at unimaginative speeds. Only seconds passed after he roared at the top of his lungs, tossing the large Lightning Rasengan towards the golden statue. The explosion resulted in multitude of furious blue lightning bolts that danced outside a cloud of azure flames. Tojiro raised his arms to block the fiendish cloud of smoke that swiped through him. Tojiro's single turquoise eye shimmered through the smoke as he hovered on forward through the chaos and confusion. It was once again that he got that feeling.

A feeling of nothingness. A feeling that told him the level of destruction shouldn't matter at all. The only goal was to silence Akuma, and those who so foolishly followed his words. With that act, Tojiro knew they were all opted for oblivion. A sudden screech ringed against Tojiro's senses. The entire visage of white smoke was cleared by a pair of ebony wings. There, Tojiro lowered his arms to gaze upon Alma's last desperate stand. Hovering in mid-air was the massive transformed Alma Hanko. Alma had reverted to her _true_ Nightshade form; **the Darkness Vulture**.

* * *

><p>A set of blue feathers were tied by a golden ring atop her head. Black feathers gave her the appearance of a truly frightened creature. Her black beak opened up, letting out a barrage of seventy Chaos Light Chaos Spheres.<p>

"Chaos Spear of Lightning!" declared the Demon Demigod.

A large light blue Chaos Spear of lightning surrounded Tojiro. He shot straight towards the barrage. Five scratched off the side, two more halted his speed, twenty more brought him to a mid-air halt. In one single act, Alma created several silver rings that aimed out like a scope. There were seven of them, and it was all Alma needed. Tojiro broke free of his Chaos Lightning Sphere, causing all the remaining Chaos Spheres to dissipate.

"Silver Scope Blast!" screamed Alma's voice.

A sideways blue tornado shot down through the ring of silver. Tojiro watched as the monstrous tornado opened up its top, swallowing him into it. The result was the Silver Scope Blast was a cataclysm. Charging towards the large wall of flaming tombs, exploding into a combustion of several hundred silver rays of light. Their path did not matter. Alma continued to flap her wings, feeling hopeful for once.

It was almost enough for her to believe that Tojiro was _beginning_ to lose this fight. A huge cyclonic blast of yellow and orange was released from where Tojiro crashed into. Alma waited patiently, letting her invisible Chaos Light barrier to automatically appear to block the blast. Tojiro charged down from above, driving the Nightmare Scythe into the Cloakmaster of Defiance.

Alma let out a grieving scream of discord. A large white column of Chaos Light shot directly into Tojiro's face, launching him sky high. Alma flew up after the Cloakmaster of Darkness, truly feeling a victory on the rise. Tojiro crashed back first into the ceiling, his eyes shut in pain. Alma readied a large focused amount of Chaos Light to gather in the back of her throat. Tojiro's eyes opened up; revealing the Imperial Tsukikagegan.

"DIE FOR YOUR SINS!" thundered the climatic Cloakmaster of Defiance.

A hellish sphere of blue spinning flames with white streams wrapped around the front was released from Alma's mouth. Tojiro shot down, sprouting a pair of Dragon wings from his back.

"I refuse." he conjured.

Preparing the Dragon Guardian Cestus around his right hand only, a blue aura focused around it. The power of Tojiro's Seven Shards gave him this unstable power, added by his Imperial Tsukikagegan. Tojiro punched straight through Alma's attack, blinding her soul with fear.

"YOU SHALL SUFFER! FOR _**YOUR**_ SINS!" roared the malevolence of Tojiro's spirit.

In one punch, he delivered it directly into Alma's face, splattering her blood in all directions. Alma's huge body was diminished by a flash of blue light as she crashed straight through a wall of the flaming tombs. The sheer impact released an overpowered crackling explosion that banged and riveted with fire ball meteors that pushed forth huge walls of fire from the very impact spot.

Tojiro made the Dragon Guardian Cestus that covered his right hand transform back into its bracelet form. The Dragon wings vanished in two flashes of red. The Imperial Tsukikagegan swirled around in his eyes, reverting back into his orange pupils. Blinked with curiosity, Tojiro felt another surge of lonesomeness echo throughout his very soul….as if nothing else mattered in this Circle of Hell.

He flashed out with Chaos Control. Quickly did he reappear in a circular room with the entire top half blown away by Alma's impact. There in the center did Alma lie; in her human form. Her light blonde hair was mixed with her clear red blood, as well as the puddle that surrounded her corpse. Alma grabbed hold of her Staff that was lying by her left side. With it, she forced herself onto her quaking legs. Tojiro solely kept his focus stone cold, just like his expression. Alma wiped her mouth of coursing blood, accidentally losing herself to the agony and coughing horrendously.

Tojiro grabbed hold of the Blade of Darkness, prepared to unsheathe its power. Alma slowly lifted her head back up at Tojiro once more. Her piercing dead gaze sent nothing but a motive through Tojiro's body. Tojiro could not feel fear, nor could he feel the fear of death. Death never mattered to him. No matter how much Alma stared her dying glare into his constant vision of hate, she failed to make the Demigod of Darkness feel resentful.

"I told _**him**_ to kill you, you know? That very second I heard of your slowly arriving birth…I told your father the fate you should have been given." Alma spoke out, marching forward in a drunken and dizzied state.

Tojiro's eyes remained still as water.

"But _**he**_ wouldn't have it! Your stupid father…refused to do such a thing! Your…**stupid** father! He was ten times the fool you could ever be." Alma continued in a fit.

Tojiro lowered his hand from the grip of his blade.

"**Kenji**…your father. A brilliant man, just as he was a Nightshade….couldn't handle one more simple death on his hands. He thought of it as something…_**unjust**_! I told him how JUST it would have been if he had to kill you the minute you were born! However…that blatant fool COULDN'T!" Alma screamed.

Alma stopped directly in front of Tojiro, raising the Staff of Judgment up.

"And now look at what you have done to OUR world! Your murdering of the Hell Gods are only feeding chaos to the world above…and once that chaos rises to its finest point…**retribution shall be the only emotion you will have left**." Alma glared, swinging the Staff at Tojiro.

He easily raised his right arm up to block it. He kicked Alma directly to the ground with a straight kick to her stomach. The Staff of Judgment dropped right before Tojiro's feet. Without another judgment on his mind, Tojiro turned away from the hopeless, defeated corpse of Alma. Alma weakly put herself on her own elbows, letting her life slowly get away from her. Tojiro stood at the open hole, scanning the area below. Alma, however, managed to rise onto her feet once more. With Chaos Control, the Staff of Judgment reappeared in her right hand. She ensnared the Staff of Judgment's lower half in Chaos Fear.

"That whore of a priestess shall die…" she whispered with a sick smile.

Alma launched it forward. Tojiro swiftly turned around, grabbed the middle half of the Staff of Judgment. Spinning the Chaos Fear around, Tojiro launched it out towards Alma. Her eyes became frozen. The Staff of Judgment impaled straight through where Alma's heart _would_ be. The very force caused Alma to be thrown and lodged into the top wall above a black demon door. On both sides, was a flaming cross. Pointing his left hand forward, Tojiro flicked his hand. The fire curved off, lightning Alma's hanging corpse on fire.

Tojiro slowly turned around, flipping his hood over his head once again. Tojiro stopped at the edge, looking down below. With so much madness in this land, so much questions he had to ask, eight of the Hell Gods didn't have the answers he wanted. Akuma Kyofu…holds everything Tojiro wishes to know. In speaking to the other Hell Gods, Tojiro knows it was pointless to even lift a finger, more or less even speak his beliefs to them. The more he thought about it, the more he actually remembered doing. The lives of the pitiful Nightshades weren't worth anything. Only in death are they valuable. Only in death are they important to Tojiro's true purpose.

The lies and ill beliefs of Heresy could not pierce his mind, and therefore he was ready to descend onto greater darkness, unto greater woe. Six Circles conquered; six Hell Gods dead. Three more remained; Jason Hi, Kuro Senso, and the Ruler of Hell itself, Akuma Kyofu. His Chaos energy was still empowering his spirit on forward. It surprised him that not a single strain of weakness brought itself onto his person. Not even an inch of fear touched his purpose, he wouldn't allow himself to so foolishly let human emotions get to him.

If not realized already, Tojiro is hardly considering anything. Any word that defines a powerful nature can't even begin to describe the Cloakmaster of Darkness. As he stepped his right foot out, Tojiro felt an uneasy presence creep itself over his shoulders. It was dread. For all things evil, Tojiro believes dread is a sign of something truly bad. He stepped off the edge, descending through the final caverns of Heresy where he would find himself in the Circle of Violence for his showdown with the Cloakmaster of Fire; Jason Hi.

**つづく**

_To be continued _

__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
><strong>

****"A declaration of war between pure fire," -Tojiro lands on a metal platform placed on the back of a giant centaur statue, overlooking a river of blood.- "And pure wrath."

"Tojiro must now best the three rings of Violence and its guardian: Jason Hi." -A wave of blood towers over the Demigod of Death.- "Tojiro recalls times long ago when he was first banished to Hell: At its core the greatest journey stemmed from _here_." -Jason laughs in a satanic manner in one scene.- -In another, Tojiro stands before a horrific sight.-

"At their cores, these two Cloakmasters are shadows." -Tojiro whips a stream of green Chaos energy around a stream of lava to harden it.- -A hailstorm of icicles fall down on the Cloakmaster of Fire.-

"Within the section of Circle Seven, Tojiro regains the hope he direly needs, yet once pushed away." -Tojiro looks up at several wooden trees shaped into humans.-

-A hellish explosion combusts between Tojiro and Jason.- "The matter of three sections does not matter. It is the time available."

-A huge stream of Chaos Water with a dragon head shadows over Jason Hi.-

"Tojiro has all the time in the world...to unleash his unholy wrath against another Hell God."

-Within the woods, Tojiro watches an engrossing wall of light shine before his very eyes.-

"Only this time, Tojiro finally regains his confidence: _**His** **hope**._"

-In the shape of an angelic woman, Tojiro extends his cold steel hand to the peaceful entity.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LXIV: WALKING SHADOWS:  
><strong>

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS JASON HI  
><strong>


	64. Chapter LXIV

_****_**CHAPTER LXIV: WALKING SHADOWS:  
><strong>

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS JASON HI  
><strong>

***WARNING* You are reading in "The Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the following few for this Saga contain intense action violence, disturbing images and language. These elements are NOT suited for certain audiences. You HAVE been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the depictions of the imaginary underworld and its pictured locations. I only claim ownership to Tojiro Ankoku, Jason Hi and Okiku Kazumi. They are my original characters for this chapter and thus belong to me.  
><strong>

**What is more merciless than fire? Tojiro arrives in the three ringed Circle of Violence. With his darkness diminishing his very mind, Tojiro sets foot into the one Circle that knows him better than all the others. Whose fire will be quelled while the other is snuffed? Tojiro and Jason begin their glorious duel...  
><strong>

_**Descent into Violence**_

Violence has, and always will, have thousand of affects on people and humanity. Humanity is responsible for what form of nature that violence takes. Many things matter more than others when committing a murder. You're either desperate for revenge or simply can't find any other way to satisfy your hatred. That's life for you. Enjoy it too much and you'll find yourself on a path you've never even heard of.

Tojiro walked down this narrow cavern. He barely had room to keep his pace, so he continued to stroll down the cavern, thinking of these things. It wasn't the idea of violence that made Tojiro apprehensive, but the sheer way the Seventh Circle was split apart. Violence is one cavern split into three parts, each housing the damned for their own version of how to output violence onto the world, themselves, or to the heavenly Lord in Paradise. It made Tojiro's bones quiver and twist. His nerves restrained the annoyance from continuing any further, it simply wasn't how he would act in such a situation.

His very own humanity was at stake in this pilgrimage. However, at the end, if he does make it to the end; what will he have learned? Tojiro passed out of the cavern, coming into a much darker area. The path led to the vast landscape of Violence; the first ring. There was a long path off to the left, where he would descend down to the ground to continue through the first of three rings of Violence. Tojiro calmly walked down the path, not with haste, but only with a stern focus on mind.

He heard distant screams echo from below. When he was captured by the Crescent Moon Kingdom many years ago, Tojiro was tossed into the Circle of Treachery. It was in hope that Tojiro would remain in Hell forever, or simply die trying to escape. When he came to the first ring of Violence, everyone in that river of boiling blood cursed their worst tongues. For in that river of blood, many of those who came to this Circle have killed before, and were thus killed by the Cloakmaster of Darkness himself.

The first time around he never felt so hated in such a short period of time. There was so much evil and hatred. They said Tojiro belonged in the boiling blood with them, just so he could get a taste of what it feels like to suffer pain for all eternity. It was their destiny to suffer, not Tojiro's. The Cloakmaster was destined to fight and endure, taking in every bit of pain humanity threw at him. With all that agony he endured with the best to his ability, it turned into power. It was a power only Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku could ever wield.

The power to hate and grow; that was his power. In this never ending war of choices, his fate only came down to one dismal factor; **suffer through hatred to find yourself at tomorrow**. Tojiro approached the end, facing the open side to the right. He simply stepped off the long rock pathway he traversed. Down below was a horizontal rope that he grabbed onto. He climbed his way forward to appear at the end of the rope. One look below and there was another rope that stretched out to the left.

Tojiro landed on top of the rope below him, balancing on the rope to face the humongous gold minotaur statue. Tojiro leaped towards the statue's left shoulder, then immediately jumped off it to dive down at canyon wall that awaited a couple hundred feet away from the minotaur statue. Tojiro ran alongside the canyon wall, then dashed down the wall. Below he spotted the boiling river of blood. His gaze was blind of any emotion. Tojiro halted on the wall, letting himself slide off to land on the shortened path of rock.

He rose to a straight standing pose, looking to the right to stare at the Shades who were crying out in agony as the boiling blood furthered their never-ending discord. Ignorance told him to walk forward, leaving everything around him to remain blank. The hurdling of five fire balls made him think otherwise. Taking a divine leap through the air, he simply swung his hands to collect all the flames in the palms of his hands. In the air hovered the Seventh Hell God, releasing twenty red Chaos Spears from his right hand. Tojiro pointed his flaming palms forward, then blew a gust of focused air from his mouth.

The fire in his hands was sent out in a large widespread cyclone of fiery power. The cloaked Hell God flew down onto the back of Centaur statue on the right side. Next to it stood another Centaur statue, where both could endlessly watch over the damned in this ring. Tojiro crashed onto the metal floor of the stationary Centaur's back, landing on his feet obviously. The cloaked Hell God lowered his hood, revealing the Cloakmaster of Fire and watch over the Circle of Violence; Jason Hi.

"I nearly assumed you to be someone else. That was rather foolish of me." Tojiro began with a daunting voice.

"You and me both, nephew. How has the Circles above treated you?" joked the smirking Hell God, crouching down with his arms hanging over his knees.

Tojiro grabbed the grip of his favored weapon. "All right…didn't assume you would be offended by that! But I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Jason figuratively replied, standing back up.

"Like I need to listen to the voice of a dead man." stated the Demigod.

"True. True. True. I have died once. Now, you actually think you can defeat me again? That why you call me by such a wonderful name?" Jason pestered on with his arms shrugged.

Tojiro remained still, unyielding to prove any surprises on Jason.

"You ever think that this attitude of yours is why Akuma brought us back to life in the first place? Hmmm? Well?"

Tojiro's eyes remained clearly dismal. They continued to warn his brilliant mind that Jason's empty taunts weren't worth a pointless charge. This fight has to be planned against this Hell God; he's in a completely different league than any of the other Hell Gods Tojiro has already defeated and murdered. However, the more he stands and takes Jason's words for granted, Tojiro's simple mind will snap, and that shall unleash his true _honest_ self.

He wouldn't want that…for Jason's sake that is. Tojiro wasn't willing to show mercy at all. None of the other Hell Gods were given mercy, not even a small opportunity of it! Tojiro just continued to hack and slash, break and snap, stomp and pummel; nothing…else…mattered.

"Why have you become so pertinent _now_?" spoke the vulgar Demigod of Death.

"Come on Ankoku! Isn't it obvious enough?" laughed the Cloakmaster of Fire, slapping his forehead and lowering his head down.

Tojiro's eyes tightened with an arguably good amount of distrust.

"You have three Circles of Violence to go through my man! This one and two others! You also have me to fight with. So that gives me three Circles…and three chances to kill your rancid ass for good!" barked the Cloakmaster of Fire, forming a wicked smile as he prepared himself in a offensive stance.

Tojiro unsheathed the Blade of Darkness, widening his legs apart to stand in his offensive stance.

"We'll just have to see who spills the most blood…or until the last drop of Chaos energy is used." Jason stated, preparing the lethal Nightmare Claws on his right hand.

The curved and twisted shape of the five silver claws dangled as Jason twitched them back and forth.

"Same here, Jason." Tojiro silently stated.

One smirk echoed from Jason's face. Tojiro quickly stared out the corner of his eye to the right.

"SAME HERE AS WELL!" roared the insane Cloakmaster of Fire.

A huge wave of boiling blood came forward, carrying fiery Shades in its waves. Tojiro slashed the Blade of Darkness down vertically, releasing a large swath of red Chaos energy to obliterate the wave. This caused the fiery Shades to explode and combust together in one magnificent show of blazing clouds. Tojiro stared his gaze back to Jason, who evilly charged forward, leaping through the air to rain down five large slashes of golden Chaos energy.

Tojiro swung the Blade of Darkness away from the bloody river, causing the blood to shoot out and ram against Jason with burning consequences. Tojiro stood far away enough from the boiling blood that ran over the ground of the metal surface. He readied a static black and red around the Blade of Darkness. Jason angrily charged down from up high, shooting down eight streams of fire with yellow Chaos Spears on the very front of each.

Tojiro drove the Blade of Darkness into the ground then swiftly leapt up at the eight streams of burning Chaos energy. Holding his hands up, Tojiro began to gather the Chaos energy off from the Blade of Darkness. It gathered into a large black and crimson red sphere. Tojiro then held his breath for one single moment. The eight fire streams of Chaos energy surrounded the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Tojiro released a slicing breath of Airbending. The blast of wind cut several hundred sections of the large Chaos Sphere Tojiro held before his mouth to launch a slew of deadly Chaos Needles. The fire streams collided with the Cloakmaster of Darkness in one demented blast that exploded out in all directions. Jason desperately performed a large back flip through the air, landing on the metal surface of the second Centaur beside the one he was previously on. Tojiro was revealed in the hindering white smoke, raising his left arm up. Jason slapped his hands and arms to stick them straight out at the mid-air hovering Demigod.

"Lava Point!" he commanded.

A gracious stream of lava and molten rock was shot out from the tips of Jason's fingers. Surrounding the entire stream was a red spiral of Chaos energy, giving it more speed. Tojiro clapped his hands together then turned them both opposite ways that went left and right. Pulling his hands away from each other, a long strip of green Chaos Wind energy was created. Tojiro snapped it out like a whip, surrounding the entire lava stream that caused it to harden in mid-air. Tojiro quickly flew towards the hardened lava to charge down it, covering his hands in yellow and red Chaos energy.

"Lava Point: Melt Fall!" conjured the Cloakmaster of Fire.

Jason's arms changed to molten rock. He released streams of lava into the air from all his fingers. The lava focused into one large sphere that spat down a tornado shaped release of swirling lava. Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form, his eyes filled with glowing gold, removing the pupils from his very eyes. Tojiro was surrounded in a large blue sphere of Chaos Water. The lava stream was frozen into ice, shattering into thousands of miniscule icicles.

"Chaos Water Technique: Dragon Wave Crush." said the silent voiced Cloakmaster of Darkness.

The entire sphere of brightened Chaos Water shot all the falling icicles at the hovering Jason. From the entire sphere of Chaos Water that protected Tojiro, it formed into a large blast of Chaos energy with a dragon's head. In one spinning motion in the form of a drill, it took all the flying icicles and dragged them directly into Jason. A visually enticing explosion of dragon heads showered out in all directions from the main cloud of blue fire.

Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, stretching both of his arms out afterwards. With movements from both of his arms, Tojiro controlled ten of the dragon heads that came out of the explosion. Jason crashed down onto the ground before the second ring of Violence, staring up at the massive sparkling sphere that hovered high above. Tojiro appeared out of Chaos Control above the mass of stable, yet dreadfully powerful Chaos energy.

"Goodbye." he swarmed in darkness.

Tojiro kicked both his feet into the sphere. It hurled down with immense force, leaving off spinning streaks of gold that appeared all around the attack. Jason quickly got to his feet, encasing himself in his cloak. The sphere of focused Chaos Water smashed into the ground. Its pressure carved through the ground, pouring into the Phleghethon. Tojiro surged down into the ground, shattering the earth under his feet. He stormed forward, only to face a dark presence.

Everything was silent and grim. Tojiro may have been staring into one of the most silence sections of Hell itself. Tojiro's ears flicked several times, causing his head to lift up. For ahead in the woods stood a being bathed in silver light. Tojiro's orange pupils reappeared in his eyes, giving him life again. The white light walked away, humming. Tojiro stepped forward in a desperate mood. His right arm was extended out, but his sense told him to quickly turn around, readying himself.

Nothing showed itself. Tojiro looked in every direction possible, seeing nothing but the silence that so conveniently grew recently. Tojiro exited his stance to turn back around towards this silent forest. There, he prepared to run. He didn't judge his sudden adamance; he felt nothing. Tojiro ran into the second ring of Violence. The ring where those who brought violence upon themselves would eternally rest. They would spring up like a sapling, give root, and remain frozen to wallow in their woe. Tojiro began his journey through the second ring of Violence; **the Wood of the Suicides**.

* * *

><p>His spirit felt only troubled by the hanging corpses of these unfortunate Shades. Their bodies made of wood, sprung from the ground like a tree, forever gnawing their teeth together in pain that continues to bind them by their roots. Tojiro felt his spirit slowly drain away from this very location. When he crossed through this section the first time, he felt three times worse than he currently is. The people who took their own lives questioned and murmured things to the Cloakmaster of Darkness…they wanted answers to what made life so precious.<p>

He of course didn't have an answer back then, and even if the same thing were to repeat itself now, he still wouldn't have an answer. After finding out his future would be as hollow as he is now, Tojiro believed this Circle would fit him. The death that can't be fulfilled. The lives of these Shades were broken by humanity far above on the world of the living. Here, they suffer and atone for what they gave up on.

It willingly pushes the idea up to the front of Tojiro's head that this realm shouldn't even exist. His fists slowly and tightly clenched together. Surprisingly, his orange pupils remained in his eyes. Normally when they vanish, it symbolizes his heartlessness; but why do they remain so present now? Tojiro followed down the dark path, speeding with all his might to leave this sad forest.

It was difficult for Tojiro to look either left or right. The faces of these decrepit souls managed to make his stomach churn inside out. Even thinking about his stomach made Tojiro feel sick. Tojiro dashed off, leaving a trail of red light behind him.

Staring forward with his mouth inches gaped, he screeched to a quick halt, ending up in a circular part of the forest. Hanging from trees with vines around their necks hanged the corpses of several beings. It wasn't the fact of seeing the bodies of hanged individuals that made his eyes widen, it was the fact that they were all wearing Nightshade cloaks.

Their eyes completely black. Their mouths opened wide as if they were left screaming to death. Tojiro was struck with horror. These Nightshades took their own lives centuries and centuries ago, giving them their spot in this Circle of Violence. Unwillingly, Tojiro quickly turned around, facing the silver outline of the spirit he was earlier. Grabbing the Blade of Darkness, he readied to unsheathe it.

The figure came forward with quickness, grabbing the wrist of his right hand. Tojiro flashed himself away from the being with Chaos Control. He appeared before the path he was supposed to keep traveling by until he stopped here. His hand still remained on the handle for the Blade of Darkness, remaining doubtful and untrustworthy with his eyes.

"I'm not surprised you're so nervous around something such as myself." said the voice of the light being.

A female's voice rang into Tojiro's ears, and it sounded terribly familiar to someone important to his life. The being let the silver blanket of light vanish of her body, revealing the face of someone Tojiro would never sought to face more than once in his entire lifetime.

"After all…I'd probably react the same way." she responded, giving off a beautiful smile.

Tojiro lowered his hand from the grip of his sheathed Blade of Darkness. He rose into a straight and carefree stance, his orange eyes filled with disbelief.

"**Tojiro…you sure have grown…haven't you?**" voiced Okiku; Tojiro's very own mother.

"M-mom?" he stuttered in shock.

Okiku tilted her head slightly, giving off another warming smile. Tojiro closed his mouth, unable to move a single inch. Okiku was dressed in a fitting set of white robes. She took careful steps to stroll over to her son. Tojiro stepped back a few feet, shockingly unwilling to believe his very own eyes. Okiku stopped as well, keeping her hands clasped before her lower body.

"You've no reason to worry, Tojiro. It's me." kindly stated his mother.

"Tojiro. The name…_**you**_ gave me." Tojiro awkwardly responded.

"Yes, Tojiro. You are speaking to your mother after all, remember?" Okiku responded, retaining her kindly formed expression.

Tojiro lowered his head in a bitter thought process.

"You said I've grown, huh? Your only looking at my hedgehog form. You _do_ realize that right?" Tojiro quoted, looking back at his mother.

"Why of course. Hedgehogs don't grow so tall when its one of your Nightshade forms, doesn't it?" Okiku joked, managing a light chuckle. Tojiro felt at ease with this meeting.

"H-h-How did you even get here? You…you even shouldn't be in such a dark place." Tojiro voiced, sounding bothered at having to meet his mother in such a lonesome Circle.

"I realize your worried for me. That makes me glad. Your practically showing me how much of a great son you were." Okiku replied in hope.

"I killed you. I was the reason I've become this guilty of a man. Because of your death, and Victoria's…I-I-I…couldn't forgive the world around me. Humanity…deserved its punishment for what it threw onto me." the Cloakmaster of Darkness argued up front.

"You have no reason to not forgive yourself, Tojiro." Okiku stated in contrast.

"Yeah: Well…I do!" he barked, turning away from Okiku.

Tojiro remained still and let his thoughts of disbelief feed at him. Fully aware of this situation, Tojiro couldn't even bear looking back into his mother's own eyes. He knew she was the first most important person that left his world after he became the last Nightshade.

It was the worst of nights, and yet look how far he has strived to forget that night. Everything about that night made Tojiro recognize how cruel humanity is, and for that very reason does he despise it so. His own recognition cost many of their lives. Only through his recognition did the foolish suffer by his hands, never forgetting the name of their murderer. He cursed the lives of people who would later have the chance to return the favor. Now look where he is.

The Shades of Hell weren't so fortunate to even curse at the Cloakmaster of Darkness for even a second. It only proved to Tojiro that the presence of his mother gave him the hope to encourage himself…but where's the respect in feeling pity? Where's the respect for needing someone to come and pat you on the back for no reason at all? Tojiro hated these thoughts…so he continued to feed his power with them.

"I realize how much you've came through Tojiro, but you…you must listen to me. Please." asked the voice of his kindred mother.

Tojiro snapped around, glaring with his piercing orange eyes. Okiku remained unafraid, she kept her sympathy and pain on the inside so Tojiro couldn't reach it.

"Why did you come then? Just so you can make me realize how much I hate the world above…and humanity itself?! IS THAT WHY?!" he shouted in rage, summoning a deadly red aura of Chaos energy around himself.

Okiku appeared before Tojiro in a flash. She kneeled down to pull her son into a loving embrace. Tojiro's aura died down from the love of Okiku's presence. She was crying in an effort to hide her fear. For it wasn't fear that she was crying; love and sadness. Seeing her son yell in such an outburst broke her feelings, but now as she holds her son this close, she can only feel regret betwixt what is supposed to be happiness.

"I only came to give my son the power to fight. The power of my soul shall _**always**_ be with you, Tojiro." said her vanishing voice.

Tojiro's arms remained motionless, but they twitched as he slowly rose them up to return his mother's fateful love.

"Tojiro…you'll always have a heart. I know you haven't forgotten those words. They…they were my last that very night you became a Nightshade. You remember…don't you?" she continued to speak with courage, fighting her tears so they wouldn't affect her voice.

"I haven't forgotten." answered the Cloakmaster, pulling his arms around to his mother's back.

"**You will always be in my heart, Tojiro. Remember…that there are always people in this world to show you love. Can I promise you not to forget **_**mine**_**?**" she said in overwhelming happiness.

Tojiro readied to return his mother's embrace. Before such a moment could be born, Okiku's body vanished in a flash of silver light flurries. They all swarmed onto the blade of the Nightmare Scythe, causing it to slowly glow with one shine of silver before returning back to its normal appearance. Tojiro's arms remained wrapped forward, his eyes blackened by emotion. His arms dropped and hung uselessly on both sides.

"**I…shall promise**." vowed the Demigod of Death, drops of bloody tears coming from his eyes.

The scene, even in the land where no hope could be found nor created, was able to create at least one antidote. An antidote for at least one Shade to cure his solace. The embrace symbolized a peaceful heart, something holy and moral. It was so strong that the Land of the Unholy could not even believe it.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
><em>

__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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****-Jason Hi descends from the sky, spilling words of madness.- "After regaining the confidence and pushing his darkness and hatred further away, Tojiro relinquishes his failures of the past."

-Tojiro hits the ground with the Nightmare Scythe in hand.- -A red glow rebounds off of Jason's face.- -A storm of red cracks stretch across a clearing in an open land.-

"Tojiro's fire still burns brighter than ever. Turning to Jason, Tojiro opts to clear his failures from his mind once and for all."

-Jason smashes through a medieval ship in a desert plain.- "Tojiro has come this far; only two Circles remain." -Tojiro and Jason clash their Nightmare Scythe and Nightmare Claws against one another thirty times: Shooting sparks in all directions.-

"He has made a great promise; never before has he stooped to that place where he refuses to go." -Tojiro leaps through a wall of a sandstorm, taking a stream of Chaos Fire to the chest.- "The burning lands are not enough to break Tojiro's will."

-Jason is stabbed through the chest by the entirety of the Nightmare Scythe.-

"It is far away indeed: The vengeance of the greatest Cloakmaster."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LXV: FINDING SOLACE, KEEPING VENGEANCE  
><strong>


	65. Chapter LXV

**CHAPTER LXV: FINDING SOLACE, KEEPING VENGEANCE**

***WARNING* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the following others contain intense action violence and gruesome images/scenes. Such content is not allowed for some readers/viewers. You HAVE been warned.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the depictions of the imaginary underworld made famous in the "Epic poem." I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Jason Hi. They are my original characters and thus owned by me.  
><strong>

**Winding down the clock the battle becomes swift. At its end what retribution is to be observed? Should it be observed? More or less recognized? You be the judge.  
><strong>

From far out above the Wood of the Suicides, Jason Hi came charging down at a diagonal angle.

"What's wrong, Tojiro?! Finally decided to accept your role as damn coward?!" Jason laughed, raising the Nightmare Claws back.

In one swift spin, a circle of dirt ringed itself around Tojiro as he turned around. He readied the Nightmare Scythe with insane precision, impaling it straight through Jason's chest, then grabbing him by the throat with his left hand. Tojiro angrily stared into Jason's solid cold eyes.

"No…but I am a little pissed." he darkly stated, revealing his Imperial Tsukikagegan to have taken shape within his eyes. They were filled with a glowing red crimson, symbolizing Tojiro's hatred.

Jason hacked up a ball of fire, which Tojiro sustained to his own face. Tojiro leaped into the air, dislodging the Nightmare Scythe from the Cloakmaster of Fire's chest. Tojiro tossed Jason back down towards the ground with impure force. A large cloud of brown smoke shot straight into the air, echoing off with the intensified boom that shattered across the landscape. Tojiro charged back down with the Nightmare Scythe pointed down. Jason easily did a backwards roll.

Tojiro pulled the Nightmare Scythe back up, using his feet to crash into the ground. The very impact caused several hundred cracks of glowing red to spurt through the earth in the entire clearing. Jason was stunningly blown into the air after a spout of orange and red Chaos energy shot itself directly into him. The Cloakmaster of Fire was thrown across the black and orange sky, causing lightning to rivet. Tojiro appeared right by Jason's side, swinging the Nightmare Scythe with a diagonal slash. Jason threw himself into a right-side up position to clash his Nightmare Claws with the deathly Nightmare Scythe, causing sparks of red to fly out.

The two Cloakmasters angrily swung their weapons at different angles. Both were flying through the air, spinning around each other, even ending up with one higher than the other. Both exchanged over thirty attacks each, every attack sparking more fiery red sparks from the collision of these two nightmarish weapons. Jason grew streaks of flames across the tips of his Nightmare Claws, swinging them to release five large vertical claw shaped blasts directly into Tojiro. The explosion caused both of the Cloakmasters to be sent flying in opposite directions.

Jason Hi crashed into the Abominable Sands of Violence's third ring. Those who were violent to god ended up here. However, as Jason rose off the ground to witness a Demigod of unstable power to be charging down from the sky, he thought of this ring as his own resting place. Jason stood up on his left hand. Pointing both his feet up, he released two dragon head streams of black fire. The eyes of the flaming dragons shined green, while the inside of their roaring mouths favored a shimmering red. Tojiro pointed the Nightmare Scythe down at them.

From the top left and right, the bottom left and right of where Tojiro was hovering, four huge cyclones of gold Chaos energy shot down. They collided with the flaming dragons, bashing through them and exploding the serpentine beasts into rivets of golden rays. Jason was pounded by the four cyclones as they approached him with devastating force.

The three triple blasts forced Jason to crash down into the burning sands that resulted in a fountain plethora of yellow light, mixed with orange and red flames that swooped up through the mountain of ebony smoke. Tojiro luckily landed on a mound of sand, sliding down it to find Jason in a large pit of sand. He leaped down at him with the Nightmare Scythe stretched out to the right. Jason shoved the Nightmare Claws into the ground. Waves of flaming sand came out of the ground, grabbing Tojiro.

"Suffer for your sins!" shouted the Cloakmaster of Fire, clapping his hands together.

The flaming sand that surrounded Tojiro began to heat up to an extreme pressure. Jason's wide ended smirk vanished. The sand sphere that captured Tojiro broke, revealing the Demon Demigod to be the reason of the sand super heating glow. Tojiro slid across the sand, slashing the Nightmare Scythe across Jason's body by swinging it at an upward right diagonal slash. Jason was flung into the air by the single swing. Tojiro angrily leaped up after Jason, quickly blocking a set of explosive orange Chaos Spears that Jason hopelessly released.

Tojiro was forced to spin the Nightmare Scythe to defend himself, giving Jason the chance to land and flee over the burning sands. Jason skipped over a large wooden boat, but after hearing a sudden explosion sound from behind, he looked over his shoulder to watch the Cloakmaster of Darkness land on top of Jason, causing him to fall forward, scraping Jason's skin across the burning landscape. Tojiro wasn't done. At the current speed, he grabbed Jason by the back of his cloak, then leapt off the ground with the Cloakmaster of Fire being hauled up with the Demigod of Darkness.

One second after landing back on the ground, Tojiro flung Jason straight towards another old styled wooden boat that was stuck on a mound of sand. The impact destroyed the boat within just a millisecond. Tojiro leapt through the sand fog, only to be hit directly in the chest by a stream of Chaos Fire.

Tojiro painfully rolled to a quick halt at the bottom of the hill. He quickly looked forward to watch Jason slam his hands on the ground. The sand beneath Tojiro began to light up to a bright orange color. He used the staff of the Nightmare Scythe to vault himself forward, dodging a humongous column of bright orange Chaos energy that exploded up through the ground. Jason slammed his right hand to the earth. The sand before him wildly shifted, releasing a large venomous black Hydra head.

Tojiro straightened his body out with the Nightmare Scythe extended forth. Within seconds of entering the Hydra's mouth, Tojiro pierced the Nightmare Scythe down on its tongue, then tore it across its bottom mouth, then used the momentum to carve his way out the back of the Hydra's head. Leaping towards the frightened Jason, Tojiro drove his right foot directly against the Cloakmaster of Fire's face.

Jason was sent in several over imaginative and extremely painful bumps and tosses, etching his pain and blood over the sections of the landscape he unfortunately crashed against. Jason ended up beside the flowing waterfall of blood where the Phlegethon flowed down into. He grabbed the sand on both sides, coughing up violent amounts of blood. The wound in his chest was also ever present, trickling out more blood than that which came from his mouth.

Tojiro appeared before the laid out Cloakmaster of Fire. Tojiro held the ever powerful Nightmare Scythe in his right hand, letting it stand up beside him. Jason managed a sudden chuckle, letting blood spit out from every hoarse chuckle he let out. Tojiro's Imperial Tsukikagegan reverted to his orange pupils, which glared with all means of destruction at the Cloakmaster of Fire's diminished body.

"You're truly one indecent little bastard when you're in that form, ya' know? You really have put a lot of people in their graves with that very form, didn't ya'?" he hoarsely laughed, shutting his eyes at the same time, seeming to enjoy this moment.

Tojiro flipped his hood over his head, creating the wall of darkness to hide his face from Jason. He lifted an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Oh hoh hoh! What's the matter big guy? Can't murder me when I'm not able to put up a decent fight? God, you are TOO pitiful!" Jason laughed, anxious to taunt Tojiro with whatever strength he had left.

"How will you feel after facing **Kuro**, eh? You gonna' tell the gloomy bitch to-"

Jason's filth was silenced after Tojiro swung the Nightmare Scythe from the left to the right, cutting off both of Jason's legs. Tojiro stood still in his stance that left his legs stretched out to both the left and right. By standing back in a normal straight posture, he glared down at the constant wails that Jason Hi continued to scream out. Blood and discharged glowing purple Chaos energy spilled out from his _forced_ double amputation. Jason lifted his head up, shaking uncontrollably.

"You'll regret it all Tojiro! In the end you'll only have that damn Scythe! Everything else…will be invisible to your damn eyes!" Jason uselessly barked.

Tojiro magnetized the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, stepping forward to stand at the edge of the cliff. The Phlegethon continued to pour with its river of boiling blood, falling over the cliff and into the next Circle below where the rivers gather. Jason slowly but stiffly tilted his head to the left, glaring up at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro was enveloped by a black fog. In turn, Jason's eyes angrily twitched as Tojiro was reverted into his human form.

"Nothing will prepare you for what the final realms below offer! If Kuro's pathetic soul isn't powerful enough to kill your ass…THEN AKUMA WILL WIPE THE FLOOR WITH YOU!" Jason thundered with hatred, coughing up more blood in force of his agony.

Tojiro took two steps forward, prepared to leap off the cliff.

"Retribution. RETRIBUTION! **RETRIBUTION! **_**RETRIBUTION!**_ In the end…it'll be all you have left to hold onto in the world above!" Jason shouted in his filth.

The Blade of Darkness was unsheathed. Flesh was torn and pierced in one strike by the Cloakmaster. Tojiro merely had the Blade of Darkness pointed down directly into Jason's throat, silencing him for good. One tug removed the blade. Tojiro sheathed his famed sword once more, stepping off the cliff without another care or thought. In one land, the Cloakmaster of Darkness landed on Geryon's Back. It's simply a modern day elevator. Tojiro walked to the edge of the large stone platform. Geryon shifted, and Tojiro continued to pace himself. The statue descended downward towards the Eighth Circle.

Within whatever humanity he _did_ have left in his spirit and mind, Tojiro remembered back at everything he's seen. Within every Circle did he see suffering. He saw the pain of those who once lived, but made the wrong choices to forbade their own inevitable doom. Whether what the Shades of Hell did was just or mad, Tojiro felt their presence even if he didn't turn to them for more than a moment.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness has valiantly withstood seven of the Hell Gods; only two remain. The three rings of Violence will soon leave itself in confusion, eternally questioning their suffering, just as the Circles above them would. Their masters gone from their Circles. The Shades were left with nothing once more. All of this suffering came from the bare hands of Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. As he descended down on Geryon's back, he could only estimate the difficulty of what Fraud held for him.

With its ten Malebolge, Tojiro would have to endure ten different types of liars. Tojiro refused to tell lies for one reason; a reason that he refused to tell or speak of. It was only of his nature to show honesty through violence and anger. His years of training through the four elements, training through the Seven Chaos Arts has brought him to this very spot. Everything else equated to zero. This journey meant every single ounce of strength to be used; it was simple and easy for Tojiro to follow by because fighting was all he ever knew well to do. Tojiro abided by his beliefs, standing by them to the very end.

Life meant nothing…nor did death. He wasn't afraid of life. He wasn't afraid of death. For he knows all too well in one fact; **he is a being that has nothing to live for, but nothing to die for either**. Either way, Tojiro seemed virtually unstoppable in will power. However, with the Circle of Fraud next, Tojiro began to doubt the durability of his will. Seven Hell Gods dead; seven Circles of Hell conquered. Only the challenges of Fraud and the vast icy tundra of Treachery remained. For Fraud sat the Cloakmaster of War: **Kuro Senso**. Yet her true name remains to be **Yumi Amaya**.

She was once part of a rich prestigious family, and was well respected for her genuine respect and kindness. Even as a child was she respected. The night her parents died was the night she was forced to flee with her families' personal military guard. During that night, Yumi's ten year old life nearly ended. If it weren't for the arrival of the Demigod of Death, Tojiro wouldn't have to be worrying right now for whatever Fraud had ready to challenge. In the deepest and most darkest of the Nine Circles sat Akuma Kyofu; the Cloakmaster of Fear. The new Devil who took over Lucifer's spot after the ancient demon was killed many years ago by the hands of another man that resembled Tojiro's very own cause.

Akuma was in the land of ice for his betrayal of his own people; the Great Shade Empire. When becoming a Nightshade, Akuma turned on his own civilization, destroying everyone and rising to power as one of the most deadliest Nightshades to ever be cursed. Even now, Tojiro thinks of these dreadful things. With his hood over his head, Tojiro summoned his courage and power up to its highest peak. Everything around him began to lose light. Down into a darkened cavern did he descend. Down into the Circle of Fraud…did Tojiro arrive.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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-Wailing out an inky sky, Tojiro stands on a pillar alone.- "Driven by his own hope, carving his path of vengeance through Seven of Hell's Circles."

-In a flash, Kuro Senso appears before the hooded Cloakmaster, bracing to kiss him.- "The two Nightshades, once connected by love,"

-Tojiro charges forward with darkness: In Darkrai Form.- -Kuro looks high to Darkrai with a huge Chaos Lightning Sphere above his head.-

"Now connected by hate." -Yumi lifts the head of the Darkrai transformed Tojiro.- "Of days burnt to ash, memories left in the cold, Tojiro must destroy that which he saved, and once cared for."

-Tojiro shatters through a red and black barrier of Chaos energy.- -Falling down the cavern of Ten Malebolge platforms, Kuro unleashes a Chaos Blast beam.-

-Kuro smashes into a wooden lift, raising her dismal red eyes.- "Two of the most formal Nightshades in history meet for the last time. Since day one locked by fate the two must be set free by a key of righteousness." -Tojiro swings the Blade of Darkness ten times; releasing ten crescent slash projectiles.-

-Wielding the Spear of Deceit, Kuro dispatches three in one magnificent twirl.- "The two Nightshades: Now must end their bitter relationship. With vengeance on a higher pedestal, Tojiro must welcome the impossible."

-Far apart, Tojiro charges out with wrath. Kuro does the same with the Spear of Deceit armed.- -With a bleeding skull, Tojiro releases a dual salvo of Chaos energy: Chaos Fire shooting from his right hand and Chaos Lightning from his left.-

"Their journey of fates...finally **ends**."

-Tojiro is braking into a crouched stance, lunging the Blade of Darkness forward to the chest of Yumi Amaya, heralding a Spear of Deceit bathed in azure Chaos energy.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXVI: FAREWELL, MY HEART:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS KURO SENSO  
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	66. Chapter LXVI

**CHAPTER LXVI: FAREWELL, MY HEART:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS. KURO SENSO  
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***WARNING* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter and the few remaining contains intense action violence, suggestive themes and mature content. Some of this content is not suitable for certain audiences. You HAVE been warned.  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the depictions of the imaginary underworld and its lands/locations. I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kuro Senso (Yumi Amaya) and Ryu Kaze. They are my original characters and thus belong to me.  
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**The journey has not yet reached its greatest fathom. Tojiro is on the way to fight the woman who was once to be his very own fiancee, but the past did not allow such a fate. Now between feelings of Darkness and War, these two Nightshades must settle their greatest feelings by the steel of their weapons and the skills of their Chaos energy.  
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_**Descent into Fraud**_

The statue of Geryon's Back came to a steadfast halt. A long rock path was the path into a dark cavern. Fraud has ten Malebolge. Ten more circles for Tojiro to descend through until Treachery is reached. However, for in this realm was Kuro Senso. Tojiro strolled forward with utmost anticipation. Had it been so long that Tojiro saved the life of the young ten year old girl during her getaway convoy was ambushed by opposing armies that were against her family. Tojiro passed on into the cavern, ignoring the threats and lies shouted out by the Shades that were latched against the caverns walls or simply stuck on wooden stakes.

Had it been so long that he met Yumi once more when she was much younger, and with that they formed a bond of love. Tojiro approached a raggedy wooden elevator. He slid to a halt on the platform, grabbing the lever to pull it from the right to the left.

The elevator calmly descended down, making Tojiro grow impatient and form a grim expression of annoyance behind the darkness that hid his face. Had it been so long that Tojiro trained Yumi in the Chaos Arts, furthering their bond. When the moment came, the elevator broke loose. Tojiro crouched down, facing himself towards the left. The elevator came towards another cavern. There went the Cloakmaster of Darkness, leaping forward at the last second to roll across the ground until he got back on his feet.

Had it been so long when Yumi wished to marry Tojiro, thus becoming his fiancée. Tojiro turned the slight right turn of the cavern, coming to a black demon door. His teeth gritted with these swarming thoughts. Had it been so long that Yumi believed their bond was pure, and yet Tojiro refused to share another bond with a woman. Only then…did he leave Yumi to continue his travels. He told her the exact words that Tojiro was just thinking of; **Love is zero**. Tojiro charged through and obliterated through the black demon door, leaping off the ground to land on the center of the first Malebolge of Fraud; **Panderers and Seducers**.

Only in that time long ago did he breath such cold breaths. Even as he rises to his feet, breathes of sheer cold float out from his mouth. Had it been so long that he broke the heart of his student, and Yumi set out to prove herself; **becoming a Nightshade just to prove her undying love for Tojiro**. At least that's what she believed would have happened between her and the Demon Demigod.

The large stone platform only held Tojiro's presence. In the inky sky, screams of distant pain wailed out. One after another did each tempt Tojiro to let out Chaos Wrath, but that only be over doing the situation ten fold. Tojiro faced forward, facing the large stone platform to drop down, connecting the first Malebolge to the next cavern tunnel. Tojiro readied himself to sprint on forward. Once the large stone bridge let its cloud of dust pass by, a silhouette came passing into Tojiro's view. He slowly rose back into a normal posture, his arms hanging down, not even close to ready any of his weapons.

Walking onto the Malebolge was the reason of Tojiro's ill discord. There stood the beautiful yet solemn Cloakmaster of War and watcher over the Circle of Fraud; Kuro Senso.

Her hood was lowered, letting her long enticing silver hair dance in the wind that drifted by in this freezing cavern. Her pure blood eyes calmly stared at the motionless Demigod of Death. Neither prepared a word to state, not even a threat. Out of many Nightshades, Tojiro and Yumi are two of the most formal. That fact, however, can only be considered true after their fighting spirit is awakened.

Only through serious eyes do they fight, and only through a serious motive will one fall by the others' hand. Tojiro kept his hood up, not wishing to show Yumi any idea of what his face looks like. Tojiro could keep the most coldest expression glued to his face, but Yumi would still read through it and read the thoughts of Tojiro. With this wall of darkness, it obscures all emotion, whether its coming out or coming in. Yumi's cloak dressed down to her knees, both on the front and back. Her sleeves were cut up to her elbows, and the black gloves she wore left her pearl fingers exposed.

"I take it you know I've been waiting. And I safely assure you that no one is going to interrupt us." Yumi coldly began.

"Like your words matter anymore, Kuro. Like…they…matter." Tojiro blatantly spat back in response.

"I don't believe I can respect you if you continue to call me by my fake name. Why not call me Yumi? Have I scarred your emotions that tremendously?" she questioned without fear.

"I have nothing left, Yumi. You only wish to hear me say a lie." Tojiro deduced, crossing his arms.

"That was the first thing you told me on the first day of your training lessons. I'm sure even you know the events of that day."

The eyes of soulless Cloakmaster bubbled behind the wall of darkness that made his expression blank to Yumi. In this part of Hell, Tojiro felt determined to keep his mouth shut for as long as he could. He felt…that he had already lied to himself.

"You appear to have realized something. What is it?" Yumi quietly asked in her cold voice.

"Nothing. Haven't you been listening or not? Perhaps it was a true failure…teaching you." Tojiro appointed.

Yumi's eyes tightened an inch or so. Her eyebrows only slightly bent down more, yet her gaze was always described as an emotionless one.

"Tell me in honesty then! Even in this Circle of Fraud, will you plot to deceive me, or honestly speak the first Chaos Art you taught me?" Yumi opposed without hesitance or slur.

"**Chaos Light techniques**. They were the first of the seven that I taught you. What makes it so important?" Tojiro opposed in reliance.

"Was it because of my hair? Even as a seventeen year old…I did imagine myself to be quite beautiful." Yumi added, curving the fingers of her right hand through her hair.

Tojiro remained still as she caressed through her hair, managing to cover the right side of her face with it. Her single revealed eye of blood red hue opened up, glimmering as it stared at the Demigod of Death.

"It does make you think of it as a coincidental factor, doesn't it?" Yumi said, moving the hair away from her eye so it would pass around and remain flowing down her back.

"A coincidental factor to what?" Tojiro rudely barked, unfolding his arms in the process.

Yumi lifted her eyes from the ground, staring into the emptiness of his hooded head.

"The factor to my love for you…" she stirred off.

One flash, Yumi charged directly at Tojiro, throwing his hood back to snag him into a loving kiss. With her eyes closed, Yumi favorably enjoyed it for a mere two seconds. She slowly opened her eyes, widening them in response.

"This form doesn't have much of a mouth. How's that for love?" Tojiro snapped, revealing himself to be in his Darkrai form.

Yumi pulled herself away from the blank spot where his mouth _should_ be. Yumi prepared herself in a defensive stance, expecting the Cloakmaster of Darkness to prepare a Chaos Lightning technique. He stunningly remained frozen where he hovered. Yumi lifted her gaze, lowering her arms down. Tojiro kept his single turquoise eye locked on the Cloakmaster of War, forbidding to let his gaze on her go. As if there was a red string of fate tied between them, Tojiro was the one who sought to keep it out of his life. He would assume it never even existed, but that was an impossible dream.

From above, a Chaos Clone of Tojiro's Darkrai form charged down with a large sphere of Chaos Lightning being held above its head. Yumi aimed up, firing a single blast of blue Chaos energy that exploded upon impact with the Chaos Clone. Jumping up through the smoke to dive bomb went the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Yumi blasted the ground with yellow Chaos energy, firing herself up at the Demigod of Darkness. Tojiro locked himself in mid-air, while Yumi continued to fly forward. Tojiro turned his back to the left, grabbing Yumi by her face. She then flew down to violently smash Yumi into the cave wall that was above the cavern tunnel.

"Chaos Shock!" he declared in anger.

Tojiro flew back, releasing tentacles of light green Chaos energy from his hands. The pure bolts malevolently wrapped around Yumi's body, yet she failed to show agony from the attack. Tojiro kept his hands focused out, adding more Chaos Lightning energy into the attack. The bolts went from a light green to an azure blue. Yumi gritted her teeth, unwilling to let the pain of these stinging bolts to overwhelm her. Tojiro finally charged forward, both of his fists surrounded in blue Chaos Lightning energy. Yumi was pounded straight through the wall by a massive net of blue lightning bolts that exploded along with rocks and a sweeping cloud of gray smoke. Yumi luckily landed on her feet in the cavern tunnel.

She looked up at the hole to watch Tojiro charge down with tremendous speed. She back flipped away from the spot, but by standing on her left hand, she fired a stream of Chaos Poison Chaos Needles at Tojiro. The blasts hit him numerous times, until he covered himself with his cloak. Yumi flipped back onto her feet, watching the Cloakmaster of Darkness bump into the ground. For Chaos Poison techniques, the energy seeps through the skin, and starts devouring the cells that make Chaos energy. The more 'Chaos Cells' they consume, the more powerful the technique grows.

Yumi strolled over to the restless Demigod, kneeling down to lift his face up. His single turquoise glowed with riveting madness.

"Why must you look at me so? Have the Circles above _truly_ made you this way?" she desperately questioned.

Tojiro looked into Yumi's calm eyes. They gracefully shimmered in a sad curiosity. She truly wanted to know why Tojiro had become what he is. However, his sentimentality wasn't worth it. Tojiro reverted to his Werehog form, causing Yumi to step back quickly. The roaring black furred beast charged at Yumi. Yumi prepared a black and red barrier, but to no avail. Tojiro. in all his might merely swung his right hand to shatter it. He punched Yumi directly in the chest, launching her off her own two feet and landing on the wooden elevator of the silent cavern.

Tojiro leaped through the air, preparing a large blue Rasengan that was as clear as an ocean's waves. He lunged through the air, smashing it down on Yumi's body. The very force sent the wooden elevator plummeting at an intense speed. Yumi vanished from under Tojiro's deadly gaze, appearing high above so she could follow the next cavern to the second Malebolge. Yumi blasted through the black demon door, hovering over with quick speed to land on the center of the second Malebolge; **the Flatterers.**

Tojiro vengefully came flying out of the smoke that hovered around the blown down demon door. Yumi fired sharp beams of blue and yellow Chaos beams. Tojiro gathered it all on his fists, then shot it back at Yumi. The Cloakmaster of War desperately leaped back, but Tojiro swiftly charged through the air to tackle her, and plummet down to the next Malebolge below. Tojiro kicked Yumi away from himself to unleash a large breath of red and orange Chaos Fire from his mouth.

Yumi simply spun around, creating a three ringed silver spinning top shape to form around the outside of her body. Tojiro closed his mouth, using his large arms to block a series of Chaos Wind energized Chaos Spears. It ripped his flesh and teared the bone, but Tojiro was able to stretch his arm forth to wrap his hand around Yumi. Down below, he dove in a spiral motion with Yumi placed before himself. With a large amount of Chaos Wind, he propelled himself with supersonic speed. The two crashed straight through the center of the third Malebolge; **the Simonists**.

They continued to fly down until the fourth Malebolge was in Tojiro's sights. Yumi cringed her crimson eyes, "Chaos Blast!" she yelled.

A focused beam of red hit Tojiro directly, launching him straight up to become lodged on the underside of the third Malebolge platform. Yumi flew back up, but was only kicked in the chest once she came close enough. Tojiro dislodged himself from the rock, reverting to his hedgehog form to release a thunderstorm of red and orange Chaos Lightning bolts from random spots around himself. Yumi slapped her hands across the bolts to diminish them, yet absorbed their power into her own hands. Yumi ran back to the large stone bridge that dropped down to connect the current Malebolge to the next cavern down to the fourth Malebolge.

Upon landing, Yumi found the speed to charge directly at the Cloakmaster of Darkness the second he touched the ground. She successfully took both of her Chaos electrified fists and pounded them both into Tojiro's stomach, launching him far off the Malebolge. Yumi quickly flew after him with quickness. The Cloakmaster of War regrettably grabbed the Cloakmaster of Darkness by the throat of his cloak, turning around to toss him with freakish strength.

Tojiro painfully slammed into the center ground of the stone draw bridge, rolling to a halt inside the cavern tunnel. Tojiro looked up, widening his eyes to turn his back the right. He dodged a forward jab by Yumi with her Spear of Deceit. Tojiro, in the very short seconds he had, grabbed hold of the spear.

"Chaos Blast!" shouted the two Cloakmasters.

A vile combination of two red domes exploded through the entire cavern. The very explosion obliterated the two Cloakmasters away from each other, but send them falling towards the fourth Malebolge.

Luckily landing on his feet, Tojiro sought to set his gaze upward, but was forced to take an immediate backwards jump to avoid Yumi driving the Spear of Deceit down into his cranium. The impact of her spear sent rivets and cracks of blue and gold through the ground. Tojiro gave worry, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness immediately.

"I'm rather hurt already by such brutality, Tojiro. Why must you fight me?" Yumi desperately demanded.

"Simple. You're in my way." he snapped back with a charge.

Tojiro swung the Blade of Darkness ten times in ten different ways. Each swing released a slash shaped projectile of red Chaos energy. Yumi destroyed the first three by spinning the Spear of Deceit. She then used the Spear to vault herself forward. One came directly towards her head, and another came for her legs. At the right moment, the Cloakmaster of War spun herself into a sideways spiral, her arms and legs perfectly clear of the attacks.

Landing on the other side, and leaving the other projectiles to pass on by her, Yumi leaped into the air. Tojiro held the Blade of Darkness before his eyes, emanating it in a red aura. Yumi charged down in one vicious sweep, her body surrounded in blue Chaos energy. Tojiro, drove the Blade of Darkness straight up. A large red and gold flash beamed out with a ring of silver. A deadly blow had been struck. Yumi remained hovering, her Spear of Deceit impaled directly into Tojiro's chest. Yumi took a look at the Blade of Darkness. Her face grew surprised. It was not even raised up.

"You…Tojiro? You didn't want to strike?" she said with surprise.

Yumi's eyes were forced to a bowl sized width. The Nightmare Scythe was impaled through her back. Standing behind her was the real Tojiro, in his human form. The hedgehog before Yumi vanished in a flurry of golden lights, which Tojiro collected by raising his left arm. Tojiro grabbed Yumi by the back of her head. In one pull, he removed the Nightmare Scythe from her back. He charged towards the edge of the Malebolge, jumping off with Yumi being held by his left hand. Tojiro tossed Yumi straight down into the darkness of Fraud.

With only pain did Yumi smash against the sheer corner of the fifth Malebolge; **the Grafters**. The Cloakmaster of War continued to descend, until she was kicked in the chest. Tojiro's attack charged down and kicked both of his feet into her chest. Yumi fired down with immense speed. She crashed through the centers of the next three Malebolge. In one single stream of smoke and destruction did the Cloakmaster of War crash dead center on the eighth Malebolge;** the Evil Counselors section**.

Tojiro slowly hovered down to the ground before the corpse of Yumi Amaya, as she was already back on her feet. With blood steaming down from his forehead, Tojiro effortlessly remained on his feet, with the Nightmare Scythe magnetized onto his back once more. Yumi held several scars on her face, letting it trickle down calmly down her smooth skin. Tojiro clenched his determined fists, resonating them both with red Chaos energy. Yumi held the Spear of Deceit out in front of herself. Tojiro and Yumi charged forward once more.

Tojiro kicked Yumi in the gut, but she countered by smacking the staff section of the spear on the back of Tojiro's already bleeding head. He skidded across the ground with his back turned. In a fit of rage, he turned around to release two huge fire and lightning Chaos Spheres from his hands. They simply popped out of his palms and tore through the ground with kinetic force. Yumi began spinning the Spear of Deceit above her head, causing the Cloakmaster of War to ascend.

Manipulating the two spheres with his hands, the two Chaos Spheres leapt off the ground and charged at the Cloakmaster of War from the left and right. The explosion concocted itself into a fiery ball of orange fire, shooting random bolts of yellow lightning in all directions. Tojiro remained standing still as ice, letting the wind to make an attempt at knocking him down. It failed miserably. Tojiro motioned himself into another defensive position.

From behind, a large swarm of blue chains stretched out. Tojiro turned around, catching the chains around his blade. Yumi flew up over the other end of the Malebolge, holding the pound of chains in her left hand. Tojiro simply grabbed the chains with his left hand, pulling back to cause a shocked Yumi to be thrown down his way. Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness.

Yumi released a storm of silver Chaos Needles from the tip of her spear. Tojiro launched himself into the air by using the leverage from his Blade of Darkness. Yumi watched in fear as Tojiro hurled up, and dive bombed with the Blade of Darkness that pierced down into her spine. Yumi angrily let out a series of shocking blue lightning bolts that launched Tojiro and his Blade of Darkness away from herself.

Yumi made the pound of chains into a mound, causing it to flash and change into a large Chaos Cannon. Tojiro landed on his feet, skidding to a halt with his teeth angrily gritted together. The Chaos Cannon pointed directly at Tojiro. Tojiro slammed the Blade of Darkness into the ground, keeping it lodged into the ground. He flipped the Nightmare Scythe off his back, catching it in mid-air. The cannon then pointed up.

"Tojiro…I wish…I wish I could see you…the way you were truly meant…to be seen." muttered the saddened Yumi.

Tojiro flashed to land on the ground once more. Yumi flashed her eyes open to fear. The Chaos Cannon was prepared to fire. Tojiro enshrouded the Nightmare Scythe in a red aura of utter darkness. Yumi jumped up to land on top of the cannon, forcing it to aim back down. Tojiro spun himself around while walking forward. In one lunge, he shot the Nightmare Scythe directly forward. The Chaos Cannon fired a gargantuan beam of blue ringed with silver.

Tojiro clasped his hands together, "CHAOS…IMPLOSION!" he shrieked with power.

The blade of the Nightmare Scythe stuck forward like a spear. It passed through the Chaos Cannon's blast, entering the barrel. Only seconds remained after chaos screamed its name once again. In one flash of light, a towering inferno of blue and yellow flames shot straight up through all the Malebolge above, completely obliterating them all. The chains that supported all the Malebolge separately all fell down along with massive chunks of earth.

The statues that stood in each Malebolge crumbled to their destruction, plummeting down to remain in darkness forever. The towering beam of blue and yellow flames began to envelope itself until it vanished in one single flash. In the midst of such chaos, the ruined corpses of the Cloakmaster of Darkness and Cloakmaster of War were revealed to be on the final Malebolge of Fraud; **the Falsifiers**.

Tojiro's left arm was riddled in blood, even twitching as if something was trying to break out from the inside. The bleak Demigod slowly rose onto all fours, his back turned to the Cloakmaster of War. He took a slight gaze to the right seeing the Nightmare Scythe lying on the ground. He calmly reached for it with his right hand, grabbing it. Using it to support his uttering pain that refused to leave him, Tojiro utilized the Nightmare Scythe's weight to raise himself up from the dirt.

Only then did he slowly magnetize the Nightmare Scythe onto his back. Tojiro's mechanical helped his human transformed self turn around, only to face a direct Chaos Spear to the face. It knocked him onto the ground, which he somehow managed to roll back onto his feet, screeching to a near halt at the edge of the Malebolge. He rose to his feet again, limping forward six short steps. In a cloud of clearing chaos, Yumi Ameya was revealed once more to Tojiro's orange pupils.

Yumi's cloak was terribly torn, revealing she was sporting a form of gothic Lolita dress under her cloak. Tojiro locked his dead eyes onto Yumi's. The Spear of Deceit remained in her right hand, simmering with faint yellow Chaos energy.

"Tell me please, Tojiro…what shall you do?"

Tojiro ignored searching for an answer. He already had the answer. It was a dark plan, and it would only bring up bad memories for both of them. However, from Tojiro's image and stance; he didn't seem to care how he would deal Yumi the final blow. This was the very reason why he had been prepared from the very start; so he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt of having to come up with a last minute plan to murder the life of someone who still holds undying feelings for his wretched soul. Tojiro kept looking up between several intervals, but always found himself looking back at Yumi.

"Tojiro? Do you have a plan or not? I do remember telling you what would have to happen if you made it this far. Don't you remember as well?" she questioned.

From behind, a cyclone of yellow Chaos energy shot at Tojiro. He took the blast directly, firing towards Yumi who smacked Tojiro back into the ground with the flat end of her spear. She landed right beside him, grabbing him by the back of his cloak to toss him towards the raised stone draw bridge that would lead into the final Circle of Hell. With pertinence, Yumi flew directly at the unlucky Demigod. Tojiro managed to dislodge himself. With his right fist, he punched Yumi directly in the stomach, halting her advance. He then pointed his hand directly against her chest, firing a merciless beam of red Chaos energy.

In the midst of her fall, Yumi released a series of blue chains from her left hand. They wrapped around Tojiro's body, but he had already raised his arms up. Yumi, unaware of this, pulled back. Tojiro was pulled directly at the Cloakmaster of War. Yumi landed on the ground, her head lowered. Tojiro etched his feet into the ground, using Earthbending to keep himself immovable.

Yumi charged forward in one dash across the ground. With the Spear of Deceit readied, she summoned a terrible amount of positive Chaos energy around the entire weapon. Tojiro raised his right hand up, catching the Blade of Darkness that had just fell into his grip. He cut the chains that stuck out from Yumi's left hand. They vanished around his body with great command! Still as water he remained crouched. With all the power in his right arm, he lunged the Blade of Darkness forward. Yumi, left with nothing but a cold spirit, unfortunately ran directly onto the blade.

For a Nightshade, the blade ran through her chest, and through the section in her body where her heart _should _be. The blue glowing chains in her left hand vanished in one flash. The earth around Tojiro's feet became brittle and shattered. He pulled the Blade of Darkness out of Yumi's body, catching her willfully. The Blade of Darkness. The Spear of Deceit. The two weapons of these two Cloakmasters fell from their hands…and hit the ground at the same time. Their metal impacts echoing throughout the silence of this dark Circle. Yumi laid gently against Tojiro's chest, bits of blood trickling from her lips. Tojiro's eyes….they were sealed shut.

"I was…beginning to wonder when you would finally make the final move, Tojiro. I'-I…I am…really glad you were able to stay true to yourself." she smiled, her eyes shut as well. Tojiro pulled Yumi closer, acknowledging his regrets.

"Believe it or not, Tojiro…you're rather warm when you hug someone. Has anyone else told you that?" she wondered.

"No. And you're not even lying." he replied abruptly.

Yumi giggled at his response, feeling the irony soak over her shoulders, making her feel all so peaceful in the arms of her once former lover. Yumi backed herself away, looking into the Demigod's eyes. His hood had been down since the middle portion of their battle.

"You ever wonder what it's like to say goodbye…to something you cherish so closely to yourself?" she asked, coughing afterwards.

"Yumi don't talk…don't you dare ask me that foolish question." Tojiro barked, his voice becoming choked and filled with anger.

Yumi placed her right hand against the left side of his face, streaking his cheek lightly. His eyes peeled open, forming into a stare. A blank stare. It wasn't cold, nor was it heartless, it wasn't even angry. In all entirety, this stare he gave her…was blank.

"You should not feel regret, Tojiro. Regret is much more of a curse…than it is regrettable. You of all people in this world should realize the weight of your own mistakes." Yumi spoke softly to the Demigod of Darkness.

"I've already discarded my damn regrets before I began this journey! You should know that!" Tojiro exclaimed, determined to prove Yumi wrong.

She smirked, closing her eyes for a moment. It was only moments until she opened them one more time. Tojiro wiped the small amount of blood from her mouth, looking at her shining, warm lips.

"You should've learned that staring is rather rude." smirked the dying Cloakmaster.

Tojiro formed another uneasy glare, taking the time to actually turn his head to the right. Yumi was forced to pull her hand away, but she only used that hand to turn Tojiro's gaze back to his.

"**One last kiss**. Can you do that for me…_**Tojiro-kun?**_" she asked with the last inches of love and humanity in her eyes.

Tojiro was still. Yumi smiled, reading his very thoughts…and it was a yes.

"You always want it be on the other accord instead of yours. I think…that's why I fell in love with you." Yumi cried, tears of blood streaming down her cheeks.

Tojiro tensed his lips, not from regret, but from _pure_ sadness. Yumi grabbed the back of Tojiro's head, pulling him into a wonderful lock. Yumi's eyes closed in bliss. Tojiro, faithfully returned Yumi's request, shutting his eyes, only to cry tears of blood as well. The Nightshade shows sadness through this form. Only when their feelings are rampant or destroyed will they shed tears. Tears of blood that flow from the force of their skull beginning to crush itself. Only by ceasing such sadness and weakness will it stop. The two parted ways, looking deeply into each others' eyes. Yumi prepared herself for the last words few words to the one man she ever fell in love with.

"Return hope to the universe…return it for everyone you care about, and in the end…_**hold no regrets.**_" she solemnly voiced, her hand back on the side of Tojiro's guilt burdened face.

"Tojiro…when you reach the surface, and I know you will; tell that girl** the truth**. She deserves it. Can you do that? Can you stop lying to _**yourself?**_ Can you tell **that girl**…the truth you hold for her?" Yumi silently mumbled.

Tojiro placed his right hand on the side of Yumi's face, wiping away her bloody tears. "**Don't be so foolish**…of course I shall. You can….you better…**you better believe it**." he responded, pulling Yumi into one last embrace.

He grieved the final moments of her life. This murder was added to Tojiro's endless list of individuals he never meant to slay. It was a list of failures. Every single failure he was faced to endure and challenge with every inch of strength he had to fight with. Tojiro slowly and carefully rested Yumi's body down. The Cloakmaster of Darkness stood tall. His face was cleared of regret and sadness. Forever shall he bear this curse…forever shall he carry it until the day he dies.

The draw bridge connecting the last Malebolge to the entrance into Treachery slammed down onto the ground with a shuttering echo. A mist of black formed a few feet behind the broken soul of the Demigod of Darkness. The ever mysterious presence of Ryu Kaze appeared in the black fog, holding the Golden Dragon Staff with both of his hands. He appeared sad himself, having to see the Demigod of Death suffer pain several times over. Tojiro's haunting grimace told him to turn around and face Dragon Wind.

"To-Tojiro?" Ryu spoke quietly.

"What the hell am I fighting for?" Tojiro immediately barked out at the ancient god. Ryu remained frozen, placing the Golden Dragon Staff in the grip of his right hand.

"What is Akuma's plan dammit?! WHAT IS IT!?" shouted the demanding Tojiro.

"You must not be so determined to find out why." Ryu responded in a low tone.

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?!" Tojiro roared with adamance. Ryu flinched by the Cloakmaster's sudden reaction that spelled out so much hatred and rage.

"I thought I could manage going through all of Hell to hold my demands to question that bastard in the Ninth! But THIS!" Tojiro shouted, pointing back at the dead Yumi. Ryu, even though his face was mysteriously obscured by a visage of darkness; he still felt sorrow.

"THIS right here! I demand to know why I am fighting! Akuma has a plan…and you know! Tell me now…or I shall definitely add you to the list of those I have already slayed!" exclaimed the Demigod of Death, pointing his right hand forward, preparing a wild sphere of Chaos Fear to shoot at Ryu.

"Very well. I suppose if you're this adamant…you deserve to know no matter what else I try to tell you." Ryu answered, lowering his head. Tojiro made the Chaos Fear vanish, lowering his right hand in the process, retaining his expression of rage and demand.

"As you already know, Akuma possesses the Scythe of Hell. You possess the Nightmare Scythe. In the past, the weapon was forged…as one." he began in all seriousness.

"_**One**_. How was it split apart?" asked the Demigod.

"Even that I'm not sure how. However, the Devil of Fear's plan matters the use of both Scythes to use a technique of forbidden prowess; _**the Endless Chaos Control**_." Ryu continued to surmount. Tojiro remained unfazed, yet he felt full of questions.

"Like yourself to be the only being that can use **Chaos Wrath**…Akuma is the only life form that can use **Endless Chaos Control**. The technique requires, however, both halves of the two Scythes. That's why at Akuma's fortress, he has the station to empower the two weapons to perform the technique. Only with the combined power of the Nightmare Scythe and the Scythe of Hell can Akuma use their combined power to activate the technique. He absorbs the two powers of the Scythes into himself, and by a mere uttering of those three words shall the technique begin."

"Then what makes it more powerful than Chaos Wrath? How do you believe me to beat him with something more powerful than my Chaos Wrath?" Tojiro arrogantly assumed.

"Endless Chaos Control isn't an offensive technique, Tojiro. This technique is his plan…**to bring Hell on Earth**." Ryu assured in a dead tone. Tojiro was left clueless by Ryu's confusing words. "Just what the hell does he plan to do?" Tojiro said with grit.

"The Endless Chaos Control uses both time and space energy from the normal Chaos Control technique. In this state, Akuma uses the deepest powers from both Scythes, practically draining them of every inch of their power. Akuma plans to rotate and switch **all Nine Circles** around with Limbo being at the bottom, and Treachery on the top." Ryu persisted with a nervous feeling.

"What? How…what is the point of even committing all the power from the Scythes to do such a technique? He'll only remain in Hell! The only change is in the Circles!" exclaimed the Demon Demigod in annoyance.

"I was just getting to that. The Endless Chaos Control will not only reverse all the Circles of Hell from one at the bottom and so on up to nine, but this technique also forces whatever object you use it on to ascend to whatever destination you choose. In other words; **if you don't stop Akuma, and if he gets his hands on the Nightmare Scythe, he will change all Nine Circles into one single mountain…and place it on the surface on Earth.**" announced the dread toned voice of Dragon Wind.

Tojiro was left with a darkened gaze, keeping whatever senses he had left burnt out of his mind. Tojiro looked forward, seeing the large cavern entrance that led to the cliff of Treachery's Circle. He had came too far to assume the worst for anything.

"Mankind can suffer. Only with the end of Akuma's life shall I find the peace I need. Mankind…means nothing." Tojiro voiced, looking at the ground.

"And will that be all you can do?" questioned Ryu.

Tojiro stared forward, flipping his hood over his head for the final time. The wall of darkness hid his face from being seen.

"This is your war, Tojiro. You began it, therefore you shall end it. All of humanity is standing on your shoulders. This…is the only chance you shall ever have to silence evil for good, my friend. Are you ready? Are you willing to face the Devil himself to save yourself from your own power of evil and darkness? Will you manage to fight for the thought of protecting humanity…even though it has done so much to curse you?" Ryu persisted again, acting upon every tone of monotone he could summon.

Tojiro sprinted forward, passing by Ryu Kaze with a fearsome wind. Ryu lowered his head. One chuckle left the ancient god, making him turn around.

"I shall take that…as your yes." he silently announced.

Tojiro passed through the massive entrance, coming to the very edge of the small cliff that housed Treachery far below. In one leap, Tojiro jumped over the small edge of the cliff without a single moment of hesitance. Eight Hell Gods dead; eight Circles of Hell conquered. Tojiro faced every single bit of evil in this nether-hell face to face. He confronted eight Nightshades that accounted a point to his own family, which he murdered without mercy.

Akuma is planning to place a whole mountain of Hell onto the surface in the form of one gigantic mountain that would make Mount Everest seem like a mound of dirt. As Tojiro passed down through the freezing winds of this cursed Circle, he diminished all mercy from his spirit. His hands clenched tightly.

His body was straightened out like a bullet as he continued to plummet down through this final Circle. If Akuma were to succeed, he would use the mountain of Hell's Circles to place them on every side of the planet, spreading the power of Hell throughout every city, throughout every land. Sin would be the new ruler of humanity. Tojiro knew that the forces of Heaven would intervene, and the wrath of the Lord himself would unleash itself upon humanity to destroy the source of evil.

This vision of a **New Apocalypse** left Tojiro heartless and cold just like this Circle. One Hell God remains; this Circle shall be his last. Everything in Tojiro's past has come together already, and for him to silence everything he has done; Tojiro would silence the final Nightshade for his crimes. Tojiro would go into the heart of Hell to face this **New Devil** to answer the prayers of hope for humanity.

The Devil of Fear would face the longest living Nightshade in history. The final battle beckoned Tojiro's soul down this cold air, down to the frozen bridge that held a mass frozen land below it. Tojiro prepared himself for his final landing. For once his feet touch the frozen landscape of Treachery, he would charge towards the very pit, siege the castle where Akuma sits, and kill the Cloakmaster of Fear for good. This last battle would define Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku for everything he would never imagined doing.

The Second Great Pilgrimage would end by this final duel between two of the most powerful Cloakmasters in the history of their people. All the mistakes…all the failures…Tojiro would answer them all on this day; the day he would bring Hell to its very knees. The final duel between Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu was only moments away, and only thousands of feet below.

**つづく**

****_To be continued  
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__**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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****-A humongous white cloud explodes upon a snowy hill.- "The time has come. Treachery is here."

-A blistering orange comet lays down a storm of ecstatic orange Chaos energy on a field of Hell's minions.- -Tojiro Ankoku points to his Darkrai Form.-

"After so much pain, after so much war, after being purged of his inner fire and fate, Tojiro must release his anger upon this Circle of Hell."

-The gigantic Mecha Werehog stood over everything.- -A onyx furred Werehog crashed into the snowlands of millions of Hell's minions.-

"Through defiance Tojiro leads his personal five band army against the forces of Hell itself." -Three Wyverns dive bombed to the Mecha Werehog, releasing fireballs upon it.- -Tojiro was carried by one hand with an assist from his Darkrai clone.-

"With all these whirling emotions, Tojiro must settle his final path: To not only face his brother,"

-Tojiro charges down with rage, to a spinning dome of green, orange, silver, red and red that engulfs miles upon miles of the barren snow, wasteland.-

"But the Devil himself."

-Upon a battlefield soaked with blood and corpses of the sinister, Tojiro gathers the four streams of red, silver, green and orange Chaos energy into his back: Raising phoenix hot eyes born of wrath.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

_****_**CHAPTER LXVII: UNTO THE HARSH COLD FUTURE **


	67. Chapter LXVII

**CHAPTER LXVII: UNTO THE HARSH COLD FUTURE  
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***REMEMBER* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter contains intense action violence and gore. Certain audiences should not read such content whether found offensive and/or disturbing. You HAVE been warned.**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY depictions of the imaginary underworld and its beasts. What a line. I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku. He is my original character and thus belongs to me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

**The time has come...**

_**Descent into Treachery **_

Landing with an imminent cloud of snow to shoot up from his landing, the Cloakmaster cometh. He rose up, facing the bridge that overlooked the very pit of Treachery that remained far below him. Instead, Tojiro walked to the right cliff, ignoring the bridge. Miles below stood a vast tundra of ice. Envisioning the end of this accursed journey, he simply stepped off the edge.

As he fell through the sheer cold and with the snow that ran against his face, the Cloakmaster's eyes slightly widened by what he saw. He maneuvered himself backwards, aiming for the bottom end of a steep hill of ice. He landed on the large center, sliding down backwards by the cold slippery nature of Treachery's icy terrain. He clawed his right hand into the ground to halt at the last moment. He took a simple look over his shoulder, seeing nothing but a humongous black gorge that followed into nothing but a huge field of icicles.

Facing towards the top of the ice hill, he slowly walked up with, focusing his balance perfectly so he wouldn't slip or fall. This steep hill stretched for miles to the left and right. It had somewhat of a curved shape that would lead up to the flat wasteland of ice that he knew housed the location of Akuma's massive castle. With determination, he traveled to the top. His slight sight of what he saw on the icy tundra made him worried. By the moment he reached the top, his worries were answered.

Across the wide spread icy flatland of Treachery, stood every single minion and monster of Hell's Circles. Glutton Minions, giant Hydra heads, Temptresses of Lust, the Hoarders and Wasters of Greed, Arch Demons, Asterian Beasts, Gorger Worms, Heretics, Undead Demons, mechanized Wyverns, and Beast Tamers. Tojiro stared amongst the millions upon millions of Hell's minions that impeded him from reaching the goal in the distance.

Forty million of Hell's forces stood to protect their lord: Akuma Kyofu. At the far end of the ice tundra stood Akuma's castle. It appeared in the cross between a Medieval fortress and Cathedral, stretching over ten miles wide. The roars and shouts from the monsters that scoured the icy land in the form of evil failed to render Tojiro's soul brittle. It was fortunate for him that numbers never mattered to him. Tojiro prepared the Shadow Clone hand sign. His legs and feet grew an aura of silver Chaos energy. His arms and hands grew auras of red Chaos energy. His entire chest grew an aura of orange Chaos energy. Lastly, his orange pupils glowed with green Chaos energy. "This…is where it _all_ ends." A massive cloud of white smoke exploded out from Tojiro's body.

The numbers and ferocity of Hell's numbers roared and growled in harsh confusion, baffled by what was transpiring.

"I'm glad at least. This is why the eight Circles above were so empty. Akuma's been gathering them all for this occasion." said the voice of the Cloakmaster.

The white smoke cloud vanished in an instant. Tojiro was revealed, his body retained its normal appearance. However, as the entirety of the smoke cleared, four more silhouettes appeared. Standing behind him was his massive Mecha Werehog form, standing thirty feet tall. Standing to Tojiro's right was his Hedgehog form, its eyes blank white. Standing to his left was his Darkrai form. Next to the Darkrai clone was his Werehog form.

"**These…are my Five Faces of Evil**." Tojiro declared, readying auras of red Chaos energy around his fists.

Each of these clones were embezzled with fractions of his Chaos energy. For the Mecha Werehog form clone: The Chaos energy came from his chest.

For the Hedgehog form clone: The Chaos energy came from his feet and legs.

With the Darkrai form clone: The Chaos energy was from his eyes.

Finally, with the Werehog form clone: The Chaos energy came from his arms and hands.

Four Chaos Clones: Tojiro's very own Chaos Clone Jutsu. The Hedgehog clone unsheathed the Blade of Darkness. The Darkrai clone readied the Chains of Fear. The Werehog clone armed the Dragon Guardian Cestus. The real Tojiro had all the weapons; the fact that these other clones had them too was that they still possess his image when the real Tojiro would revert into them. Only the Mecha form remained with no weapons, why would it need any? This Jutsu took long enough to master than did it take to come up with.

In all, the nickname; "The Man with the Five Faces of Evil", accounted to how these five forms all related to an emotion of the Cloakmaster himself. The Dragon form, however, doesn't count to the equation. For any Nightshade, their _true_ form is what defines what they _truly_ are. The Dragon inside Tojiro is what his Chaos energy is attuned to: Hatred and Vengeance. He wouldn't allow himself to institute the Dragon's transformation due to its insane absorption of Chaos energy. In short it would leave the Cloakmaster of Darkness terribly frail and on the verge of death. Equate that to the third stage of his Nightmare Form; then Tojiro would immediately die within seconds.

As Tojiro looked at his four Chaos Clones, and as they shared the same thoughts and ideas as his; he couldn't feel more determined. Tojiro looked out against the flatland tundra of chilling cold, then to Akuma's castle of Treachery. This one challenge would define his definite moment as the Cloakmaster of Darkness. One charge forward; no steps back. This was the beginning of the end for Tojiro's journey of revenge against the mistakes of his own civilizations' doings. He threw all of it away for this moment. He threw all of his past away so he could make it to this moment. The very end stood upon his shoulders, as well as the reluctance of his four Chaos Clones. Five stood against millions. Let the Nightmare Wars…bring upon its epic close.

* * *

><p>To begin this final siege, Tojiro looked up as the massive Chaos Clone of his Mecha Werehog leaped over his head. The fearsome beast roared with immense power. As it neared the very frontlines of Hell's army, it elbow dropped into their endless numbers. Hordes of the beasts were sent flying in all directions. They were either dead upon the landing or dead upon the time a gigantic metal Werehog crashed on top of them. The Werehog Clone grabbed the Hedgehog Clone, which formed into a perfect ball.<p>

The Werehog leaped up into the air, spinning the charged up Hedgehog Clone. In one toss, the Werehog shot the Hedgehog straight down towards the center of Hell's forces. The Hedgehog Clone formed a kinetic set of red rings to light its path down through the air. As it crashed down into the over amounted army, a humongous blast of red Chaos energy shot into the sky, creating a huge ditch in the middle of the ground. Next, the Werehog shot off towards the ground as well.

The Darkrai Clone flew down with it. At the same time, the two clones began spinning in rapid circles. The Werehog Clone gathered Chaos Fire energy around itself while the Darkrai Clone readied itself by performing Chaos Spear of Lightning. Both clones were enveloped in vicious overpowering auras of Chaos energy. They began spinning over one another as one, heading towards the far left side. They didn't impact the ground upon impact, but instead they swept through the infinite numbers of Hell's minions, obliterating everything they touched.

The Hedgehog clone cut down an Asterian Beast by cutting off both of its legs, then used Chaos Control to appear in front of it and blasted its body back across the air with a blast of Airbending. The roaring beast of burden slammed into a large group of Hoarders and Wasters, splashing their money and riches all over the ground. The Hedgehog Clone leaped up, cutting off the wings of an Arch Demon, then spin dashed down to the ground to cut another Arch Demon completely in half. From behind, the Hedgehog Clone was unaware of an Asterian Beast release its corroding breath of fire.

The Hedgehog Clone turned around only to watch a wave of blood over shower itself as the Mecha Werehog stepped onto it. From the sky, three Wyverns dive bombed the Mecha Werehog. On their backs were large gatling guns that fired high magnetic bullets embedded with shocking yellow Chaos energy. Tojiro leapt through the air, beheading one by simply grabbing it by front of its face and tearing it off. With the long neck attached to the head, Tojiro tossed it back to the ground.

The two Wvyerns released static bolts of Chaos energy by flapping their wings. The Darkrai Clone defensively flew in front of Tojiro, collecting all the Chaos energy on its hands. Tojiro dove down under it, then flew forward, readying the Nightmare Scythe. "Chaos Tornado!" he roared.

Spinning himself and the Nightmare Scythe around in fierce circles, a green mid-air tornado of Chaos Wind surrounded the Demigod of Darkness. The two Wyverns were torn apart in violent forms, their remains falling down to the ground. The Werehog Clone was hit by several axes in the back. It viciously dropped to its knees in agony. One gaze up, and it witnessed an Asterian Beast charging towards it.

The Werehog pointed the Dragon Guardian Cestus forward, causing the eyes on both of the weapons to shine with bright red power. From the mouths of the two Cestus, a spiral beam of red lined with silver was released. Together, the beams devastated the Asterian Beast into a volcano of blood. The two spiral beams continued on, devouring every other evil life it touched until it crashed directly into the front doors of Akuma's castle.

Tojiro skipped and ran through a whole line of demons, beheading them, dismembering them from the waist up, cutting them straight down the middle, shooting fire balls to incinerate them. In the end, Tojiro leaped into the air. He held the Nightmare Scythe sideways, pointing his left hand over the blade. A large red and orange Chaos Sphere automatically formed on its tip. Tojiro turned down towards his Werehog form, which stood atop the Mecha Werehog's head.

"Catch!" Tojiro exclaimed, shooting the Chaos Sphere off the Nightmare Scythe.

The Werehog shot itself into the air, grabbing the Chaos Sphere in its hands. It then shoved the sphere into its mouth, then clapped its hands together. As it surveyed the entire battle below, it aimed towards the large group that were gathering in front of Akuma's castle. It opened its mouth to release a gargantuan stream of flames with a monstrous dragon head shaped from the flames on the front. It spun and twirled through the air. Tojiro cut down several Temptresses, catching one of their disgusting tentacles to send a series of flames to light one on fire. He took his hand back, shooting fifty Chaos Spears out of the Nightmare Scythe's tip.

Several Gluttons were blown apart to masses of undigested food and hurling organs that slapped onto the icy ground. Tojiro ducked from the attack of an Arch Demon's double axe weapons. The Darkrai Clone charged at the Arch Demon, using its hands to grab the chest of the beast, tearing it completely in half. The Darkrai halted in mid-air, preparing a large sphere of dark Chaos energy. Tojiro quickly turned towards Akuma's castle.

The dragon stream of destruction slowly plummeted into the ground, resulting in a stupendous mushroom cloud of fire. The blast shot even smaller streams of fire blasts over the vast area. The Mecha Werehog form protectively stood over Tojiro. A giant shockwave of wind came towards the five warriors. Tojiro jabbed the Nightmare Scythe into the ground, while the Mecha Werehog slapped its right hand down in a sideways position to defend Tojiro.

The Darkrai Clone lashed out the Chains of Fear down into the icy ground to remain still. The Hedgehog jumped onto the Werehog Clone's back. The Werehog created hardened ice around its ankles, digging the Dragon Guardian Cestus into the ground as well, using Waterbending to freeze the ice around its wrists. The gigantic swath of wind came closer towards the five warriors.

"Everyone, hold on!" ordered the Demigod of Death.

With bodies of Hell's minions flying past each of the five warriors, the gigantic wall of smoke pushed itself through them with every inch of its momentum and speed. The angered five warriors kept their positions, unafraid to let such a form of nature knock them down to the ground. Matters of single seconds came down to sheer silence. The Hedgehog Clone jumped off the Werehog's back, while the ten foot tall black beast removed its feet and hands from the frozen ice.

The Darkrai Clone retracted the Chains of Fear back, catching the kusarigama weapons in its hands. The Mecha Werehog lifted its hand up, revealing a large silence growing over the land. From behind, roars were sounded. The same went for the left, right and forward. The Mecha Werehog growled, crouching down, appearing in a charging stance. Tojiro readied the Nightmare Scythe. Fifty Arch Demons came flying in with a horde of Wyverns dive bombing from above.

The Werehog and Hedgehog leaped into the air. They narrowly passed the biting jaws of several Wyverns, and even ducked the swords that the piloting demons on their backs wielded. In all ferocity, the Werehog Clone grew its arms and hands out. It slapped them together, splattering twenty of the Wyverns in one bloody slap. The Hedgehog Clone flew through the air, dismembering the wings of the passing Arch Demons, even managing to cut off five heads in one single row.

The Hedgehog turned back to the ground, releasing a large breath of green Chaos Wind from its lips. The Darkrai Clone shot the Chains of Fear out at the large wind sphere. The chains wrapped around the Chaos Wind sphere. The Darkrai Clone then shot into the air, flying straight over the sphere, causing it follow up after the Darkrai Clone. Below, awaited a huge group of Gluttons. The Darkrai Clone halted in the sky to toss down the sphere, retracting the chains off of it.

The wind sphere glowed with immense power the second before it impacted the ground. The blast sent riveting scars of wind that completely dismantled and shredded through all forty Gluttons, spilling and shooting their acidic insides over the bodies of several other demons, causing them to melt into putrid puddles of sin.

The Mecha Clone was smashing its massive glowing orange fists on the ground, seething the icy ground. Tojiro was forced to leap continuously to avoid the friction and radius of wind that exploded out with each slam the Mecha Werehog committed to. Two Asterian Beasts released their blasts of fire, overshadowing the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro was violently tossed across the ground, with the Darkrai Clone spearing head first into the ground a mile away from him. The Hedgehog Clone blocked the attacks of three Temptresses at once.

They moaned and released their vile tentacles. The Hedgehog crouched down, slicing the Blade of Darkness from the right to left, dismembering their tentacles all at once. From above, a suicidal triple pack of Wvyerns came down. The Werehog stood by the Hedgehog's side, creating a large barrier of yellow Chaos energy. The three insane creatures bulleted into the barrier, resulting in a towering blast of flames and yellow rings that spanned out for a mile or so.

The Werehog Clone charged through the lingering smoke, spinning like a drill with a large layer of red Chaos energy around itself. It cut through several hundred Gluttons, obliterated Guardian Demons of Limbo, and easily exploded the Fire Demons of Anger, all in one single burst of speed. The Darkrai Clone flew over to Tojiro, helping him to his feet.

"Listen here friend…toss me into the air. We need to get their numbers pushed back so they form a circle around us. Think you can do it?" asked the Cloakmaster.

"Roger." answered the Darkrai Clone.

The Darkrai flew into the air, carrying the hanging Demigod of Death below him by one hand. Below, Tojiro stared at the millions upon hundreds of Hell's minions that continued to fight. Tojiro looked back up, seeing the frozen bridge above them.

"NOW!" shouted Tojiro.

The Darkrai grieved with what strength it had, having to throw Tojiro up with one hand. Readying the Nightmare Scythe in his right hand, Tojiro jabbed it forward into the underside of the ice bridge. Hundreds of small glowing red cracks grew across the entire underside of the bridge.

Down below, the Hedgehog Clone was thrown by the Werehog Clone through a swarm of Wyverns. The Hedgehog Clone emitted a tearing Chaos Wind aura from itself, causing all the Wvyerns it passed by to explode into clouds of bloody mists. The Hedgehog Clone halted in mid-air, facing a serious of fire balls. It slashed away three, but was dreadfully hit by two, causing the Hedgehog Clone to shoot down to the ground in a diagonal direction.

The Darkrai Clone flew by, grabbing the Hedgehog Clone by its right hand. The Mecha Werehog released a gargantuan breath of red Chaos Needles from its wide mouth. Like a thousand arrows, the Chaos Needles shredded through the skin and armor of anything it found itself to touch. The Darkrai Clone landed, placing the Hedgehog Clone safely on the ground. The Darkrai Clone began flying out the Mecha Werehog, creating a large ring of blue Chaos energy.

With the Werehog Clone's Dragon Guardian Cestus, it began running around the entire inside of the blue ring, pointing the left Cestus into the ring. The eyes on the Cestus began vibrating multiple times.

The Werehog began releasing red Chaos energy out from the mouth of the Cestus, causing it to be chopped up into red Chaos Spears as it passed through the blue ring. All around them, the numbers of Hell's minions continued to diminish. The Hedgehog joined in, driving the Blade of Darkness straight through the blue ring. The Werehog Clone take a halt, hurrying over to stand below the Mecha Werehog Clone. With unrivaled speed, the Hedgehog ran around in hundreds of circles that sent seething strips of red Chaos energy out from every angle on the outside of the blue ring.

Wyverns were hit and shot down into flaming bombs that added to the chaos. Gluttons were blown apart with their acids spilling amongst their fellow demons. The chaos was simply incredible. The Hedgehog Clone finally halted, dropping to its knees. From above, large chunks of ice crashed down into Hell's army. However, all the chunks of ice were glowing red, and simmering with smoke.

With every impact, the huge chunks of ice exploded into a Chaos Blast. The form Chaos Clones stared above, noticing how every bit and layer of ice from the frozen bridge above rained down, only hitting the outside forces. Tojiro slowly hovered down, only to remain hovering three miles above his four Chaos Clones. He magnetized the Nightmare Scythe onto his back. The four Chaos Clones stood back to back. If the size of the Mecha Werehog seemed strange to think about, consider it ankle to back for the Mecha Clone. Tojiro clapped his hands together.

"Five Arts of Chaos…" Tojiro began, his body becoming encompassed in a red aura of Chaos energy.

Below, the Hedgehog Clone was surrounded in a silver aura of Chaos energy. The Darkrai Clone was covered by a green aura of Chaos energy. The Mecha Werehog Clone was enveloped with a orange aura of Chaos energy. Lastly, the Werehog Clone was drenched in dark crimson red Chaos energy. Tojiro opened his eyes up.

They were glowing green. His arms and hands were glowing a dark red. His legs and feet were surrounded in a silver aura. His chest shined with an orange aura. His hair became silver white. Tojiro charged directly down towards the center of his four Chaos Clones. His hands were reeled back, creating several blinking red colors that pertained the colors of Chaos energy that made up his four Chaos Clones.

"**Four Arts of Chaos: **_**ANKOKU DEVASTATION!**_" thundered the vile Demigod of Darkness.

The four Chaos Clones all flashed into their respected colors of Chaos energy the minute Tojiro hit the ground in the center of all four of them. The result sent four explosive, unstoppable beams of silver, red, green, and orange in opposite directions. First, the four streams shredded through the ground, blasting away all the minions of Hell that it touched. Towering columns of snow followed up over the beams projection at the same time of this unparallel technique.

In one split second, the beams stopped and whip-lashed back to Tojiro, culminating in a cataclysmic dome of red, silver, green, and orange Chaos energy painted across its entirety. The dome shot out, exterminating all of Hell's minions. The blast ripped the air apart, leaving its chaos to enwrap the tundra in its immense power. The storm clouds that surprisingly formed above the dome halted, simmering away from the pressure of Tojiro's ultimate combination technique.

**つづく**

_To be continued _

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-Within an icy library with the ground lit by violet flames, Tojiro Ankoku and Akuma Kyofu face each other.-

"All the violence has come to this moment." -Tojiro ducks a series of Chaos Spears whilst standing in the throne room of the New Devil-

"Tojiro's vengeance is nearly at hand. At what once his brother, Tojiro looks into the eyes of **evil** itself."

-Tojiro readies the Blade of Darkness to create a black dome barrier.-

-A tidal wave crashes upon the Demigod.-

"The rage of a lifetime; the force of Darkness VS Fear." -With huge fist gauntlets made of ice, Akuma smashes the ground to summon a golden barrier.- -The roaring face of Tojiro Ankoku explodes forth.-

-The two Cloakmasters stand on top of separate bookshelves, exchanging words of wrath.- "No moment will overwhelm this battle. In it's own likelihood, none can beat it. Tojiro must silence this evil...**once and for all**." -Tojiro arms Black Death; releasing a puny, megaton powered bullet.-

-Akuma flies down to deliver a flurry of punches to his brother.- "Hell must fall: Darkness must win...in the land where it always rests."

-Tojiro remains locked into a frozen, steel wall. His orange eyes burn greater than ever.-

-Akuma laughs nefariously with the **Nightmare Scythe **and its brother before him: Locked in a pedestal.- -Tojiro looks on as a furious whirlwind explodes: Summoning an unstoppable evil."

"The greatest battle ever told: _**Begins**..._"

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXVIII: OVERWHELMING HATRED:  
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**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS AKUMA KYOFU **


	68. Chapter LXVIII

**CHAPTER LXVIII: OVERWHELMING HATRED:**

**TOJIRO ANKOKU VS AKUMA KYOFU **

***REMEMBER* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter contains intense action violence and disturbing images. Select audiences should not read this content. You HAVE been warned.**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to any depiction of the imaginary underworld envisioned by the famous poet. I only claim ownership to Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kasumi Moriko and Akuma Kyofu. They are my original characters and thus are owned by me.**

The sliding snow, the drifting entrails of organs, blood, corpses and limbs. It was all that remained on the scarlet red landscape of Treachery. There in the midst of the unfathomable smoke cloud stood the Cloakmaster of Darkness. The four Chaos Clones were gone; having given their power back to Tojiro after he hit the ground. It was to ensure the Cloakmaster back all their power, absorbing the essence of Chaos energy ten-fold.

Without an ounce of feeling or thought, Tojiro charged towards the large broken down doors of Akuma's fortress, knowing full well that he would finally answer for everything that he has done to make the name of Tojiro's people degenerate and suffer for crimes they didn't commit. Tojiro passed on through the large double doors, speeding into the main hall, leaping off the ground to pass over a left and right stairwell that were connected with each other. He landed on the next path, facing a pair of large steel doors, enslaved with ice and snow. Tojiro focused the Chaos energy into his legs, then with one charge forward; he kicked the doors down with all his might.

On the other side, the two huge doors smashed down into the huge room. Tojiro looked left and right seeing nothing but a flat ice floor with nothing on it. Facing forward, the laughter of the Devil echoed through Tojiro's body. Sitting on a frozen throne was the Cloakmaster of Fear; the Devil and ruler of Hell himself: **Akuma Kyofu**.

In the center of the room stood a ring shaped pattern. In the middle was a simple frozen stand that had two dangly skeleton hands pointing their fingers down. On the left and right sides of the stand was a small hole; sized to fit both of the legendary Scythes.

"My, my. For you to have come _so_ far…I mine as well start applauding you! But I don't have the heart…if you know what I mean." the Devil spoke with his forked tongue.

"Nothing matters now. You and I both realize that. So tell me…why did you bring all those other Nightshades back to life? You have a reason…and I want to know _**why**_." persisted the Demigod of Darkness.

"Like many things Tojiro…your diligence is awe inspiring. But what can you hope to prove by finding out why I brought _**those eight**_ back?" Akuma pondered the Demigod of Death.

"You left all of their Circles **empty**. You knew since the very beginning-"

"That you were going to make it _this_ far? Yes. Exactly the point. I've summoned all the beasts and minions I could in **ALL** of Hell…and even that didn't change a thing," Akuma abruptly interrupted.

"You truly are the ultimate warrior, Tojiro. I would expect no less of the only Nightshade to have gone through life and face _everything_ it has to unveil." Akuma added, leaving Tojiro with a face full of rage.

"You made Yumi fight me…and still she knew she was going to die…" Tojiro angrily mumbled, his uncontrollable fists shaking by his side.

"The same went for all the others, Tojiro! Have you forgotten?" Akuma reminded in a joking tone.

The Cloakmaster of Darkness was fed up with the words of the Devil; springing himself forward in response. Tojiro only took half a second to appear right in front of Akuma, delivering a pair of Giant Rasengans directly into Akuma's throne. The blast eroded and blew away the throne, leaving Akuma nowhere to be seen in the destruction. The wall behind the throne was left with a large circular hole with several grooves throughout the entire shape.

"Why fight against a force of nature that knows no bounds? Why do you feel hungered to feed this need of overwhelming vengeance? In the end, you will only shape your own destruction, Cloakmaster Ankoku. Of all things…" Akuma's voice spoke.

He charged in from behind after appearing out of a Chaos Control. He prepared a long red Chaos Spear in both of his hands.

"…You should have known that the very moment you entered _**my realm!**_" he shouted, leaping forward to impale the Demigod of Darkness.

In one swift motion did Tojiro duck from the Chaos Spears, delivering a fearsome punch to Akuma's chest: His orange eyes widened to a degree of boiling hate. Akuma was shot across the large room, crashing through the large ice chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling and above the ritual spot for the two Scythes, smashing into the wall above the entrance into the throne Tojiro rose to his feet, preparing another Rasengan in his left hand. Akuma exploded out of the icy debris, wiping the blood from the minimal scars he had on his cheeks.

"I left _**everything **_behind the moment I began this pilgrimage. It won't be any different after I leave!" declared the brash Tojiro, leaping directly at Akuma.

"Let fools be fools, then." mumbled the cold faced Akuma, leaping forward.

Tojiro watched as Akuma leap at him, spearing his right foot forward first. Tojiro spun himself to the right, landing back on the ground safely. Akuma aimed both of his hands down at Tojiro to release fifteen large cubes of Chaos Poison energy. Easily swinging his right hand, he caused all the cubes to evaporate and grow into one mist of purple. Tojiro leapt back, only to be blown off his feet after five jumps back by a large orange Chaos Spear that exploded into an inferno right before his eyes.

Tojiro stumbled and smacked across the frozen footing only forcing himself off the ground to avoid Akuma's dive bomb that created a severe inward hole in the icy surface. Tojiro, still falling through the air, lashed out with ten Chaos Light Chaos Spears. The silver projectiles began vibrating and combining into one. Akuma readied his hands, sticking them forward. Tojiro landed on the ground, quickly firing a blast of Chaos Fear directly at Akuma. The Devil of Fear cowardly jumped up to avoid the Chaos Fear, only to have himself smashed back into the ground by the large Chaos Light Spear. Tojiro immediately unsheathed the Blade of Darkness to block the angry kick from Akuma who amazingly appeared out of Chaos Control just in front of Tojiro.

Tojiro knocked Akuma back, charging forward. Akuma, however, swung his arms up. The section of ground Tojiro ran across sank into glowing blue Chaos Water. Tojiro quickly jabbed the Blade of Darkness into the ground, creating a black dome to defend himself. Akuma stuck his arms back so they would remain besides his hips. The large wave of Chaos Water splashed down upon Tojiro's barrier, causing it to crack.

Akuma leaped up, shooting bolts of red lightning onto the Chaos Water that was hugging over Tojiro's barrier, causing a fearsome explosion to shoot out. Akuma merely chuckled at the large dome of smoke and yellow flames, yet he somehow managed to feel a very discerning feeling. An enraged Tojiro crashed down from the ceiling, smashing a Colossal Rasengan down into Akuma. The very blast hit the floor, causing the ground to shake and explode.

The two Cloakmasters fell down through the floor, Tojiro being the first to perform a double Chaos Kick to Akuma's face and chest. The Devil of Fear shot down the large and endless hallway lined with ancient armor, coming to a forceful halt. Tojiro landed on the ground, using the Blade of Darkness to pull himself to a halt. In one dreadful swing, Tojiro extracted the blade out of the ground to release a large red and yellow colored Chaos Spear that fit the size of the entire hall.

Akuma stuck his arms out to the left and right. Large rolls of the frozen wall gathered around his fists. Akuma then smashed them into the ground, causing a large steel wall to appear out of a gold flash. The Chaos Spear exploded upon impact with the wall, only making a sharp yet rather impressive dent through it. Akuma kicked the metal wall down, only to see the Hedgehog transformed Tojiro leap through with the Dragon Guardian Cestus armed.

"Double Strike of Darkness!" roared the Demigod of Darkness.

Two large paths of red Chaos energy exploded from the mouths of the dragon mouths, only to be halted a sudden Chaos Blast that Akuma released. Tojiro remained hovering, putting more Chaos energy into his Double Strike of Darkness. The single beam of red Chaos Blast energy that was beaming against Tojiro's technique shook and vibrated with intensity, causing its power to mix with Tojiro's. The result was obvious to both Cloakmasters. One large red explosion took out the entire hall. Tojiro fell onto a long dining table of Akuma's oversized dining room. Tojiro looked up, seeing Akuma charge down with a Chaos Lightning Sphere in both of his hands.

Tojiro rolled back in spin dash form, leaving Akuma to crash the table under his feet. He still swung his arms up in the air, freeing the two Chaos Spheres. Tojiro rolled to a sudden halt at the other end of the table. Tojiro pointed the Dragon Guardian Cestus to his mouth, opening his mouth to reveal a large amount of Chaos Fire forming in his mouth.

Sticking the two Dragon Guardian Cestus forward, Tojiro released a tidal wave of flames that splashed out through the small gap between the Dragon Guardian Cestus. Akuma shot towards the wave of fire, piercing through it by enveloping his body in Chaos Light. Akuma reached his hands out to the left and right, gathering some of the remaining Chaos Fire to shoot a concentrated Chaos Fire Spear at Tojiro.

The blast hit right before Tojiro's eyes, blasting him off the table and towards the exit. Akuma leaped forward after him, viciously grabbing his blood brother by the neck of his cloak. Akuma flew towards the wall, smashing Tojiro through the frozen steel section of the wall that was above the exit. Tojiro was thrown onto the ground, appearing in a large library.

Akuma sprinted for Tojiro's motionless corpse, only to watch him spin around on the ground and kick him in the gut with a deadly Chaos Kick that exploded its Chaos energy across Akuma's body. He shot towards the corner of one of the large book shelve carriers. In one blast, Tojiro released a spinning blast of green Chaos energy. The blast twirled around, hovering over Akuma, then diving into his corpse to explode into a large typhoon. The forceful winds weren't enough to push Tojiro an inch or more. He readied the Chains of Fear.

Out charged Akuma, releasing a large mist of Chaos Poison. Tojiro threw the chains out. Instead of wrapping them around Akuma, Tojiro began spinning them around in mid-air circles, causing the mist of Chaos Poison to herd itself back towards Akuma.

"Chaos Elemental Technique: Shutter Blaze!" Tojiro commanded.

The rapid spinning chains released a super heated aura, colliding with the cells inside the Chaos Poison to force it change into a pool of dark violet acid. Akuma remained standing, being terribly burnt by it. Tojiro wrapped the airborne chains around Akuma's body, pulling back to slam him into the ground face first. Tojiro whipped the chains, causing Akuma to be thrown off the ground, then back into the large puddle of acid. Tojiro did this three more times, all exacting every ounce of anger he could upon the life of Akuma Kyofu. It only took until Akuma released a fierce blast of silver Chaos energy from his eyes. This blasted Tojiro far across the ground, knocking down four of the large bookshelves holders down one after another.

The acid dissipated in a cloud of smoke, leaving the burnt and bloodied Akuma to rise to his feet. Tojiro had tackled Akuma with the kusarigama blades embedded into Akuma's biceps. Tojiro stood up, continuing to butcher the kusarigama blades into Akuma's chest. Akuma pointlessly growled, shooting a slip stream of yellow from both of his eyes. The two small beams connected just before meeting Tojiro's face.

A wild explosion snapped, blowing the Cloakmaster of Darkness across the floor in violent patterns. Akuma dashed across the ground, catching up to punch Tojiro in the face with a Chaos Punch. Tojiro slammed through another large bookshelf, only to be knocked back through the hole he created after being thrown through it by a blast of red Chaos energy sent by the Devil of Fear. Tojiro landed on the ground, skidding to a much needed halt. He rose back into a straight pose. One of the large bookshelves was tossed by Akuma towards Tojiro.

With the power of Black Death, Tojiro charged towards the huge projectile to unleash a single bullet that tore a massive hole through the middle of it. The shot went on to Akuma who so desperately leaped directly over it, passing over it by near inches. The blast exploded upon impact with another stationary bookshelf, blowing it to pieces and shredding the reading material into thousands of flying paper. Akuma landed back on the ground, dealing out several severe strikes at Tojiro who easily dodged and ducked every blow that inched too close to him.

Tojiro ducked at one point, his left hand flat on the ground, and with Black Death in his right. Akuma leapt back one pace, preparing a large Chaos Sphere of Chaos Fire in his right hand. Tojiro charged forward in one sprint. The two Cloakmasters roared with intense hatred. Tojiro used the Strike of Darkness by smashing the pressured Chaos energy from Black Death's barrel against Akuma's explosive Chaos Sphere. The single blast tore itself into a widespread sweep of orange and yellow flames, becoming snuffed with an ebony smoke cloud.

Tojiro was lodged into a steel frozen wall of one of the library's four walls. Small chunks of ice cracked out as soon as he was dislodged from the wall, dropping onto one knee, coughing with a hoarse pain. Tojiro felt like he was ready to hurl. He felt as if all this pain would make him gag up all his agonizing emotions. Yet with these burning orange eyes, Tojiro shoved this pain from his thoughts. Using his Chaos energy to create a barrier; Cloakmaster Ankoku blocked a vicious combination of Chaos Fire and Chaos Lightning from obliterating him. Akuma lowered his glowing hands, managing to hold a vicious and malevolent smile.

"Your father judged you an easy fate, my friend! In fact, I never realized him as _my_ father. It's a bit of a shame that you continue to make one failure after another. Does that not surprise you as well?" Akuma declared in voice that was meant to taunt.

* * *

><p>Tojiro shot out of the smoke, bashing Black Death across Akuma's face, his face splashing with trickles of blood. Tojiro chased after Akuma's bouncing corpse, only to have to slide across the floor to dodge a blast of focused Chaos Poison as he found the right time to release the blast. Tojiro leaped over the simmering death, firing ten shots from Black Death. Akuma landed before an isle of bookshelves, charging down it, burning them down by releasing streams of orange Chaos energy from his hands. Tojiro ran down the isle, placing Black Death back in its holster.<p>

Tojiro slid forward, positioning himself to face the right path. Akuma was there to release a single clap that emitted a large vertical surge of Chaos Wind. Tojiro readied the Blade of Darkness to shoot off his feet, spinning like a drill across the floor by remaining only inches above it. Tojiro sliced the Chaos Wind in half and by landing back on his feet, the Cloakmaster of Darkness angrily released a Chaos Sphere of crimson and black. The Chaos Sphere was caught by Akuma, but before he could even toss it back, Tojiro jumped on top of him impaling Akuma through the chest with the Blade of Darkness.

In a quick counter, Akuma shoved the Chaos Sphere into Tojiro's face, shooting him up and into the air. Akuma dislodged the Blade of Darkness to quickly throw it up at Akuma like he would throw a spear. Tojiro caught the Blade of Darkness with ease, pointing it back down. Akuma refused to let Tojiro lash out another attack, flying up to him to tackle him back down into the ground. Tojiro landed on his back, with Akuma standing over him immediately after landing himself.

The Devil of Fear reached his right hand around the neck of Tojiro, picking him to shock the Demigod of Death with a vile surge of purple Chaos Lightning. Tojiro drove the Blade of Darkness through Akuma's chest, causing him to form a tightened face of pain. Tojiro planted both of his feet against Akuma's chest. In one simple burst did Tojiro release streams of jet flame from the underside of his cybernetic legs. Tojiro flew over the ground with his back turned to the ground. Akuma was thrown against the far end of the room in the narrow aisle, releasing a fog of icy blue smoke.

Tojiro steadily prepared a dark purple aura around the Blade of Darkness, stabbing it down into the ground, releasing spiked set of waves to travel across the floor, towards the Devil of Fear. In reaction, Akuma dislodged himself to exude a large purple sphere from his very mouth. The two attacks crashed into each other. Tojiro desperately away, landing on the top of one of the towering bookshelves that was to his near right.

A set of Chaos Needles made Tojiro jump to the right, carefully balancing on the next bookshelf he landed on. Akuma appeared in a flash of silver light behind the Demigod of Darkness, thrusting his right fist forward. Tojiro turned around to use his Blade of Darkness, creating a slim barrier in front of the blade for Akuma's fist to ram into. The two brothers glared with equal anger, but with only one stood the more prominent hatred.

"Tell me now…just in case I miss the chance later before you die; what is it that makes you believe your cause is holy? What is it that makes you so confident that this journey is truly worth another failure? Can you answer that? Demigod of Death?!" Akuma shouted in a definite glare of anger.

Tojiro pushed Akuma back, then charged forward to jab the Blade of Darkness forward. Akuma leapt back another step, but then jumped to his right, dodging a destructive slash shaped projectile that was released from Tojiro's blade. Akuma leaped across five more bookshelves. Each time, the Devil of Fear launched blasts of yellow Chaos Lightning. Tojiro jumped diagonally to the left, then slid across the bookshelf he landed on. Quickly taking his time to duck a large bolt of lightning that side swept over his head by mere inches, Tojiro jumped over two bookshelves to land on the same as Akuma's. They once again lunged at each other, grabbing each other by their throats.

"Nothing permits me to deliver myself from my own wrong doings. I either suffer or surpass! I own up to whatever I do right…and what I do wrong!" shouted the noble Cloakmaster.

Akuma's eyebrows tightened into an impending glare of showing Tojiro the most powerful form of pain and doom. Tojiro angrily dug the claws of his right hand into the arm that Akuma kept him pacified, digging them through the skin and summoning out trickles of blood.

"Da-D-DAMN YOU! Let…me…GO!" demanded the Devil in a fit of rage.

Akuma let out a shocking burst of red Chaos Lightning from his body to send Tojiro flying over three bookshelf tops. Akuma quickly flew after Tojiro's flying corpse to blast an up close beam of sharpened red Chaos energy that blew Tojiro straight through the floor. Akuma dropped down through the flaming hole only to take a fierce uppercut from Tojiro. The Devil of Fear was sent flying straight up through three floors, flying out of the roof to be sent into the air above the castle.

Tojiro flashed out of Chaos Control, delivering an orange Giant Rasengan at Akuma. The Devil knocked Tojiro's hand away, dissipating the Rasengan. Akuma punched Tojiro in the chest, blocked a kick by the Demigod, then took a kick straight to the chest. Tojiro punched Akuma in the face five direct times, then clasped his own hands together to summon a fearsome aura of silver Chaos energy around them. Tojiro smashed them down upon Akuma's skull, firing the Devil back down towards the castle.

The Cloakmaster of Fear was sent plummeting down into the throne room where they first started, crashing into his throne, pounding it into dust. Tojiro charged down with a Colossal red Rasengan, smashing it down into where Akuma was laying. The explosion sent several deadly swipes of wind throughout the entire room, slicing through the ground with its sharpened blades of air.

Tojiro was thrown across the room, over the Scythe Altar, and into the small set of stairs that were in front of the exit of the massive room. The impact shattered the stairs with vile cracks, but it only heightened after Akuma speared straight through Tojiro, carving through the stairs of ice, through the wall, and into the main lobby. Tojiro butted heads with Akuma, then breathed out a slew of Chaos Fire that scorched itself against Akuma's skin, causing the Devil of Fear to back flip and land on the ground in front of the staircase that went up left and up right.

Akuma clapped his hands together to release a storm of silver Chaos Spears. Tojiro took several to the chest, shoulders, legs, and even the head. It was agonizing until Tojiro released a barrage of Chaos Poison Chaos Spears from his hands. Akuma took three to the chest, until he charged forward with a round barrier of yellow Chaos energy. Tojiro readied a large amount of red Chaos energy on his right fist. Tojiro's fist came to impact the barrier, releasing a large fraction of red Chaos energy to be shot out from his fist, sending Akuma over the double staircase, and exploding through the wall above the door into the throne room.

Tojiro leaped up after him. He surprisingly shook his eyes wide, facing a large red Chaos Fire Chaos Spear coming at him. Tojiro swung his hands left and right, shooting strips of Airbending to diminish the flaming projectile into embers. Akuma readily awaited on the ground, leaping up to kick Tojiro up the chin. The Cloakmaster of Darkness was thrown into the ceiling, but quickly shot a blast of yellow Chaos energy to overwhelm the ascending Akuma back into the chilling floor below. Tojiro freed himself to dive bomb directly into Akuma's chest with two yellow Rasengans.

The blast exploded into a merciless storm of lightning tentacles that whipped and crackled with uncontrollable power. Tojiro leaped out, dodging a blast of misty Chaos Poison. Tojiro then turned his back to the left to avoid a forward jab by Akuma with a long green Chaos Spear.

Tojiro smashed his fist down on Akuma's forearm, causing the spear to dissipate. Tojiro then angrily drove his elbow against Akuma's face, then kicked the Devil of Fear directly in the stomach to launch the evil Cloakmaster across the room. In one boom did Akuma crashed into the remnants of his former throne chair. Only in hatred did Tojiro step through the smoke, grabbing Akuma by the throat. Akuma punched Tojiro in the face, but the enraged Tojiro gritted his teeth, unveiling the Tsukikagegan in his eyes. The white of his eyes became a glowing red, the symbol inside his eyes retained its ebony shade. Tojiro beat Akuma's face into the ground, cursing at the Devil.

"How many times have you threatened my friends? HUH?! Answer you accursed bastard!" Tojiro barked, smashing Akuma into the ground once more, causing Akuma to roll down the small set of stairs that led to his destroyed throne chair.

Tojiro stormed after Akuma, only to watch him blast a shot of red Chaos energy through Tojiro's chest. Akuma angrily leapt off the ground to thrust his right hand forward. Tojiro grabbed the wrist of Akuma's right hand, then used the knee of his right leg to hit Akuma dead center in the face.

Akuma punched Tojiro, resulting in an explosive red light that threw Tojiro upon the pile of rubble that was once Akuma's throne. Tojiro springed himself off the ground, spiral kicking Akuma in the chest. This, however, gave Akuma the opportunity to grab Tojiro by his ankles. The Devil of Fear viciously tossed Tojiro over his head, smashing him directly into the ground.

"I don't need to feel mercy when I'm fighting you, Tojiro! I will utilize every weakness you have!" Akuma barked in rage.

Tojiro halted a fierce Chaos Kick that Akuma so dearly planned to succeed on. Tojiro twisted Akuma's angle, causing the Devil to growl in pain. Tojiro jumped up, grabbing Akuma by the throat. In rage did Tojiro turn around and smack Akuma head first into the ground.

"Then you can stay on the ground and have a taste of my rusted metal feet!" Tojiro included with incinerating rage that resonated with the power of his Tsukikagegan.

While only inches off the floor from the impact on the head, Akuma was dealt a vicious Chaos Kick to his gut, launching the Devil of Fear through the door out of the throne room. The very force forced a large misty cloud of snow and ice into the throne room, signaling that Akuma was sent crashing through several objects with an overwhelming amount of speed. In one single dash of red light, Tojiro was pinned to the stairs behind him by Akuma's Scythe of Hell. Tojiro's eyes of flaming hatred coursed, his right eye closing, his teeth gritted.

"You've failed to doubt the outcome of this fight, Tojiro. It is best if you hand me the Nightmare Scythe…or suffer…a greater fate." smirked the Devil, pushing the Scythe of Hell deeper into Tojiro's chest. He coughed out small amounts of blood, his hands becoming enveloped with blue Chaos energy.

"You came this far with wasting so much Chaos energy…and STILL you defy me! You are ALONE! You have NO ONE!" barked the angered Devil.

"_**HE HAS ME!**_" shrieked the voice of a young girl.

Akuma's eyes widened with confusion. From the blade of the Nightmare Scythe, a large glowing blue hand punched the Devil directly in the face, throwing him over the Scythe Altar and sent slamming into the ground with ten times the agony. Tojiro rose up having being rid of the Scythe of Hell's blade from being pushed further into his stomach. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, watching a large blue stream of Chaos energy come out and form on the bottom of the small steps. In one flash did it form into a human being; **Kasumi Moriko**.

Tojiro looked forward, watching Akuma charged towards the Shade Priestess.

"Dammit!" exclaimed Tojiro, leaping to stand in front of Kasumi and release a large sphere of red Chaos energy that released streaks of yellow wind.

The blast smashed directly into Akuma, blowing him to who knows where. Tojiro turned around to Kasumi, grabbing her by the shirt of her outfit.

"What…did…you…_**do?**_" he demanded with a evil glare.

"Tojiro, there's too much to say, and besides-" Tojiro growled after taking several hundred Chaos Needles to his back.

Akuma grabbed the Nightmare Scythe on Tojiro's back. Kasumi quickly acted, blasting a ray of blue and silver Chaos energy into Akuma's face. The Devil of Fear was thrown into the ceiling, then flung down into the ground.

"Why were you inside the Scythe, child?!" Tojiro roared, turning back to the Shade Priestess.

"I can't speak of it now! And I am no child!" Kasumi protested. Tojiro was grabbed from the hood and thrown into the air by Akuma, who followed up after him.

The two Cloakmasters crashed up through the ceiling once more. Akuma held the Scythe of Hell in his right hand, hovering back to one side high above the castle. Tojiro prepared the Nightmare Scythe.

"I must concur on to how determined you are to have come so far. Especially bringing the last Shade Priestess with you…I am entirely surprised by such an act." Akuma voiced, opening his eyes to reveal his Tsukikagegan; a crescent moon with a stake shaped stick going through the right, middle and left.

"I'm as surprised as you are. Yet I won't let you harm her!" denounced the Demigod of Darkness.

"So she means something to you…how perfect." Akuma answered.

In one dive, he passed by Tojiro. The Cloakmaster of Darkness used Chaos Control to appear in Akuma's path, slicing a deathly blow across Akuma's right shoulder. Akuma and Tojiro flew back into the air. At the same point, the two crossed against each other at supersonic speeds with their Scythes. Only the crying metal and shimmering flurries of light did it symbol their multiple collisions with one another. Tojiro was blasted by a large purple Chaos Sphere, then kicked in the face. Tojiro flew down to crash besides the hole that led down into the throne room. With fierce adamance, Akuma flew down the hole.

"Kasumi! NOOO!" he roared, flying in after Akuma.

Kasumi stood before the Scythe Altar, her hands extended to it. Akuma raised the Scythe of Hell up. Kasumi desperately fleed back. Tojiro charged down through the air with the Nightmare Scythe extended for Akuma's back. Akuma smirked under his evil gaze. He turned around, extending the staff of the Scythe forward for the blade to straighten out like a spear.

Tojiro blocked it easily, firing a Chaos Sphere directly at the Devil of Fear. He swung his right hand forward th extinguish it. Tojiro elbowed Akuma across the left side of his face, and flew down to Kasumi. Tojiro safely landed with his back turned.

"You…YOU ACCURSED HELLSHADE!" thundered the Devil, turning down at Tojiro in one burst.

Tojiro turned around, keeping Kasumi behind him. The blade of Akuma's split through Tojiro's chest, Akuma's feet met the ground. Tojiro dropped the Nightmare Scythe. Akuma angrily removed the Scythe of Hell from Tojiro's chest. Akuma grabbed the Nightmare Scythe off the ground, teleporting inside the Scythe Altar. Kasumi caught the Demigod in her arms, his corpse leaning against her chest.

"T-Tojiro! Tojiro! T-Toji-Tojiro…wake up!" screamed the desperate Shade Priestess.

Akuma made both of the legendary Scythes emanate with a monstrous aura of blue Chaos energy.

"Behold…the uprising of Hell! Evil shall have its former glory upon the world! Sin shall rule over all…just as it always should be. **Let the Endless Chaos Control…**_**BEGIN!**_" roared the tyrannical Akuma. He drove the bottom ends of the Scythes into their ports. The two skeleton hands created a barrier of Chaos Fear around them both. Akuma stepped back. A whirlwind of blue air swiped across the ground. Tojiro desperately opened his eyes once more; his orange pupils returned, and the white of his eyes as well.

"No universe shall face my evil! No good will exist! The sky will turn to ash! The oceans of the planet above will be washed away…**the new age of Akuma has begun!**" declared the maniacal Cloakmaster of Fear.

"Tojiro…please…don't you leave! You have to get up!" she cried, shaking him.

Tojiro sat up, gripping the ground, fighting the blowing winds that tried to knock him down. He rose to his feet in protest, showing nothing but a glare of hatred.

Kasumi gripped the shredded right sleeve of his cloak, looking up at him with a look of worry.

"Whatever you're here for…it had be important." he stated, before leaping over the Scythe Altar.

Akuma's face of victory vanished after the roaring expression of the angered Demigod of Death came down and dug his right claws into the Devil's face. Tojiro smashed Akuma down into the ground, grabbing him by the throat then charged forward by creating a huge carve in the ground by using Akuma's back to shred it apart. Akuma was halted after being smacked to a halt. Akuma angrily punched Tojiro in the chest, his fist going into his ribs. Tojiro kept his face still, only his eyes spelled out any feeling; hatred. His mouth remained forcibly closed, not willing to show his grit in such a painful state.

"Why…w-why…WHY DON'T YOU DIE!?" screamed the enraged Devil.

Tojiro pulled Akuma's fist out of his chest, grabbed him by the throat, and delivered one immense and oversized Chaos Punch directly to Akuma's face. The sheer force shot Akuma out of the throne room, and through ten more of the completely frozen walls of steel.

"**Why haven't you killed me yet, then?**" stated the reserve of Tojiro's determination.

All around him, the ground began to shatter and quiver into darkness. Tojiro turned around, watching Kasumi standing before the Scythe Altar, her hands clasped. Tojiro watched as the entire right wing and left wing began to fall into never-ending darkness. Tojiro watched as Kasumi smiled with a waterfall of tears.

"This…is why the Scythes were forged…" said the Shade Priestess.

She turned towards the swirling altar that continued to blow and enforce its power amongst the room. Tojiro looked at the floor, watching it crack and shutter. He ran forward, letting it form a small pathway of ice for him to run across. Kasumi stepped into the Altar, causing tentacles of blue wind to reach out for her. She was lifted off her bare feet, but the Cloakmaster of Darkness readily reached his right hand out to grab her. Kasumi looked at the determined eyes of Tojiro.

"Don't you dare, child!" declared the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"Tojiro…this is why I didn't want to tell you of my past. I was made with the Nightmare Scythe…so _**you**_ would be the only one to use its power!" she replied loudly over the coursing winds.

"I shall find another way!" he protested arrogantly.

"This is the only way! You have to let me go, Tojiro! It's all right!" she persisted with a serious expression that blended with her tears.

"Don't you sacrifice yourself for me! Don't you DARE do that to me!"

"Tojiro…it doesn't matter anymore! **You have the power to control humanity itself! **_**It's hope!**_ It's what made you so strong Tojiro! Hope is what gave you the ability to have come so far without thinking of taking your own life! This is why I need to go! The Nightmare Scythe won't realize the power you have unless I unlock it! I was forged for a reason, Tojiro. I was created…_**to give you hope!**_" she screamed in a determined voice of reason.

Tojiro was left with a distinct glare, his eyebrows sharpened into a still angry glare.

"TOJIRO!" shouted Akuma's voice. He looked over his shoulder with a hateful look.

"Listen now you goddamn fool…don't let that soul into the Altar! Don't let her purity touch the Scythes!" Akuma shouted, holding his stomach to stop a seep gash from spilling more blood.

"Tojiro! You know you have to!" begged the Shade Priestess.

"Do NOT let her go, brother! For once in your pathetic existence; listen! Don't fail! Don't fail _**her**_ like you failed _**yourself! The world! And your family!**_" Akuma shouted out once again.

The fiery orange eyes of Tojiro Neo Ankoku looked back and forth, his head going with it, shaking in absolute hate and confusion. One moment…can change many things. The Cloakmaster of Darkness looked over his shoulder, shouting in anger. Kasumi slipped from his hand as he left her to charge at Akuma, tackling him to the ground. A giant red flash of light encompassed the entire room in mystery.

Darkness was shined upon by light as Tojiro's eyes peeled open. He immediately sat up, seeing the Nightmare Scythe laying before him, while the Scythe of Hell remained in its port on the Altar. Small lights of red traversed the entire room, and as Tojiro rose to his feet, he felt the entire ground rumble. Akuma, who appeared out of Chaos Control above the Scythe Altar clasped his hands together.

"I still have enough power…I still have the power to unleash…MY ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE!" he angrily roared, housing a malevolent smirk.

Tojiro quickly rose off the ground, seeing nothing but Akuma. Kasumi's death and sacrifice was clear to him now.

"**This shall bring upon evil to the world that no other can bear to create! **_**Witness…ENDLESS CHAOS CONTROL!**_" screamed the malevolence of Hell's Devil lord.

In one single rush, Tojiro felt the entire castle shake, several chunks of debris began falling from the ceiling. Tojiro prepared the Nightmare Scythe, absorbing enough of its Chaos energy into his body. Akuma raised his glowing blue hands over his head; clapping them together. The curtain was ready to fall...

**つづく**

_To be continued  
><em>

-Towers of hungering flame explode across the entirety of Tokyo Japan.- "The end is near. The greatest mission to seek vengeance is at its end."

-Tidal waves of buildings and ruptured earth collectively wipe across the cityscape.-

-An unconscious Tojiro awakens in a building with half of its surface destroyed.- "The Endless Chaos Control succeeds. With Kasumi gone, Tojiro witnesses the Nine Circles of Hell take shape into a horrific mountain."

-A skeletal armored dragon roars to the dark heavens above.- "Tojiro takes this chance: This _**final** _chance to end what he began." -Yoko Littner looks wide eyed with Tojiro standing before her, staring into her golden eyes.-

"To take this fight, to take this vengeance, to take this chaos and throw it against the world,"

-Tojiro swings a devastating Chaos Kick at Akuma's face on the surface of Mt. Hell's peak.- -Tojiro drives the Nightmare Scythe through through Akuma's belly in another scene.-

"One more obstacle remains..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXIX: THE GRANDEST STAGE  
><strong>


	69. Chapter LXIX

**CHAPTER LXIX: THE GRANDEST STAGE  
><strong>

***Remember* You are reading in the "Second Great Pilgrimage" Arc. This chapter contains intense action violence and suggestive themes. Such content should not be viewed by certain audiences. You HAVE been warned.**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze and Akuma Kyofu. They are my original characters and thus belong to me. All other characters belong their respective creators/owners.**

**It has been a LONG time has it not? So much of my time has been solely devoted to publishing my first ever book! The first volume in a multitude of one whole SAGA! The writing is finished but the real mission begins! Working on my Fanfiction is going to be tough from now on, but I certainly won't give up on it!**

**For now: The moment of truth has come for two Nightshades. The vision of one Devil's doomsday has come true. Only Tojiro can save the world now. Darkness, must save us all...**

_**Tokyo, Japan, 3:30 pm**_

From the very calm center of Japan's center metropolis, seven rays of red shined out from the ground. Buildings were blown off from where they stood. The streets began to shrivel and rise off the ground like rubber bands. Any vehicle that beheld this frightful image put on the brakes, only to watch a massive red light shoot out, blowing the road apart, launching cars and people in all directions. Two massive buildings were thrown together into one massive clump, impacting the ground with intensive force that shook the very earth.

A gigantic hole was formed as more and more buildings were dug up from the ground and thrown across other structures. Tidal waves of infernos painted and eroded the landscape, scouring the most foulest of Chaos energy across the city. Explosions occurred on every street, on every corner, at every second. The sky began to turn to a hopeless gray, striking bolts of red lightning to hit the sky, burning buildings to the ground with one impact. From the humongous hole, a large icy structure rose out.

As it continued to rise, it revealed itself to be a single fraction of the Circle Treachery. Atop it was Akuma's castle, and down below that was all ten Circles of Fraud, stacked upon another to make the most bulk of the mountain. The mountain continued to ascend further and further, reigning bolts of Chaos Lightning from the very sky. The entire mountain passed into the clouds, succumbing their presence in the sky with its evil image. From the bottom up, Limbo rested below, and on the way up rested Treachery at the very top.

A menacing circle of clouds formed around the top, creating an ominous red glow to form around the Circle of Treachery. The mountain stood tall over everything as it was completely made up out of every Circle in Hell. From the top to the bottom, the mountain of Hell's Nine Circles went from thinnest to thickest: From weakest to strongest.

The top was more shorter, and as it continued to grow, the Circles below were much wider. Buildings and structures were slumped over one another, creating nothing but a sheer image of Hell's power of chaos. The mountain stood still, finally reaching itself onto the world of the living. Akuma's technique succeeded. However, Tojiro's mission…much like himself was alive and destined for greatness in both gifts and curses.

Many moments later as explosions crackled across the dying sky, Tojiro was found lying on a bed in a hotel room. However, the entire left side of the towering skyscraper was torn apart, giving a complete view of Mt. Jigoku in the epicenter of Tokyo. He found a hand in his right hand. His orange eyes opened up, only to meet the vile glare of Yoko Littner herself. She slowly looked down at Tojiro's scar covered body.

His black shirt remained, yet his cloak was in shambles. Ryu slowly approached to stand by Yoko's right. The red haired sharpshooter remained in a chair, her eyes glued into a stare of emptiness. The Cloakmaster sat up, giving Yoko the notion to pull her hand away. Tojiro took a lonesome glare out to Mt. Jigoku, the mountain of Hell's Nine Circles.

"The bastard actually succeeded. How unprecedented." said the uncaring voice of Tojiro.

He looked back at Yoko who struck him hard across the face with a slap. Tojiro, in no care, turned his head back to Yoko. Her fists sat on her lap, shaking and shivering from the cold the Mt. Jigoku emanated with.

"Tojiro…you must-"

"Shut up, Ryu. He's mine to talk to first." Yoko demanded in a rude voice.

Ryu respected such a jurisdiction, lowering his head. He left the room to wait outside the door. Tojiro sat to face Yoko. Yoko inched back with her chair, refusing to let him come near her.

"Why wasn't I surprised that you _lied_?" she questioned, shaking her head and wearing a smile full of lies.

"It wouldn't have mattered…it was either you or Kasumi who were going to stop me." he responded, rising up.

Yoko grabbed his hand, pulled him forward and pushed him back onto the bed.

"What is your damn problem you arrogant human?!" arose the slandered Cloakmaster.

Yoko shot an invigorating blast from her sniper rifle: Planting the bullet through Tojiro's pectoral muscles.

Tojiro angrily sat up, "Stop lying to yourself, Yoko. It's rather pointless to prove your love for me. I don't need it. Nor do I wish to see you suffer." he blatantly stated.

"Why did you freakin' leave then?! Huh? Was Kasumi too much of a child to make you stay!?" Yoko shouted.

Tojiro looked off to the side, away from the red haired girl. Yoko was of course sporting her usual attire, her Team Gurren vest, including her long white boots.

"What did she do? What did _you_ do?" Yoko questioned in a desperate voice.

"She's…she's gone. She's sacrificed herself…_**for this**_." spoke the Cloakmaster, looking over the bed side to pick up the Nightmare Scythe from the floor. Yoko only looked at the ancient weapon with the pointless sight of disbelief.

"Kasumi's dead…Akuma needs to be stopped for what he has done." Tojiro shrewdly announced. Yoko desperately watched as he rose off the bed, magnetizing the Nightmare onto his back.

"You think I'm done with you?! You can't just leave and think your going to win!" Yoko exclaimed without mercy.

"That is enough, my dear." spoke forth the voice of Dragon Wind, coming into the room. Tojiro left his hood down, facing the malevolent mountain in the distance.

"Akuma will soon spread each of those Circles across the globe, Tojiro. Only with the Nightmare Scythe can you destroy his Scythe of Hell, and the Cloakmaster of Fear with it." Ryu put in a simplistic, yet serious tone.

"Old news, Ryu. Old…news." Tojiro said in a lifeless voice.

Tojiro raised his hands up and readied to clap them together. "I said wait, dammit!" cried out Yoko, shooting a round from her rifle into Tojiro's back.

This left a simmering burn in Tojiro's back, which didn't deal no damage at all. Yoko dropped the rifle off to the side, wiping her face. Tojiro lowered his hands, turning to face Yoko halfway.

"You are not leaving again. If you do, you'll die…and I know because I can tell! I can tell…just by looking at you!" Yoko cried, her voice choking up.

Tojiro faced the floor. _"When you see __**that**__ girl again…I want you to be honest with her, Tojiro. No more lies. No more regrets. Isn't that what you said?_" remembered the Cloakmaster, hearing Kasumi's last words.

He looked back at Yoko, ignoring her constant shouts. "I don't care how strong you think you are, Tojiro! You have friends, and we all want to make sure your okay! How do you think I'll feel after I lose the one I lo-" she stopped, opening her eyes to watch as Tojiro stepped up to her.

Only using his right arm, he wrapped it around her slender perfect waist, his cold touch meeting her beautiful body; and her widened eyes stretched as far as they could. On his accord, for hundreds and maybe thousands of years; **he drew Yoko's lips against his**.

Yoko muffled and groaned with surprise. Tojiro's burning orange eyes remained open, shaped into an angry stare. He didn't want to show weakness in this formal goodbye, so he kept his honesty vivid in his eyes. Yoko slowly closed her eyes, letting tears regrettably drip down her cheeks. Her hands wrapped around Tojiro's neck, making his eyes widen. Yoko had to stand up a few inches, keeping her left foot off the ground and pointed to the left. Yoko peeled her eyes back open…only to watch Tojiro break from the kiss and walk backwards to the edge of the open sided building.

"T-Tojiro…" Yoko whimpered, her tears halting the second she wiped them.

The solemn Ryu only remained silent as Tojiro turned his back to them. "Promise me…promise me that you will come back, Tojiro. Please…just promise me. Just this once." Yoko voiced in a desperate cry.

Tojiro looked over his shoulder.

"As long as you remain strong…never shed a tear for me again. **I shall promise to come back. I shall meet your eyes again…and when I do…**_**you will hear me say my final goodbye.**_" declared the quiet Demigod.

Ryu turned his gaze away.

Tojiro clapped his hands together, "Nightmare Form, Stage Three!"

* * *

><p>Tojiro shot straight out of the building, a large towering red inferno of Chaos energy shot up from the ground to surround him. Yoko and Ryu watched the towering cyclone ripple and scream with immense power. Two jet black wings unfolded from the inside. In one pressurized boom, Tojiro was in his Dragon form.<p>

Over his arms was skeleton shaped armor. On his head was a skull helmet that fit the shape of his Dragon head. Tojiro's slanted eyes were filled with red, in them was the Tsukikagegan. Flapping his giant black wings, Tojiro shot across the burning city, hearing cries of fear scream out, hearing explosions implode from the chaos, everywhere was Hell. As Tojiro charged towards the very top, he knew the end was finally upon him.

A swarm of thousands upon hundreds of thundering fire balls shout out from the Sixth Circle's outside. Tojiro angrily flew down, pounding through the sheer wall of Limbo, then in one swoop within the mountain, Tojiro ascended up. He released gracious amounts of flames, burning down large bridges that went from one side to another. The corpses of Asterian Beasts that were easily miniscule to Tojiro's Dragon form fell by him, along with as clouds of debris.

From above, three gold Chaos Cannons appeared in Greed. Tojiro shot millions of red Chaos Spears from the inside of his wings that held the symbol of the Great Shade Empire. The three golden blasts collided with the Chaos Spears, only to be riddled and extinguished in a cloud of smoke that the Cloakmaster of Darkness ascended up through. Passing a large flow of the River Styx that fell by him, Tojiro passed up through Anger, swinging his massive clawed hands to destroy structures on both sides. From the outside, boiling rivers of lava shot out amongst the city, eating through road and whatever buildings were left standing.

Tojiro fired a barrage of large Wind Needle Spheres from his mouth, skewering and impaling Hell's minions that were in his sights. Passing a slow shower of flaming comets, Tojiro managed to grab two, reducing them to ice. He tossed them high up. By clapping his hands together, the two ice comets exploded into two blue beams that shot out to the left and right, and then to the very top. Thousands of demons fell past Tojiro, only descending to whatever pain they managed to output upon the world once they were alive.

Tojiro passed a large current of the Phlegethon's flowing river. He looked down, converting all the water to fill the caverns of Heresy, causing the fires to be put out, and then frozen once Tojiro clenched his left fist. Staring back up, he surrounded himself in a large crimson red aura. Tojiro began crashing through the Ten Malebolge of Fraud; that is, only for the Malebolge that weren't destroyed in his duel with Yumi. Rocks and chains plundered down through the constant rain of chaos and death. The screaming of the damned could not stop Tojiro from continuing his final ascent to the top of Treachery.

He saw a distant red glow brighten in far above. Tojiro let out one final swoop of his powerful wings, sending two streams of red Chaos energy down through the eight Circles. Until they hit the bottom, a monstrous towering inferno of flames and raw Chaos energy spilled through every cavern, every hole, every inch of the Circles. As it continued upward, Tojiro was ready for one final charge up through Treachery. The Cloakmaster of Darkness let out his invincible roar, purging through the rock to let a storm of light overwhelm him. Tojiro broke over the land that Akuma's castle stood upon.

The towering inferno of death halted just at the hole Tojiro flew up through. Tojiro continued to ascend through the sky, seeing a large column of frozen steel to that led up into the ring of red circling clouds. Tojiro came to the circular Greek themed rotunda that was lined with pillars around the entire structure. Tojiro clapped his large hands to emanate a red and silver flash. The Cloakmaster of Darkness descended, landing on the opposite end of the rotunda; back in the human form. On the other end stood Akuma, staring out at the burning city below him.

Akuma turned around, smiling, but then formed an angry stare to release a set of red beams from four spots in the air around him. Tojiro simply stuck his hand out, causing all four of the beams to revert and smash into where Akuma stood. The smirking Devil charged out, only to be kicked in the face by Tojiro. Akuma quickly got up to spiral kick Tojiro in the gut, then close line him into the ground. Akuma reached for the Nightmare Scythe but, was only able to watch the long handle of it smash against his face.

Tojiro shot a blast of Firebending from his feet, throwing Akuma back across the ground. He only countered by bouncing off the ground and shooting two streams of orange Chaos energy out from his wrists. Tojiro spun the Nightmare Scythe around, causing the two beams to deflect and shoot back to the owner.

Akuma charged down with a defensive yellow sphere around himself. Tojiro prepared a red whirling Chaos Rasengan to smash against Akuma's chest. Tojiro impaled Akuma on the straightened out blade of the Nightmare Scythe to forcibly pin the Devil of Fear into the ground. The ice on the ground wrapped itself.

Akuma coughed up glowing red discharge of his Chaos energy. Tojiro angrily stared down at his blood brother, only to lose his focus once two massive black steel hands grabbed onto two sides of the rotunda. Akuma kicked Tojiro in the gut, allowing himself to back flip away from the Cloakmaster of Darkness. From behind Akuma, rose the changed appearance of the Werehog that Akuma released through the use of Lilith's Mirror earlier in the journey.

It was now its own Mecha, letting out a gargantuan roar that shook the very foundation of the ground. Tojiro fired a ridiculous sized black and red Chaos Sphere from the straightened out tip of the Nightmare Scythe's blade. Akuma jumped up, letting the blast hit the Werehog's armor that was above its central core. Akuma flew backwards down the large burnt hole, unsuspecting of what lied inside. Tojiro charged forward with haste. The Mecha slammed its right hand down to which Tojiro easily slid under before it even made contact with the rotunda. Tojiro leapt towards the wide open hole, falling down into one final nightmare.

Taking a painful landing, Tojiro found himself in a narrow piece of hall. Spouts of steam shot from the left wall. Tojiro looked at the floor, it was coated in blood. Tojiro hurried forward, taking an immediate sharp left turn. Tojiro ran down the hall, keeping himself perfectly fit to run down the narrow hall. He turned right, a stunning dead end. Looking up, he spotted several steam pipes.

He jumped up without hesitation. Magnetizing the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, Tojiro traversed to forward across the ceiling then shifted right. He took a quick left at the next turn. Another dead end. Looking down, Tojiro found it right to drop. Tojiro readied the Nightmare Scythe once more. Using the blade, he hooked it onto the small ledge of a small square open door. One tug was all it took for him to spring into the doorway. Tojiro took a widened gaze at what stood on the back of a large circular platform. Tojiro leapt forward without another single thought.

He landed perfectly, rising to his feet to face a large beating heart. It had several pumps and tubes attached to the top. From the ceiling did the tubes and pumps fuel the large heart. An ominous glowing visage continued to shine in the center. Tojiro stepped forward, only to prepare himself in an offensive stance to watch the Devil crash into the ground. The force of wind pushed Tojiro straight across the ground, until he stopped. Akuma's body was drenched with blood, the same blood that filled the halls and walls that Tojiro traversed through.

"A Nightshade needs no heart…for they only live off the Chaos energy embedded into their souls. Behind me…is the Chaos energy from _**my heart**_ and _**yours**_. I'm impressed, are you?" Akuma spoke, looking back at it. Once facing forward, Akuma stepped on the Nightmare Scythe to impale it onto the steel floor. Akuma kicked Tojiro to the ground.

"You're going to regret being so stubborn, brother!" muttered the grit of Akuma's angry voice.

He picked up the Nightmare Scythe and stomped towards the Demigod of Death. Tojiro remained on his back, grabbing both sides of the blade. Tojiro angrily rose off the ground, smacking the blade against Akuma's bare chest. Tojiro snatched the Nightmare Scythe back with thirst for hatred. Tojiro fire a stream of Chaos Fire that Akuma ducked from. The Chaos Fire exploded against the heart, making it beat with much more care. Akuma faced Tojiro once more, only to use his right hand to block the sharpness of the blade.

Tojiro kicked Akuma directly in the gut, then jabbed the Scythe forward. Akuma dodged it, grabbing the staff section of the Nightmare Scythe. He then grabbed Tojiro by throat with his right hand, floating up into the air.

"This power…doesn't belong to you, Ankoku. You will fail to control it!" shouted the Devil.

Tojiro kept hold of Akuma's arm, only to crush the bone with his bare hands. Akuma let go of the Demigod of Darkness. Tojiro angrily punched Akuma in the jaw, and then the stomach, grabbing hold of the Nightmare Scythe at best. Tojiro swung it down upon Akuma's head. He created a slim barrier of red to stop the blade from piercing through his skull, but that didn't stop the force to push himself and Tojiro back down to the ground. To the left and right formed six Akuma clones.

Tojiro jumped back, decapitating one, making it vanish into a glint of white light. The next two was simple as Tojiro swung the Nightmare Scythe around to desecrate them. Tojiro watched as two clones created a vile spear of Chaos Fear. Akuma's remaining clones vanished. The Devil of Fear grabbed the hovering sphere of Chaos Fear and shot it directly at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro bent his legs back, then leapt forward, holding the Nightmare Scythe to the right. The blade straightened out for one attack.

Tojiro delivered a painful Chaos Kick to Akuma's face, throwing his bouncing corpse across the ground, slamming his back against the large heart of Chaos energy. Finally, Tojiro drove the Nightmare Scythe forward. Akuma desperately grabbed both sides of the demented blade that called out his final fate. Tojiro's body was overshadowed with hatred. Akuma was finally pressed against the large heart.

Tojiro pierced the Nightmare Scythe through Akuma's chest. Golden liquid spat out in a festive manner from the intensified beating of the heart that contained the vile and deathly Chaos energy that built around the hearts of both Tojiro and Akuma' once they were first taken out to become a Nightshade. Akuma desperately grabbed Tojiro by his bloodied face of rage. Tojiro smacked his brother's hand away, having to let go of the Nightmare Scythe; which still remained in Akuma's chest. It only took a single second for Tojiro to force the Nightmare Scythe through several more inches, let's say seven.

From the very outside, the eyes of the Mecha copy shined out with rays of orange. It let out one final roar of enveloping agony before falling flat onto the rotunda, and causing the entire structure to fall down towards Akuma's castle. Rapid sparks of red lightning shot out from the spinning red clearing in the sky above Treachery. Hence fell the Mecha Werehog copy. Upon decimating the large castle of Mt. Jigoku's summit the explosion tore across the air to release wild plumes of crawling flames. Flames that destroyed the entire Circle of Treachery, reducing it to nothing but melted ice, revealing the black rock beneath the frozen landscape.

Amongst the silence and drifting wind, Tojiro was found laying on his chest. Digging the claws of his right hand through the earth, and his flesh made fingers of his left hand, Tojiro growled furiously from the pain that shocked itself through his entire nervous system. With his cloak torn and destroyed, as well as his black t-shirt, Tojiro's chest and back remained bare. Luckily, yet somehow, his baggy black cargo pants were unscathed. From his pectorals were lathered in dry blood, as was some blood on the right side of his face. Tojiro looked down a path of burning metal, seeing a large hand with Akuma's motionless corpse laying back one the index finger.

Tojiro desperately ran over to the sight, having no time to waste for any more pointless moments. Akuma's blood soaked body was frozen like the once Ninth Circle. Tojiro grabbed the Nightmare Scythe, dislodging it with a disgusting sound of metal tearing through the insides of Akuma's flesh. Looking at the cursed weapon, Tojiro turned around and flung it to the left without a care in the world.

His face remained cold and dead as he left Akuma's body to rest in the falling rain that began to storm upon the city and the mountain top of Mt. Jigoku. Darkness drifted out from the corpse of the Devil. It formed into a large black Dragon with devil horns that stuck out from the left and right sides of its face. Tojiro turned around with a distinct and shocked look. The beast charged at him, grabbing the Cloakmaster of Darkness in its grip. Its whole body was nothing but black, and its eyes was nothing but glowing red hatred.

"I shall have your pitiful life for my own! You are nothing but DARKNESS…and I shall have that power as my own!" echoed its voice.

Tojiro grabbed the Dragon's large arm, noticing it was the voice Akuma; he was still tied to this world. As Tojiro felt his life draining from him; the dreaded Demigod lost sight as his eyes slowly closed, finding himself falling into that one fated pit of darkness for one…last…time.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
><em>

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
><strong>

"A realm of darkness," -Tojiro Ankoku stands as a shadowy entity.- "Trapped by the mistakes of his past,"

-Tojiro's entire right arm simmers a humming scarlet color.- "Tojiro is thrown into a world of oblivion where he must regain his power: The power that has always helped him grow stronger."

-Tojiro reaches for an altar surrounded by red flames.-

"This is the last battle: Akuma must die. Hope must win."

-Tojiro falls into a lake of blood, gasping for breath.-

"In the end," -Tojiro stands over Ryu Kaze with the Nightmare Scythe held high; preparing to kill his old friend.- -Yoko screams in terror amongst the pouring rainstorm.-

"There will only be chaos..."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars  
><strong>_

**SAGA I: FINAL CHAPTER  
><strong>

**CHAPTER LXX: THE FIRES OF RETRIBUTION  
><strong>


	70. Chapter LXX

**The Legacies of Darkness and Hatred: FINAL CHAPTER**

**CHAPTER LXX: THE FIRES OF RETRIBUTION  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Ryu Kaze, Akuma Kyofu, Okiku Kazumi, Dominic the Vigil, and Kasumi Moriko. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. Though many are going to be disembodied voices in this chapter. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

**The moment is a sad one if I must say. This story took me all of 2012 to complete. In total it was 1,024 pages. The moments are going to be as eternal as my dream is to be an author. Count on it. I want to personally thank every individual who has read this Epic up to this point. Whether you read it in joy, sadness, anger or awe, all of you are important. This is most definitely not goodbye. It's only a "See You Later." If that means a Hiatus than let it be. My current work revolves around getting my first book published out to the world. My Fanfiction, however, will continue. It shall not stop; count on it. **

**Enjoy the final chapter to "The Legacies of Darkness and Hatred": Saga I of "The Nightmare Wars."**

Tojiro found himself in a darkened land inside his very spirit. His entire body was black as his surroundings. The path he stood upon was a rugged gray pathway, just enough for him to see. Tojiro looked as his entire right arm and hand was painted and glowing red. On his forehead, the Great Shade Empire symbol was glowing red while a circle was formed around it. The circle had two streams of glowing red travel down Tojiro's cheeks, down his neck and down onto his belly that created the symbol of the Dragon's Seal. Hearing a voice call his tortured soul, the last Nightshade dashed forward without care.

This voice; it screamed. Tojiro halted, watching a whole new path spring out from the depths of this darkness. The entire background all around him changed into a burning village, etching into shape with an inky and wavy shape. Ignoring the lightning, he charged across the new path.

Far ahead he saw a pool of red. Standing over it was a shortened being wearing a red cloak, with a black symbol of the Great Shade Empire on the back of it. In front of the short being was another red being. Tojiro hurried, remembering this scene as the one from the night he became a Nightshade.

In front stood his mother on her knees, while behind her was Tojiro, using his hedgehog form for the first time. He heard the desperate whimpers cry out from Okiku's voice, becoming utterly silenced. Tojiro watched as his own dark shadow murder Okiku. Tojiro dropped to the ground, landing on one knee, hearing loud cries of pain.

"_**You will always have a heart.**_" said the voice of his mother.

"_**COLD BLOODED MONSTER!**_" roared the voice of Dominic.

"_**Remember me…please…for your heart…can be mine.**_" said Victoria's voice.

"_**I'm a damn failure! WHY HAVE I BECOME THIS?!**_" echoed out his own lost voice.

Tojiro gripped his cranium desperately. The scene in the background vanished in an instant. Tojiro, regardless of his nightmares, managed to rise back up. Desperate to escape the confines of his own darkness, he charged forward across the newly created path that formed on the other side of the scene he was forced to _relive_. It felt as if hours were constantly being taken away by him…as if this darkness has finally succumbed to taken over his body for good.

"Hurry Tojiro! It awaits!" called Kasumi's voice.

Tojiro ran on, adamant to keep his promise to the young Shade Priestess. He ran on and on, until the background once again changed to the skyscrapers of New York City. Tojiro came to a dreadful halt, aware of what to come. A shout came up from up ahead. Another red being in the shape of Victoria. She dropped to her knees, a red sword stuck through her heart and out her back. Tojiro fell to all fours, his mind scratching and tearing at the very fabric of his sanity.

"_**Chaos…Controls.**_" said the voice of the bounty hunter, Orion.

"_**Please remember…the promise. The promise to the world.**_" said Victoria's voice.

"DAMMIT! SHUT UP! You accursed…nightmares! Leave…me…ALONE!" thundered Tojiro in panic.

"_**I shall destroy every goddamn being on this planet!**_" yelled the voice of Tojiro from that night.

"Tojiro?" said a sweetened voice.

All that pain that had just came to him was silenced by this one voice. A red flame hovered before his eyes. He reached his right hand out to it, causing the red fire to gather on his right palm like a torchlight. Tojiro looked forward, seeing the nightmarish image vanish away, and the entire background reverting back to darkness.

One swift charge, Tojiro dashed across the circular shaped ground that led to the next path through his never-ending life of darkness and hatred. Tojiro spotted a large cliff ahead. Unwillingly to feel reminiscent, Tojiro took one single jump over the edge, falling down into a lake of blood. Cries and shrieks called out at him. Tojiro kept his right hand up and out of the water, swimming forward.

"_**You equate to NOTHING!**_"

"_**You are but a mere cancer that this world is determined to rid itself from!**_"

"_**Humanity shall have your head! You murdered EVERYONE I cared about! You WILL pay someday, Cloakmaster!**_"

"_**Why can't you ever make a promise? WHY?!**_"

"_**You think you see yourself as a 'savior'? You can't even save yourself!**_" All these voices of people from the past, people he murdered; people he left to suffer. People who hated him; all these voices continued to say words and more words.

"_**The whore of a priestess…will die.**_"

"_**In the end…you will recognize the price of that power!**_"

"_**You shall only be given Retribution! Retribution!**_"

"_**What more shall you take from us?**_"

"_**Why do you seek to interfere with the lives of others?!**_"

"**Hurry Tojiro!**" called Kasumi's voice.

"_**You are but a pawn for what life has in store for YOU!**_"

"**Please, hurry!**" shrieked Kasumi's voice.

Tojiro swam the current, the blood becoming clear and purified as he swam through it.

The flame on his palm suddenly shot off to the far right, "**This way! Hurry Cloakmaster-san!**" called the voice of the Shade Priestess.

Tojiro swam and swam, using all the strength he had. All the darkness in this void of pity and death began to glow with blue. Lightning clouds and the images of typhoons, tornadoes, hurricanes formed in the background.

Tojiro saw the bright shimmering light of the red flame halt upon a silhouette. Minutes and moments sunk down into seconds for the Cloakmaster to find himself walking up a set of small steps. There on the stone platform was the Scythe Altar. Except, it only held the Nightmare Scythe in place.

"_**I was forged to give you hope! You've had it ever since the beginning! That is why you were meant to come this far! That is why your friends believe in you…you give your friends…**_" said her voice.

"_**Hope.**_" said both Tojiro and Kasumi. The Cloakmaster reached forward, grabbing onto the Nightmare Scythe, emanating in a flash of silver light.

* * *

><p>A surge of red flames and clouds scorched forward. There in reality, the flames of red burned in the Cloakmaster's orange pupils. The Devil Dragon was terribly burned the moment the Demigod of Darkness grabbed onto the hand that it used to hoist Tojiro off the ground. Readied with the Nightmare Scythe, Tojiro cut the Nightmare Scythe across the Devil Dragon's chest, then down across the chest at an diagonal angle.<p>

The beast lunged its huge right fist at Tojiro. He used the Nightmare Scythe to block it. He became irritated, being pushed back, and having to push back himself. With the Nightmare Scythe dripping with glitters of red fire, Tojiro cut the Devil Dragon's hand off, then cut it straight up the stomach and up through the neck.

The large black shadowy beast surged into the air then dropped down into the corpse of Akuma Kyofu, who now laid flat on the black graveled ground. Tojiro tossed the Nightmare Scythe away, firing off into the sky. Within seconds did Tojiro pass through the clouds and into the very vacuum of Earth's atmosphere. He turned back towards Earth, lifting his right hand up.

The blue glass orb on the palm of his right hand glowed with a bright blue. The seven shards from the Necklace of Remembrance glowed a color of the Seven Chaos Emeralds; Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Silver, Purple, and Cyan. Tojiro looked down upon the Earth. A humongous Rasengan appeared over the palm of Tojiro's right hand. In one burst, Tojiro shot back down towards Tokyo, Japan. He was prepared to settle everything here, and in this one moment would he define his final duties as the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Akuma remained flat on the center of the flattened mountain top.

"_**WRATH RASENGAN OF CHAOS!**_" bellowed the voice of Tojiro…Neo…Ankoku.

Akuma raised his hands up to create a gigantic red barrier. The Wrath Rasengan smashed directly into the center, unable to break through. Akuma pointlessly grinned like a maniac. The barrier began to crack with several silver cracks that began at just one. That number spun into a hundred, into a thousand, into a million!

"**Akuma! You need to LIVE…AND…LEARN!**" thundered the legendary Demigod.

The Wrath Rasengan broke through the barrier, smashing upon the small corpse of Akuma. His entire body began to crack with glowing silver cracks. Blood began to uncontrollably spit out from his skin, as well as raw Chaos energy from the inside. His eyes shot out rays of red, as did his mouth.

"_**WRONG IS NEVER RIGHT! AND RIGHT…IS NEVER WRONG!**_" commanded Tojiro with his final technique. Akuma's body exploded into one gigantic bright flash.

The Wrath Rasengan plummeted, exploding onto a humongous dome of blue Chaos energy that spout out meteors of blue comets like a fountain. The entire inside was brimming with silver, turning the red circle in the clouds into a clear gray. People all over the city watched the merciless explosion consume the heavens. From Heaven itself, the Lord and Valkyrie watched through a mirror that overviewed everything. The Lord closed his glowing blue eyes, sighing with great relief. "He…**he actually did it**." voiced the Lord himself.

The blue dome finally vanished in one puff of blue and red flurries that wandered about the mountain top of Mt. Jigoku. The distorted and ruined corpse of Tojiro dropped onto the ground. The Nightmare Scythe stuck into the ground several feet away, the blade formed into its straightened spear position.

With the blood dried from his body, the Demigod of Death rose onto one foot, resting his right hand on the ground. His face rid of sweat and blood, the last Nightshade rose to his feet once again. The rain continued to pelt the ground, as well as his body. Looking to the left, Tojiro's entire left arm was gone. With no blood spilling from it, he pointlessly limped forward, heading towards the Nightmare Scythe. From his back flashed a red light. He eagerly turned his angered expression to spot Ryu Kaze.

"Well done, Cloakmaster Ankoku. You have truly freed yourself from the bondage of your past. I am proud of you, my friend." he spoke softly.

"And haven't you looked around? What of humanity's opinion? Do you think **they'll** be okay with the fact that Hell found its way onto the world of the living? Is that proof enough to make you so damn proud?" Tojiro barked in offense, turning to face Ryu.

"No, Tojiro. It is not."

"That's what I thought. I also must congratulate you as well, you rotten scum." Tojiro cursed without respect.

"What are you speaking of, Tojiro? This isn't like you to speak out of line with such language." Ryu contemplated.

"You deserve every curse to be called upon your name, Ryu Kaze. _**You were the one who brought Akuma Kyofu back to life!**_"

It stunned the ancient god straight to his bonafide heart that Tojiro would make such an unjustified statement. However, that's exactly what left Ryu motionless; **because he was right**. "When did you figure it out?" he spoke with a rough voice.

"Immediately after the moment I first stabbed Akuma with the Nightmare Scythe in Treachery. He had something the other Hell Gods didn't; **your Chaos energy**. It was rather difficult to notice by just one stab, but behind all Akuma's Chaos energy…I sensed **yours**,"

"You brought Akuma back to life so in turn that he would bring back the other eight Hell Gods. That's why I didn't sense your Chaos energy in them, because Akuma was the one to bring them back, not you! But let me ask you this; am I _right_? From the moment I was given the task to find the so-called **Nightmare Weapons**, their power would only give me more in return. So once I first retrieved the Nightmare Scythe, its Chaos energy would bond with the Chaos energy from the Chains of Fear, the Dragon Guardian Cestus, and the Blade of Darkness?" spoke forth the undeniable Tojiro.

"It was. Only in your soul do you have the spirit dark enough to answer the favors of the Nightmare Scythe. It only took Kasumi to answer her call to destiny to use the power she was forged with to truly unlock the feeling inside the Nightmare Scythe. And only you to wield from that point on." said the self appointing Dragon Wind.

"She didn't need to die, you damn fool. Because of YOU she died because of MY need for vengeance! And now? I'm the last survivor! Once again! I am the last survivor of my people's legacy built on mistakes and failure. I promised to carry and burden these until the day I would die…but I guess that won't happen so easily." Tojiro preached, voicing in anger until he drifted into sadness and confusion as he turned his back to Ryu.

"That is why you must give _**me**_ the powers of the Nightmare Scythe. They're hidden inside you very well. I can sense it in your eyes." said Dragon Wind, appearing right in front of Tojiro.

"I only remember what I have lost. There was no enchanting power within the Scythe." Tojiro replied, facing away from Ryu.

"You used its power to kill Akuma! That's why all the Hell Gods became so frail and weak! Because its power-unless…" Ryu stammered in confusion, turning his gaze to the right.

Tojiro looked back at Ryu, appearing as if he actually cared.

"No…can it be? All this time I never thought of such a probability!" Ryu declared, appearing shocked. Tojiro was left with a disgruntled glare.

"The seven shards in your hand…they hold your nightmares. All of them! And by the time you first used the arm, you held hatred and anger inside yourself, trapped by the failures and mistakes of your past. All this time I imagined you drew from the negativity of the seven shards in the palm of your right hand." Ryu graciously spoke out.

"The power you held all your life…the power that made you keep fighting; **you drew hope from the Seven Shards of Remembrance**…not the hatred. Only once Kasumi released this feeling in the Nightmare Scythe, were you able to leave the nightmare realm Akuma casted upon you! Ever since you've been given that arm Tojiro; you've been drawing hope from it! I…I cannot believe such a fate." Ryu stunningly proved.

Only in a deep guilty glare did Tojiro look at his right hand, knowing such a well proved story _actually_ made sense to him. Tojiro walked past Ryu, focusing his path on getting to the Nightmare Scythe. Tojiro halted before the ancient weapon that had brought him so much grief, hatred, and challenge. Ryu hovered after Tojiro, watching the Cloakmaster dislodge the weapon out of the ground.

"Please for your sake Cloakmaster Ankoku…give me the Scythe so I may seal its powers into the Golden Dragon Staff." Ryu calmly approached.

"Thinking back, Ryu…_**I don't believe I owe you anything**_." Tojiro recklessly declared, turning around to point the Nightmare Scythe out at Ryu.

Out to the far right at the very rim of the mountain top, a blue Chaos Portal appeared. Neither Tojiro or Ryu moved, they knew who was coming. Yoko ran out with a tireless breath, gasping for air.

"Tojiro, please. You've no need to do this. The power of the Scythe is beginning to corrupt your mind-"

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea on my head, Ryu. It's full proof if you ask me." Tojiro replied with dignity.

Yoko spotted the two far up ahead, and so she began to sprint.

"I'll kill you right now if I must." Ryu threatened.

"Good. I have the same idea on my end as well. Except, I don't think you have the _**power**_ to kill me. You're the reason I am what I am. You're the reason my people existed. I'll end my people's misery by ending the life of the Nightshade who started it all!" Tojiro exclaimed, empowering his dark red Chaos energy onto the blade of the Nightmare Scythe.

Yoko continued to run with all needs pounding down upon her shoulders.

"What's it going to be, **Dragon Wind**?" questioned the Cloakmaster.

Ryu was ready to speak out against him, but Tojiro interrupted one more time.

"No…I don't need your opinion. Your ambition isn't as righteous as mine is. I'll just kill the man for the reason of my life long suffering for good. Then…you shall see what I mean."

Ryu hovered back a few inches, watching as Tojiro prepared himself in a sprinting position. The Cloakmaster of Darkness waited, waited, and waited, and waited…until that one choice appeared before his all knowing eyes. He dashed across the ground at Ryu.

"TOJIRO, DON'T DO THIS!" Ryu summoned loudly.

Tojiro jabbed the Nightmare Scythe forward, which Ryu turned his back to the right for. Tojiro then swung the Scythe from the right to the left, which Ryu luckily ducked under. In that one swing, however, the Nightmare Scythe left Tojiro's grip. Tojiro easily grabbed hold of the Nightmare Scythe again, except he was holding it by the very staff that was closest to the blade.

Tojiro charged again, swinging it downward. Ryu flew back three feet then ducked under three more swings at various angles. Ryu dropped to the ground, watching Tojiro swing the Nightmare Scythe at a horizontal angle. It passed only inches in front of Ryu's hooded face. In that fleeting moment of fate, Tojiro planned on that last swing. At the end of the swing, the Cloakmaster of Darkness hoisted the legendary blade up into the air, holding it as high as he could.

"Cloakmaster…do not commit to this act! I refuse to die again!" Ryu begged.

Tojiro glared one last gaze at Dragon Wind. "I'm glad you're being honest you sick bastard. But I plan on repaying humanity for what it has done to me…**to repay all the people that cared for me so much**. _**My nightmares…end now.**_" Tojiro continued. Tojiro turned the Nightmare Scythe towards himself.

"Tojiro? Tojiro! Don't!" exclaimed the god in fear.

One single moment of life…can change anything. The Cloakmaster of Darkness drove the blade of the Nightmare Scythe straight through his own chest, using the power of his very own Chaos energy to do it. Tojiro's entire body became soaked in his blood. He let go of the handle, letting it smack to the ground, leaving the Nightmare Scythe straight through his chest and out his back. Tojiro dropped to his knees, coughing up his putrid blood. He grabbed the Nightmare Scythe, and yanked it out with one tug.

The Nightmare Scythe vanished in a flash of red light. Quickly did every inch of the Nightmare Scythe's power, and its _true_ power, seal itself within the Cloakmaster of Darkness. This very action was on Tojiro's accord. Cold and lifeless, Tojiro dropped onto his back for the final time.

"TOJIRO! TOJIRO, NOOOO!" screamed Yoko, her flushed face witnessing the Cloakmaster's fall.

She dashed past Ryu without care, sliding to a halt by Tojiro's side. His orange eyes looked up at her with…a distinct and honest look. In this moment, however, he found it foolhardy to lie and show Yoko a smile. Yoko horribly looked at the huge Scythe shaped hole in Tojiro's chest. Her tears blanketed her cheeks. The falling rain that made Yoko's hair spill over her eyes spelled so much grave sadness.

"Of all times to show yourself, Yoko…you've made one helluva entrance. I think…I truly think-"

"Don't you talk you ginormous idiot! Don't you utter a damn word! L-l-look at yourself! Why di-did you do this?!" she hopelessly cried.

"Yoko…stop being…so foolish. I simply need to tell you of my honesty. Could you please do that…like…seriously?" he choked. Yoko held Tojiro's head on her lap, effortlessly fighting the pain of these tears. Ryu rose to his feet, ashamed and disappointed of having to witness such a choice.

"I made a promise. A promise to be honest. That's why your presence always has such great timing; I mean that was the very reason **I foolishly fell in love…w-wi-with you.**" spoke the dying demon.

Yoko's eyes were left in frightened awe, using her left hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes squinted, fearing she would have no more time to look upon the eyes of the thankful Demon Demigod. Upon the rainy clouds above, lightning of an orange aura shot down, creating a large hole of orange colored fire in the sky. Tojiro remembered his words to Kasumi before leaving; The Fires of Retribution were coming.

"Listen for me Yoko. You are a rather great candidate to inherit my will and dreams. As long as you continue to fight for what **you** believe in and as long as **you** put the careful emotions of respecting those you love around you first, I want you carry on my dreams…_**for me**_. Because I'm obviously going to die." muttered on the last famous words of the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Yoko embraced Tojiro one final time, his right arm unable to move. Tojiro remembered he lost his left arm; he couldn't even show the woman he fell for his feelings. It was bothersome; he felt stupidly inconsiderate. Fire scratched across the clouds above.

"Yoko? Time for me to go."

Yoko's eyes reopened in emotionless shock. Tojiro rose up, holding Yoko over his right shoulder. He quickly flung her away from where he stood. A layer of Airbending caught Yoko, safely placing her down. Tojiro lowered his right arm, staring up into the sky. Yoko defiantly got back up and charged towards Tojiro. From the skies above, a huge cyclone of spiraling flames shot down. The impact raised a forceful radius of wind to knock Yoko back to the ground.

The spiraling flames were known as **the Fires of Retribution**. For a Nightshade that dies a first time…this is the mode of power that **erases** them from complete existence. Tojiro stood in the center of the flames, looking to the left and right, huffing without a care. Yoko got back up, yet fell to her knees in disbelief. She slammed her fists onto the ground, unwilling to watch Tojiro's passing. It was destiny for the Cloakmaster to face the fate he never imagined.

"Yoko?" his echoing voice called out.

In tears of a broken soul, Yoko looked up, managing to see through small crevices in the flames to see Tojiro.

"Remember what you wish, alright? But…if anything…do take care…to remember these words; **Forget not the past…accept the present…for the sake of the future**."

The skin on Tojiro's face was beginning to peel off. His entire right arm was set ablaze by the fatal fires. His chest began to tear with flesh. The right side of his face became bone, his body glowing with an orange aura of overpowering heat. Tojiro's whole began to melt, his face…full of real tears. Not tears of blood and discord…but tears of water and life. The Fires of Retribution burned Tojiro's whole body until nothing remained but his very soul to take into a shallow afterlife.

The Fires of Retribution, after doing their final duty were sucked back into the air. The only remnant of Tojiro left was a glowing orange lining of a circle. In that circle was the resonating orange symbol of the Great Shade Empire. In that solemn loneliness, the voice of Yoko Littner narrated on to the end.

"On that bleak, cold, and merciless night, the last survivor of the Great Shade Empire; Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, died in the blink of an eye. All that was left was the scorching remains of a realm he fought through…a realm he sought to end the lives of nine Nightshades. From the beginning he didn't know the end. Even I was surprised by what he did that dark afternoon. I finally realize…what Tojiro meant though. I remember Ryu speaking of _**one**_ individual he would never imagine murdering. **The person was himself**,"

"Tojiro actually believed the only way he would leave the world was by his own hand…no one else would have the power to best him. The Cloakmaster of Darkness lived a demeaning life he was so unluckily favored. For housing the symbol of the Great Shade Empire on his forehead, his fate was already pressed onto his life the second he was born. Tojiro lost everything. He had lost everything he cared about the night he became a Nightshade. Everything about humanity that loved and cherished was destroyed that night he became the Cloakmaster of Darkness,"

"Forever did humanity shun his very existence. He fought himself. He fought the fact he even had a will to fight for. Tojiro believed death would be his escape, and yet he came all the way up to this point. Even I can't imagine living such a tortured life. I don't think anyone can think of a life as torturous than what Tojiro had to go through."

"Through life, and through the lives of many people he met; Tojiro found meaning in life that through the respect of peaceful lives, you can meaning in your own. Tojiro believed the disrespectful deserved the harshest punishment they could get. He killed anyone who was like that; its no wonder everyone became so afraid of him. It was only through the beliefs of humanity itself did Tojiro create his own _path_…his own _will_. He followed every necessary element of life according to his beliefs, and his knowledge. If only for a few seconds longer did what I want to say how much he meant to everyone he met…including myself."

_**Four Months Later, Outside limits of Tokyo, Japan, 7:00 pm**_

"Even as time passed by…I missed him so much."

Yoko, dressed in a long white summer dress with matching shoes and a white sunhat with a blue band around the centerfold: Her long crimson hair strolled down her back, and in her hands was a bouquet of flowers and a black book.

"I found it difficult…not being able to cry. It was the same thing the other way around, I guess. But Tojiro believed in me…he believed his will would live on through myself and all the dear people he's met through life. I think that's the reason I fell in love with him, too." Yoko walked up a large grass hill, knowing that the sunset was coming.

Yoko approached a short stone circle with seven steps leading onto it. On the center of the small rounded platform was a rectangular stone coffin. To the left and right sides of the monument was a cherry blossom tree, with its buds gently flying in the wind, and across Yoko's presence.

"I never once imagined Tojiro as a harmful soul. It was only through what humanity showed him that made Tojiro such a cautious and violent being. Whether it be demon, monster, savior, god, demigod or whatever else; no one truly knew what Tojiro was. The only thing I remember are the wonderful things he was able to teach and show me. How to show care and concern to those who refuse to be helped. How to fight off a gigantic Hydra by only using blue Chaos energy. And…" halted her voice.

Yoko set the bouquet down with gentle grace. Amongst many other bouquets that surrounded the coffin, she set the black book against the neatly set bouquet she just set down. On the top of the coffin were these inscribed words of memory:

**War was waged**

**and pain consumed what remained**

**Lest I rise, my fall was paved**

**With hope to the world, I seek vengeance no more**

**Rest in Peace**

**THE CLOAKMASTER OF DARKNESS**

**Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku**

**When darkness enveloped us all**

**He was there to the end**

**To protect us all**

"…**Hope**. He showed me more of what it means to show care and trust for those you care about…those who you love…and for those who you cherish. No other being can do what the Cloakmaster of Darkness did. You can believe me." she continued in a brightened voice.

Yoko rose up one last time, seeing a white dove perched on the left side of the stone coffin. Her eyes traced over to the right. There sat a raven. Both birds symbolized two sides of life, and they both looked at Yoko with curious looks. Yoko stared out to the sunset with shimmering eyes. There was a clear view of Tokyo, and the bright sunset farther in the distance. Mt. Jigoku was gone and sealed away a month after Tojiro's final mission, and the city thrived on and on for many more years to come. Time meant…everything to the world.

"Only in that one point of life itself did Tojiro teach me what it meant to live and learn from life. He showed me that my life, and the lives of his fellow friends meant entirely more than his very own. The Cloakmaster of Darkness. Heh. I can't stop thinking about what he's done to change the world…and what he's delivered to it. He lived his own dream. He created his own luck…that was his secret to surpassing any challenge that faced him. He believed that with only a little ounce of belief…you can do anything righteous." finished the smiling Yoko Littner.

She rested her right hand on the coffin top, tracing it her fingers across it. The dove of life flew off with the raven of death. They flew towards the sunset…ready to engage in the new tomorrow. Yoko smiled, watching the wind blow cherry blossoms across the sky in beautiful twirls. She set her back to the monument, knowing that the book she left should remain with its owner. His very own journal was brought to this monument of his life. It was in order to preserve a far greater piece of mind and care.

As the image panned out, the sunset fell. The ever present darkness of night was to arrive. Yoko was gone through the time it took for the sun to set, as well as for the night to envelop the sky.

A rainstorm began to fall. Angry bolts of lightning sparked across the clouds, lightning up the image of Tojiro's final monument. The rain mercilessly pounded down amongst the landscape, yet it wasn't as powerful as the unfaithful lightning and thunder. However, one image proved its defining worth. At one point in time once a bolt of lightning struck, the Blade of Darkness appeared impaled into the coffin, with Tojiro's very cloak tied around its sheath.

The darkness enveloped everything once again, leaving the flapping cloak to continue fighting the forces of nature. The lightning struck once more, and after that came darkness. The image of the Great Shade Empire appeared so powerful as it faced towards our view. As it began to shimmer with a red glow, lightning struck once more.

Across the ever watchful eyes of one being **who was born to believe that through his eyes…he would see the sunset at the end of each day. **_**It was the sunset…to signal a brighter tomorrow. **_

_**THE END**_

**OF SAGA I **

**つづく**

_To be continued  
><em>

**IN**

**_The Nightmare Wars_**

**SAGA II: The Legacies of Time and Chaos**


	71. Chapter LXXI

**CHAPTER LXXI: SIGNS OF THE END**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story/chapter. Except for Tojiro Ankoku. He is my original character and thus is OWNED by me. Believe that. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners. **

Within the realms of good and evil, life begins anew. In darkness coupled with light, blinking eyes opened wide to see the dangling electrical wires and burning roof of the inside of a giant airliner. It appeared he was in the cargo bay. Merely by sitting up to the smell of charcoal and air polluted by gunfire, the entire air transporter shivered with the being gripping the ground powerfully. Turning around to crying metal and iron, the man from his view dodged a slay of ammo crates, then jumped on to leap over a half bitten T-62 Armored Tank.

Turning around to the cargo bay door that hung like the tongue of a dog, six cloaked figures appeared through Chaos Control. Wearing black cloaks like the bleeding victim, they hurried to him with death defying concern. As the man fell with fog in his eyes and haze dampening his conscience, the first to kneel turned the man over. A bruised and tired Sumi Ikuina lowered her hood, as did a certain Konata Izumi, and Anabuki Tomoko.

"Well? He breathing?" shouted a commanding female voice who stood with a fifty caliber sniper rifle, blasting away at screeching targets from the open cargo bay.

"He's alive all right! Barely. God, someone get this blood off him already!" shouted a very angry Sumi.

The half conscious man watched a towering figure step on through, it was the older teenager Simon of Team Dai-Gurren, using his glowing hands of red Chaos energy to heal the scars around the hole in the man's chest.

The corpse of a monstrous flame thresher slammed on top of the plane. Gravity threw Simon away from the suffering corpse, who quickly grabbed Simon's hand in revolt.

"Dammit Mio, did you get it or not? Mio!" screeched Anabuki, looking up through the hole, avoiding a gargantuan clawed hand from taking her head off.

At the cargo bay door, the leader of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing blew the head off of a slithering dragon with flat dark violet skin crash through a building, tumbling it onto a brigade of screams and roars. Simon crouched down next to the man once again. Mio Sakamoto hurried over to the unworthy man on the ground. Scars and bruises littered all of their faces. Sweat coursed with the scarlet scars they were _awarded_ in this god forsaken war.

"He'll be screwed…Simon! Give it up, your Chaos energy won't help! Get someone else!" shouted a quick Mio, shaking Simon's right shoulder.

"Then what? Get someone else? Who, dammit?" said the cutthroat Simon, turning his infuriated attention to the Major from another militaristic world.

A riddling screech of M-60 bullets painted the left wall. The bleeding man watched as the yelling of 'GET DOWN' exploded amongst the allies. The man let his left arm bury his face from glass and flaming shrapnel. His first person view engrossed blinding deafness that gave him no reason to act afraid. Cowardice had already tainted this situation, no use of letting it spread to **outside.**

A quick Anabuki Tomoko, a Witch from the 507th Joint Fighter Wing jumped over the man as he watched her pick up a Ho-103 machine gun. She hurried to the door where Mio followed quickly in suite. The irritable man watched two Huey transport helicopters hover outside, quickly being shot down by the efforts of Mio and Anabuki. Their flaming carcasses of metal spouted a vent of flames right before the cargo bay door, while the bleeding man turned his head to Simon who readily stood up with a face full of grit, hurrying into the cock pit of the large plane.

"Where'd he just go? HEY! Where did…Simon!" called Sumi, running past the ailing man as he tilted his eyes of blur to watch her leave his sight.

"Well? Is he here?" asked a sporadic and prudent voice.

The gaunt man looked to watch a tall womanly figure kneel beside him, donning a deep scarlet cloak. Lowering the hood was Yoko Littner, her eyes popping at seeing his face.

"Simon! I'm here already!"

"Yoko? Dear god! About time!" ran in the Gunmen pilot, hugging his dear friend, while Yoko returned it just as fiercely.

"It's time to get going! Mio, you ready? Sumi prepare a Jumper Vortex!" called Anabuki decisively, running past the commotion of everyone else.

"You better get him to HQ in Osaka." noted Simon.

A mindless explosion came from outside, making the unwavering man on the ground stir himself to rise to his feet.

"Hey…! Wait!" exclaimed a self enduring Yoko, rising with the man who's view was locked on the ground. He watched Simon hurry to help him straighten his crooked spine, grabbing his left arm.

"He can move, right? Right, Yoko?!" assumed the daring Simon.

"Of course, Simon! Just get through the portal already!" rallied Yoko's strong voice.

From his view, he stared with images of dust and blood, grasping his forehead with direct impermanence. He continued to hear their voices.

"I'll get to Gurren Lagann, you make sure he gets what he needs. I'll see you on the battleground." spoke Simon, standing before the lowly headed man, only seeing his feet.

"Just take care of yourself, alright?" reeled in Yoko's soft touch voice, grabbing the wrist of Simon's right hand, while her face neared to his face.

The man saw out of the corner of his eye as Simon charged to the very back of the cargo bay, vanishing with a quick crimson light. Yoko bent over to look into the man's dreary eyes. That urgent brimming sense of care and mistrust laid in her yellow dandelion eyes. Yoko lifted the man's arm over her shoulders to assist him in helping him navigate. A bark of boom crippled the plane times three. Yoko fell to the ground, while the staggering man feel the plane beginning to tilt backward. As the nose began to rise, Yoko slid down the cargo bay floor.

The eyes of this man watched her fall and with an undeniable limp in his step, he sprung forward to catch her with his left hand just before the sharp shooting beauty was able to let gravity take her. With only his right hand grudged into the floor, his eyes looked to a demolishing city. Myths and monsters overflowed it. Giant gods of silhouettes battled far into the city. Screaming jet fighters snapped across the gray sky that seemed to be dying. The man yanked Yoko up, careless of the sudden explosions and biting electricity bolts that began to scuttle. The man was able to reach his right arm around her waist and create a barrier of fiery Chaos Light and Chaos Fire in the form of a sphere.

The man held her up in his arms and ran for the cock pit. Two sockets in the front of the sphere that followed them opened. Blood suddenly stretched around his eyes. Forgetfulness was always a weakness…for him. A storm of tunneling red Chaos energy shot from his eyes as Yoko kept her arms around his neck and her head bulked against his chest. The plane's back half shredded in half from fire.

The beams ridded the entire cock pit of existence. The flames that huddled the rest of the plane launched the pair straight out of their 'escape route'. A boost of fire from the man's cold and nerve emptied legs thronged the two across the air. Yoko carefully watched as their protective barrier began to die down, as did their flight path. The man headed for a row of three buildings, each ascending one after the other.

Landing on the shortest one was a bitter slam that ate away a row of cobbled rock and cement. Yoko was flung away from the man's arms ten feet away on the smoky and short hilled rooftop of ash and debris. His sight began to taunt him. He saw Yoko stir and grip her head. The swimmingly beautiful crimson hair of hers fell loose, and her urges changed to him. Her legs slashed with gashes and dirt bruises, her face scuttled with dirt and margins of pain, Yoko raised the broken soul of a man to his feet.

"You can get up…come on…come on, get up…" wandered her out of breath voice.

The man fell to all fours, the sky shouted a blue ring across its skies. The man lifted his head. His eyes, our eyes…we heard chaos. He quickly rose to the source and turned around to the edge of the building. The city of Tokyo, Japan; dyed with destruction, fire, explosions and war. Ballistic missiles were seen blowing away corpses of ancient serpentine dragons and griffons. Across the landscape, fires were planted and buildings were struggling to stand; some having to lean upon others, or completely break into gravity's force of nature.

The horizon was alit with figures of godly powers, standing hundreds of feet tall above the buildings around them. For everything before this man's view was a barren wasteland of blood, steel and iron. The sky had already fell prey to the natures of this war's climax. It was shattering like hardened clay, crashing into the ground like breaking glass, but with just as much sound and force put into the chaotic impact. Junctions of white rays illuminated many levels of the war below. Monolithic buildings of crystal silver fell from the world above us, crashing and adhering with the screams of war and death.

The man and Yoko stood together, watching the plane they had leapt out of was only one half; stuck in the center…of Tokyo Tower. Raven fireballs hurled down from reptilian flyers. The weight of such a massive plane curled the tower from the top, snapping the entire upper half to fall, and fall, and fall…into the oblivion of famine's wake.

"You _have_ to end this…" broke the stern Yoko.

His eyes swung to her glaring focus, seeing that she has already justified all of this chaos.

"You already took _**it**_ down…but you still need to contain _**it**_**.**" continued the cold tongued Yoko, walking away with persistence, leaving the lowly man to endorse the conquering storm around the city. Yoko returned, turning the man's attention to her again. A large object in black wrapping was placed in his hand; like all the weight of this war's chaos was directly put into his hand.

"Get to the source, alright? Use that…damn thing _you_ created…and get back that power. _**He cannot win…you can't let him.**_" washed away Yoko's endearing voice, while her right hand remained warmly on the man's left cheek.

His dying body made his sight suffer. A blur took over. Yoko's head lowered while her eyes remained perched onto the man's face. She sprung forward for a daring embrace that was warmly surprising. A catastrophic ring of blue shot across the sky once more. The man and Yoko were thrown back across the ground, the dreading man farther than her. Restless and angered, he jumped to his feet. Near ahead on the right laid the conscious and stirring Yoko. The empty man, gone with fear, but absorbed with Chaos latched the **key** around his belt. One dash forward, he saw a bright orange mixed with red meteor flying towards an inferno of sprawling azure-silver light, amassing far across Tokyo.

The man watched Yoko remain on her legs, only able to send her eyes; one final goodbye. The man shot off the building with jet powered fire, his arms extended, and his eyes set on the nemesis heading for the purifying light. With the heavens descending and the chaos ascending, he watched a ravenous blue halo summon itself slowly into fix above the light. Waves and waves began to ripple across the sky, endorsing everything in unimaginable power. Even as time began to slow, he heard voices of familiarity reach his pertinence.

They were shouting his victory; the only victory he had left to do, one that he never wanted to achieve. Above all that chaos, above all this pain and suffering, with a gigantic orb of blinding blue light, he heard their chants.

And above them all was Yoko Littner, calling: "Tojiro! Tojiro! _**TOJIRO**_!"

_**~~~~~~~| THE NIGHTMARE WARS |~~~~~~~**_

**SAGA II:  
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**THE LEGACIES OF TIME AND CHAOS  
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**つづく**


	72. Chapter LXXII

**CHAPTER LXXII: THE WANDERER IN WHITE  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku and Ryu Kaze. They are my original characters and are owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_**Many Months and Dimensions Ago, Altered Dimension, North Africa, January 10, 1945, 10:30 am**_

Along the desert sand that enveloped the land, a being walked through its dreaded silence. A man in a long white cloak with the front wrapped to cover his chest. The hood on his head was patterned with a black spike pattern. Yet, his face was darkened by a pair of desert goggles that were completely black. A long drifting black scarf fluttered in the wind to the right, with its far edges torn and ripped. Both of his hands were covered with black gloves, and in his left hand was a black cane with a circular silver orb on top instead of a crooked handle. His right and left arms wrapped in white bandages symbolized his suffering, suffering in a desert of war. He looked up into the sky with wonder, facing its burdening gaze without a blink.

With the wind blowing against his clothes, flapping them in the wind with several unnecessary noises: He looked forward, staring down the tan path he traversed across. A rickety old traffic sign clanked and twisted by the dust clouds that slid across the landscape. The man of the cloak, with a black flame pattern on the lower back of his drifting enigma continued to stroll with a pointless end. He was unaware of the world's true meaning, and what it would hand him in this altered world of history's degeneration of war. New threats appeared at every corner. For no matter where you would be, violence would follow. In turn, death would arrive as well to spread its arms of fright and fear amongst the souls of the living.

It wasn't humanity that changed this world; it came from a much more _complicated_ source. The source of all those annoying silence and deathly destruction was from an alien race. The people of this world mutter, they speak, the cower and speak that they came from _nowhere_. It is no matter to judge. Nor should it even be considered a matter to laugh over. **The Neuroi.** If not for their appearance, this world wouldn't have suffered such a dreary state of living. Humanity stands as one in this world; and the more this wandering cloaked man thinks of it, the more honored he feels. Hope is much of a luxury when it comes to war. Only in last chances does war become a greater fight to wage. By the time he crossed this open land of perilous hopelessness, the man of the white cloak had the back of his cloak shielded by sand, covering a distinct symbol that marked him for his heartless crimes.

From the distance miles ahead, he halted, immediately taking his gaze off the ground and staring out to the far north. A small village of stone sat amongst the landscape, yet plumes of black, and fountains of fire found themselves spewing up from every spot on the horizon that this town sat upon. Several things obscured his senses to feel what has happening, but a much larger presence was far more formidable, and rather angry. He turned to the west, walking off the road that would lead to the village at war. It only took no mind of thought to come up with such a choice, he felt unwanted enough to become anything to anyone after such years in a new world he was challenged to live through, and live on. A roaring scream reached the man's ears. He halted, quickly turning his head to the small town. Large white fountains of sparkling white raised into the air from streets of the small village.

With his visual glare of center focus, the man of the white cloak turned towards the village, watching a large flaming tank fly towards him. Annoyingly, he took five steps forward, then stopped to let the burning tank wreckage crash into the sand behind him by mere inches. Taking a desperate tune to surmount his feelings of being hidden from existence, the man of the white cloak began running towards the village town.

With a swarm of sand shooting up from a sand road in the town, a large drill nosed Neuroi tank came out of the ground. With two large cannons on both the left and right sides, it fired two deadly blasts of its famous red energy. Standing still to create a large circular blue shield was a readied Witch. The explosion summoned a large cloud of sand smoke to release itself into the air. The Neuroi tank began focusing its energy into the drill onto the front. Across the ground with Land Strikers charged out Cecilia Glinda Miles. With her Land Strikers based off the Matilda II infantry tank. Armed around her right arm, Cecilia wielded a forty millimeter anti-tank cannon.

She smashed her right leg into the drill nose, causing it to indent and crack under the pressure of her attack. With the Neuroi tank standing up by the one attack, she shot a single blast of her anti-tank cannon to blow it into a swarm of white light flurries. From the left, an entire square shaped stone hut broke down. The arrival of a Neuroi tank modeled after a Tiger-I came. From behind, another Neuroi tank arrived as well. Cecilia performed a large backwards leap to dodge a powerful laser blast that blew through five more huts to the left.

Cecilia flew down to crash on top of the other Neuroi tank, crushing it with absolute destruction. She rose up, firing her anti-tank cannon at the back of the last Neuroi tank, only to watch it squeeze out one more blast. Cecilia desperately raised her shield up, but the Neuroi's blast knocked her far across the ground. The Neuroi tank, however, finally took the affects of Cecilia's shots and exploded into a cloud of shining silver debris. Out from a house with the left front wall destroyed, a girl with shoulder length dark brown hair, a black coat, and a red button up shirt underneath came out, armed with an MG42. Cecilia slowly rose up, ignoring the slashes of blood on her left leg that cut through the armor of her Land Striker. Two swift Neuroi ships shaped like UFOs flew down. Out of the seven, this girl that had just arrived knocked out three.

"Honestly Federica! When the order goes out that you should stay in cover, you should obviously stay in cover!" complained the Land Witch.

"No time, Cecilia! Just get inside!" retorted the machine loving Federica, grabbing Cecilia by the wrist of her right hand and taking her into the house.

A vicious red beam hit the front, throwing the two girls down onto the floor. They rose to their feet in a desperate need to flee, but the entire front of the house was rubble. The two hurried across the shaking floor, hearing nothing but chaos envelop everything outside. They ran into the kitchen, seeing a dark skinned African girl. Her name was Matilda, a subordinate of a very important Witch that had not yet arrived to this hellhole of a town.

"Is Hanna really taking her sweet ass time to get here!?" exclaimed Cecilia, hurrying over to the corner, hiding behind it, finding herself sliding down to rest against it.

"For now, the Patton Girls are on another mission, and they _can't_ get to us! Hanna's all we got, and that's all we're going to get!" rebounded Matilda, faltering with the radio machine on the dinner table.

"Superb! I always wanted to be buried by a mound of crummy rock!" responded the irritated Federica. From above, the ceiling began to shake and rivet with a series of cracks.

"Looks like it's time to move again! EVERYBODY RUN!" ordered Cecilia's frightened yet determined tongue.

The group barged out a large hole in the back of the house, avoiding a gigantic silhouette to drop down on top of it. Matilda, Federica and Cecilia were slammed to the earth, hearing explosive chaos and frantic firing the very minute they hit the sand. Federica got on all fours, suddenly being pushed by Cecilia to help dodge a slim black spike from impaling her through the back. Cecilia rolled onto her back, blasting her cannon six times in the face of a fifteen foot tall Neuroi. It stood with a fully rotating dome shaped head. Its shoulders were simply large prisms that connected to a cylinder shaped arm that went to create its four clawed hands. Its legs were prism shaped as well, marked with the glowing red details that any other Neuroi would have. It pointed its large open hands at Cecilia, while Federica defensively stood before her.

"Don't stand there! Run, Federica!" demanded the Land Witch.

"Not going to happen." she quickly stated.

Two ominous and very large glows of red.

"I'm not going to simply leave a good Witch behind. Even if we have to go down together…_as friends_." voiced the determined Federica, lowering her head to hide a nervous red blush opposed to her last two words.

Another Neuroi mech arrived behind the group, knocking down two small huts to get its lumbering body onto the road the three Witches were harshly surrounded on.

"You're a bigger idiot than I first assumed, you know that Federica?" Cecilia barked again.

"Your complaints won't matter. Because I believe in luck." said the soft spoken Federica.

The Neuroi in front was ready to fire, only to be sent shooting off the ground and towards the Neuroi behind the Witches. The girls ducked, Cecilia reaching up to pull Federica down to the sand to dodge its massive hand from smacking her.

The Neuroi mech crashed into its ally, both ending up on the ground in sheer seconds. Matilda hurried over to Cecilia and Federica, but her gaze straightened back forward to watch a man in a white cloak step forth. He lazily paced himself until he approached the side of the three Witches that remained on the ground.

"Through that building you must go. With haste." spoke the man of shrouded mystery.

His voice was a rather dark and etched, a voice that spoke smoothly and carefully. The man quickly stared forward with adamance. The two Neuroi mechs rose to the occasion, creating deep bellows to signal their persistence.

"Get going, please. Or else you'll find yourself without a limb." added the man of darkness, charging forward in one sprint, shocking the three Witches.

With his cane, the man leaped off the ground with a yellow flash to impale the Neuroi mech on the left straight through the red eye on its rotating head. It stumbled to the right, smashing its body over a stone hut. The cloaked fighter looked over his shoulder to back flip high into the air to dodge a pair of red energy beams shot from the Neuroi's hands. Keeping his legs and arms extended, the cloaked warrior dive bomb kicked the Neuroi directly in the top of its fully rotating circle of a head, his foot piercing straight down into the inside of the crazed mechanization. The cloaked fighter pulled his foot out, pushing himself away from the Neuroi, in turn this one push caused the towering machine to fall to the ground.

A stray red blast knocked the cloaked man through one stone hut, where another red laser shot him out of that stone house to skid across the center of the sand road. The Witches looked to up ahead to see a Neuroi tank smash its way out of a building from the right. Two more Neuroi tanks appeared by crashing through the entirety of one large stone house. The cloaked man angrily rose to his feet, growling by his blank and hidden grimace. His hood was down, revealing his short, yet spiky black hair. The Witches looked forward, watching the Neuroi tank prepare a devastating blast.

"Get out of here already!" shouted the annoyed man.

Cecilia picked up Federica in her arms. With Matilda behind her, the two ran into the damaged house to their right. Cecilia kicked down the door, running into the main room, then past the kitchen to nearly avoid a penetrating red laser blast that burned through the walls, exploding debris in all directions. Cecilia defiantly kicked down a wall to make it out the other side.

"Just who was that guy? Any ideas, Matilda?" exclaimed Cecilia, hurrying down the wide sand road ahead of them.

"I've never seen anyone like that. Especially anyone who takes down Neuroi with their bare hands and feet!" Matilda easily answered.

From behind, a loud boom echoed. The corpse of the white cloaked man came flying over their heads, slamming into their path to halt them.

He jumped to his feet, quickly pointing behind the girls, "Get down!" shouted the cloaked warrior.

Cecilia looked over her shoulder to watch a metal arm reach for her. Desperate, she tossed Federica forward, to which the cloaked man caught daringly. Another Neuroi mech stood over them, holding Cecilia up in its right hand.

"Cecilia! Let her go you damn piece of Neuroi filth!" yelled the furious Federica.

The unforgivable Neuroi aimed its left hand down. "_And here I was…never thinking I would have to use __**this**__ form again_." thought the cloaked man, swiftly throwing his cane into the ground, then clapping his hands together.

A monstrous whirlwind of sand surrounded him, as well as Matilda, Federica, and the Neuroi with its captive. In one swift motion, Matilda and Federica watched a black blur shoot in-between them, leaving a white cloak to drop onto the ground. Cecilia watched as the entire sand cloud vanished, revealing a black furred anthropomorphic hedgehog cut off the Neuroi's left hand, having it slam to the ground to vanish in a field of white chunks of light. The hedgehog wore a gray short sleeved t-shirt that fit him well, along with black baggy cargo pants with a looped chain hanging down from one pocket on the left and right sides. With full blank white eyes, his pupils gone from them, he leaped over onto the right hand of the Neuroi to impale it. The angered machine aimed its rotating head laser at the two, seeking to end the life of two threats at once.

"Behind you!" shrieked Federica.

The mysterious hedgehog took his blade, throwing it into the Neuroi's eye in one simple second. He turned back to tear the fingers off that held Cecilia still. He picked her up bridal style, then performed a quick leap backwards, leaving the entire Neuroi to explode into a storm of silver debris. The hedgehog skidded across the ground to a quick halt, holding Cecilia safely in his arms.

Cecilia looked at his hands, seeing that the complete arm was of cybernetics and an unknown form of durable metal. His shoes to keep up with his furious speed were completely black, yet resembled tennis shoes. He carefully set her down, watching both Federica and Matilda approach the pair. The hedgehog stepped away to let Federica and Matilda assure their friends' safety. The hedgehog looked back, watching the building at the other end tumble down to reveal a sixty foot tall Centipede Neuroi. Once the girls caught a glimpse, their faces were left overwhelmed.

"I assume you've never witnessed a Neuroi type such as this one, correct?" assumed the hedgehog.

"You think we would have?" exclaimed Federica in offense.

The hedgehog slapped his hands on the ground, creating two yellow glows under his hands.

"Then this should be easy." voiced the hedgehog, digging his arms into the sand. He pulled his hands out of the sand. A SPAS-12 Shotgun in both hands. He readied to sprint into action, showing three black Japanese Kanji letters on his back. Cecilia's eyes flickered at the sight of them. In Japanese it was: Kanshisha. Definition? **A person who watches over;**_** a guardian**_.

The fearless warrior leapt forward, pointing both Shotguns into the Neuroi's face to create a fearsome explosion to blow the entire upper half of the Neuroi to blow apart. The hedgehog flashed with a technique of legendary value; Chaos Control. He reappeared in front of the three Witches, pumping both SPAS-12s at the same time to ready another pair of shots. Looking over his shoulder, he stomped on the ground. The white cloak rose up, expanding out to protect the three Witches and the mysterious warrior. A set of twenty red beams smashed against the cloak to revolt in a ecstatic explosion.

The three Witches covered their ears from the furious boom. A thick gray cloud surrounded them all, yet it immediately vanished. The cloak was remained completely unscathed. Cecilia looked up, her eyes appearing surprised at the stunningly revealed symbol on the back of the cloak that faced towards them. A slim black crescent moon with the points aiming down. Two thin diamonds remained below the crescent moon, both going in diagonal directions up; to the left and right.

"_Wait…that symbol?! The Strike Witches of the 501__st__ told me once of this weird symbol and a weird guy who uses some strange animal forms. Then…_" she trailed off in thought, looking over her shoulder. From the air, the man's cane landed in his right hand that he kept raised. The cane glowed with an immense red. The man's blank eyes were filled with glowing crimson. The three Witches looked back at the hedgehog become surrounded in this infamous and wretched power known as:** Chaos energy**.

The three Witches watched as he put his left hand to his eyes. "_It is. No. It can't be, right? Even if they said he died in some other land._" Cecilia continued in confusion.

He lowered his left hand, revealing a black bandana to form out of several red light flurries. On the very front was the Japanese kanji for death, colored white.

"_It has to be. This weird loner guy…yet Commander Minna of the 501__st__ said he was clearly unstoppable. It __**is**__ him!_" voiced Federica's shocked thoughts. With his very cane turning into a black Ninjato blade with a white Japanese styled dragon forged onto both sides of the blade. His eyes snapped open, revealing the very same symbol that was on the back of his cloak.

"_**Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku…he's alive?!**_" exclaimed the thoughts of all three Witches.

The vengeful and suffering being of all time death; Tojiro stood before the Witches in his prominent hedgehog form, dashing forward. The three Witches quickly turned around, watching a large Neuroi mech approach the group. He leapt over their heads, clapping the two SPAS-12s together to summon a gold glow between them. Seconds passing over their heads, a large black twelve gauge shotgun with two glowing red lines across both sides of the barrel. He kicked his feet against the chest against the Neuroi, forcing it down onto its back.

Stepping to its face, he looked to the left to watch a Neuroi tank crash through a building. Tojiro shot himself into the sky in one leap to avoid over twenty red laser blasts from the Neuroi's main barrel. Quickly appearing in front of the tank with Chaos Control, Tojiro pointed the barrel of his shotgun into the Neuroi's tank barrel, shooting off one round that blew the entire tank into bits of shredded debris. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, leaping towards the Neuroi mech pierce straight through its chest.

He turned himself around to fire one burst to blow apart the core, exploding the entire Neuroi mech. Landing back on the ground, Tojiro turned towards the Neuroi Centipede; its been gone for the entire time. Pumping his shotgun once more, he closed his eyes. The sand road behind the three Witches blasted open and out came the shrieking Neuroi Centipede. Tojiro charged through the three Witches, leaving a fearsome wind burst to knock itself against the panicking Witches.

Tojiro smashed the very front of the shotgun against the front of the Centipede's face, giving off one blast to send a riveting storm of glowing red rays to blast out from the entire body of the Neuroi Centipede. The recoil threw Tojiro back, yet he managed to easily land in front of the ground before the three Witches. The Neuroi Centipede exploded into one booming series of volatile cracks of air that followed one after another. Tojiro stepped back, making the super powered shotgun vanish in a flash of gold. He flicked his right hand, making his cloak appear around his body with the hood down. Turning around to face the Witches, yet staring into the sky, his eyes became sternly annoyed. From where he stood, five Neuroi ships were coming from the north. Looking over his shoulder, two large winged Neuroi ships came from the south. Sheathing his legendary **Blade of Darkness**, he turned towards the south, squatting down.

"You would all do best to cover your ears." noted the Cloakmaster of Darkness in a deathly voice. Two holes under both of his feet released storms of flames. Sand dust shot and pranced across the ground. He shot himself into the air towards the two Neuroi ships.

With one above the other by several hundred feet, Tojiro flew above the clouds, encircling his entire body in red Chaos energy. Holding his arms back, and focusing all the energy to his feet, the Demigod charged down through the sky towards the back of the center top of Neuroi's ship hull. A fearsome horde of fifty red lasers came shooting up. Tojiro split through the very middle of the barrage, hitting the back of the Neuroi ship. The sheer force and strength quickly forced the Neuroi ship to crash down upon the other ship that flew below. As the two ships descended down to the far edge of town, the three girls watched in awe as they plummeted into the ground with one singular mushroom cloud of red and shimmering white that spat itself into the sky.

"Unbelievable." mumbled the awe mouthed Federica.

The screeching of the five Neuroi ships caught the Witches by surprise. They turned looked up at the ships, only to watch hundreds of red lasers to converge down onto them. The whole swarm gathered into one vicious beam with spiraling beam around the much larger one. In one flash, the silhouette of Tojiro appeared hovering a few feet off the ground, above the three Witches. He clapped his hands together, causing his fur to turn a dark red. The symbols in his eyes, the symbol of the Great Shade Empire, the eyes of his **Tsukikagegan** morphed into a glowing gold pupil.

From his right hand, Tojiro released a gargantuan red beam with a flaming yellow dragon stream of Chaos energy to ring around the main beam. The roaring of the beam that ripped through the air caused the Witches to be thrown to the ground by its unbelievable force. Tojiro's beam ate through the combined Neuroi beams, only to devour all five Neuroi ships in the end. One attack culminated in a gigantic fountain of destroyed silver Neuroi bits to fall all across the sky. Tojiro lowered his right arm. With his fur returning to pitch black, and the tips of his six quills receding their crimson glow to return to white, Tojiro hovered down to the ground. The glowing red of his eyes vanished, along with his glowing gold pupils, leaving his eyes to be only blank white and empty of any soul. His scarf remained on, yet his goggles were gone and away with, as well as the cloth that covered his mouth. Taking a nonchalant take at turning around, his white eyes widened.

"Watch out!" he exclaimed, swinging his arms to the left and right.

A fissure of earth went through the ground to separate the Witches apart, leaving a large black spear to pass through and impale Tojiro straight into the gut. He was pushed across the ground, keeping still while keeping his eyes completely sealed shut. He used his right hand to dig his claws into the sand, tripping himself onto his back, luckily it wasn't a chest first landing. The three Witches watched a quick blue sphere pass by, floating over Tojiro to expand out into a blue Chaos Portal. Its forceful winds were sent out, attempting to suck Tojiro in. Tojiro, looking at the three Witches, knowing full well of what he was to say.

"Listen you three…if you're able to, send a message to the Strike Witches. Tell-"

"What new Neuroi? Are you a part of this somehow?" barked back Federica.

"Never mind your idiocy of foolish questions! Just tell them a new form of Neuroi is amidst, tell them it's from me; **Tojiro!** I don't know where they shall strike, but for now just send the message!" he shouted, finally being sucked into the portals' spinning vortex, thrown to who knows what dimension.

The three Witches remained obscured in thought by his words, only left to exchange looks; they could only hope that he was actually lying about the Neuroi's possible new uprising.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Altered Timeline, Academy City, District 7, Tokiwadai Middle School, 11:20 am<strong>_

A piercing blue portal ripped open in the sky, leaving the cloaked Demigod to shoot out of it with a trail of smoke steaming off his corpse. Tojiro, only in rage could he safely and angrily dislodge the black spear in his chest, causing him unsettling urges to cough and growl. He looked over his shoulder, only to find himself in shock. Through one split second did he crash onto the rooftop of a very renowned school in this buzzing city of newfound power and grace. He rolled and rolled with sizzling pain, finally being able to halt at one spot on the roof.

He gripped the ground, forcing his cybernetic legs to rise and put himself into a solid stance. He desperately gripped the deep hole in his chest left by the black spear. Looking at his left arm, as it was a easy replica of his right arm; sheer gray steel and five claw fingers, Tojiro was unable to move it an inch. Letting it just hang like a broken limb, Tojiro looked up, his teeth gritting. He rose his right hand to stop another black spear from impaling him in the throat, luckily grabbing the spear by the side to halt it.

He quickly jumped back to perform a backwards cartwheel to dodge three more spears. Once back on his feet, Tojiro crouched to use the spear to block a dragon headed staff of gold from hitting him directly in the dead center of his face. There before the Cloakmaster of Darkness stood a much taller individual, blanketed in a light gray cloak. The hood over his head completely blackened his face from the world, for this what symbolized him as a true sin of humanity's past.

"**Ryu…Kaze**. The man known only as Dragon Wind…**and the real Nightshade**. Pissed to see me still ticking, I see." enacted Tojiro's vile voice.

Ryu kicked himself back to glide across the ground, setting his legendary Golden Dragon Staff down on its bottom end, holding it still in his right hand.

"You need no reason to doubt my confrontation, Tojiro. Yet I am here to question. And question I shall." said the legendary god.

"And you prove your reason by pointlessly skewering me? You've become too egoistical in the times that I've been gone, haven't you?" answered the vulgar Demigod of Death.

"What force of nature then? What has given you the ability to live from that very night that you yourself…used the Nightmare Scythe…to take your own life." Ryu opposed in a static voice.

"Don't know. You think I haven't been asking myself that? **The Fires of Retribution** swooped down to burn my body out of existence. All I felt was some emptiness enshrouding my whole damn body. All my memories just…burned to ash. Next thing I know…I'm gone." Tojiro spoke in a lifeless essence, looking from the ground, up at Ryu who stood many feet apart from him.

"Nothing else? You surely can't be serious. The Fires of Retribution should have completely erased you mind, body, and soul! Why do you still stand on the existence of nature's footing?" bolstered the god in offense.

"That's just as it was. Nothing more. Nothing less." answered the Cloakmaster of Darkness with a simplistic tone.

Ryu, as disgruntled as his face would imagine itself to be if revealed, remained clueless and distasteful of Tojiro's rattling use of terms.

"I can easily imagine how one **certain bounty hunter** will find himself angered by such a revelation. Do you concur?" Ryu spoke up.

"Don't speak of Orion now. That's just going to tick me off more than I should already be. My 'pissed-off meter' is already steaming."

"Very well. I never conceited to use violence to put my foot down. But for so many millennia that I haven't…today is the day I break that one rule." Ryu contemplated, pointing the Golden Dragon Staff forward at Tojiro.

"Finally. A worthy fight with the real Nightshade of the Cloak! Being a grade-A master of Chaos energy and all, this should be interesting." Tojiro voiced in opposition, preparing himself in a charging stance.

"Flattery will not allow my nerves to show you mercy." Ryu persisted, the front of the Golden Dragon Staff becoming electrified with yellow Chaos energy.

"I was talking about myself." glared the Demon Demigod, pointing his right hand forward.

From Ryu's Golden Dragon Staff, released three wavering gold streams that gathered on the ground before Ryu's standing point. The light gathered together into a towering being that grew to fifteen feet tall. Its curdling growl and gurgles made the Cloakmaster step back, preparing for the obvious worst. In that light, it vanished and shined in a storm of golden light flurries to reveal the menacing summoning of Ryu's power; a fifteen foot tall black clad armored samurai with one large guandao blade in its right hand. The blade of the legendary spear type shimmered with a red essence of mist. Ryu lowered his head with a heartless motive that would deem Tojiro's destined fall. Even with only one arm, Tojiro would fight against these limits. No odds could equate to his unstoppable determination to wage battles to sustain his own life.

Ryu vanished in a split second. The gigantic, metal samurai swung its massive guandao blade down on Tojiro. The Cloakmaster easily raised his right hand to stop, leaping forward to kick the half mechanized foe down, splintering the concrete ground upon its immense weight. Tojiro landed back on the ground, keeping his right hand extended out with his five fingers pointed up. From its chest, a set of fifty rockets shot out in one merciless barrage! Tojiro knew the stupidity of this foe was definitely off the charts. Tojiro clapped his hands together, staring up at the rockets that soared so high until they all dove back down. From his mouth, the Cloakmaster of Darkness spewed out a fearsome explosion of Chaos Fire; one of seven Chaos Arts.

The blast of flames culminated with the rockets to send a rickety pattern of multiple cherry bomb explosions in the sky. Looking forward, Tojiro grabbed both sides of the guandao blade that the mechanized samurai had just driven towards his stomach. The entire blade was as large as Tojiro. He took a second to wonder how it could even kill him. At the best point, Tojiro released a storm of Chaos Lightning, another Chaos Art, across the guandao weapon to electrocute the monstrous foe.

The mech was thrown back, causing its guandao weapon to be thrown into the air. Taking this chance, Tojiro shot himself into the sky. Appearing in front of the giant mid-air weapon, he desperately grabbed one fraction of the ridiculously long shaped staff section. In one swing, Tojiro charged down through the air with the guandao spear being held over his head.

The mechanized warrior glared up at the incoming Demigod, crossing its arms over its head. In one vicious shout did Tojiro smash the weapon down on the mechanized menace. The deadly force caused the ceiling to shatter under the impact's weight. Both the Cloakmaster and the mechanized warrior fell down two whole floors until landing in the library of the school.

Tojiro dug his right hand around the mech's face, completely twisting the head off, sending shocking bolts of lightning to blast in all directions. Out of anger did Tojiro toss the head aside, looking over his shoulder to witness a spiraling gold beam with a drill shaped front coming down at him. Tojiro was exceeded by the beam, letting it revolt into a vile explosion that blew a good ten meter wide hole in the ground. Ryu hovered down to the ground far enough away from the plume of dark gray smoke that hindered from the exact spot. Standing completely still, and reverted to his human form, Tojiro stood tall. He turned around, his burning orange pupils steaming with rage. Even with smoke drifting from his entire body, the Cloakmaster of Darkness remained unscathed. Lifting his right hand, Tojiro prepared a static sphere of blue Chaos Lightning.

"No more mercy, I see. Does your mind truly wish to annihilate me along with this school?" Ryu questioned, moving not an inch of his body.

The Cloakmaster pointed his right hand at Ryu without hesitation.

"No more questions." said Tojiro's daunting voice, from behind Ryu.

Ryu gasped to watch the Tojiro before him vanish into a mist of yellow Chaos energy. From behind charged the real Demigod with a Giant Rasengan prepared in the palm of his right hand.

"You can take your pity…" mumbled Tojiro in heated constrain. Ryu was already halfway around, preparing the Golden Dragon Staff. "AND FORSAKE IT ALONG WITH YOUR DEATH!" echoed the shouting Tojiro, ramming the Rasengan of fierce blue chakra into Ryu's chest.

Silver sharpened tears of wind spun around from the very impact point, resulting in a ferocious explosion that blew an immense hole in the ground. An overshadowing cloud of gray smoke spat into the sky immediately after the explosion.

Somewhere off under five overlaying bookshelves in the library of permanent silence, Tojiro's right hand and the rest of his dirt covered body rose up. With his left arm still useless to him, Tojiro threw his glare to the right, looking at a group of students from the school, staring at him. Angrily, he lifted his right hand up at them, preparing a whirling red sphere of Chaos energy. They only remained frightened, yet determined. Tojiro sensed a power in some of their bodies; a sense that told him their power was far much different than any other he's seen before. Taking his gaze from the group of students and on forward, Tojiro fired the red sphere to release a single barrage of Chaos Spears at Ryu who had already charged from in front of Tojiro's position. Smacking the Golden Dragon Staff back and forth, Ryu made quick work of the Chaos Spears.

In turn, he halted on the ground, viciously letting out a gigantic stream of orange and red flames with a monstrous fireball hooked to the front of the attack. Tojiro readily waved his right hand, creating a protective wall of yellow to form in the broken down wall where the students gathered, protecting them. Tojiro remained encompassed by the fireball, only using his very own cloak to try and assist the protection of his body from the seething flames that scratched and tore to consume its target. Ryu left his offensive attack stance.

He turned to revert to a calm straight standing position, lowering the Golden Dragon Staff, as if he had made a mistake. Ryu looked over to his right, looking at the protected students. Ryu noticed that stray flames made it on the protective barrier.

There he thought; if there was no barrier at all, the students would have been horribly incinerated to mounds of black ash. "_Yet without a heart…he remains loyal to his beliefs. What kind of creature…are you, Tojiro? To have come up with such a way of living your life_." spoke the soft minded thoughts of the ancient god. From under his feet, a tornado of blue and silver lightning surrounded Ryu in one famous blast. Seeping up from the floor with his right hand extended was Tojiro in his Darkrai form. His single turquoise eye stared with a visage of fury, lowering his right arm. The lightning tornado died down to vanish in one flash, only to reveal a ten foot tall silver furred Werehog jump out and tackle Tojiro to the ground. Tilting his head back and forth, Tojiro became frivolously desperate to avoid the chomping clamps of the Werehog's set of overbite; fang style.

"_A summoning? Is that all he feels like using against me?!_" exclaimed Tojiro's rabid thoughts, facing the pouring drool from the Werehog's mouth.

Only with a few efforts of tactics on hand, Tojiro grabbed the Werehog by its lower jaw. "This is what you get for keeping your mouth open! CHAOS SHOCK!" thundered the Demigod.

Turquoise bolts of lightning were electrocuted amongst the beast's entire body. As a price, Tojiro suffered the same fate. In one blast, Tojiro fired a red stream of Chaos energy to launch the Werehog into the air, crashing through the ceiling above. Tojiro reverted to his human form, dropping to his knees, holding the left side of his face with his aching right arm that puffed with streams of smoke.

He rose to his feet, throwing his hood over his head, leaving his face revealed instead of obscured by a wall of darkness. Jumping up through the hole in front of Tojiro was the Werehog with a vicious Chaos Punch up Tojiro's chin, launching him off the floor. In one instant did Tojiro violently dive back down with both of his feet planted smash first into the Werehog's face, causing both foes to crash down through the floor, and into a classroom below them. Tojiro was first to jump off the ground by using his right arm to do so.

Landing on a table, Tojiro grabbed it and tossed it forward, smashing against the Werehog's skull with a brutal banging noise that burned against Tojiro's eardrums. The Werehog willingly let the blood spout down its face, glaring with its full blank white eyes. Tojiro leapt forward, releasing a stream of Chaos Spears infused with another Art; Chaos Wind. In slips of cutting air, the Chaos Spears decisively trimmed off the flesh of the Werehog's arms, causing it to only roar in madness and charge forward without mercy. Tojiro slid to a halt on the ground after his leap, preparing a large barrier of Chaos Light; the protective Chaos Art that is most prominent in defensive techniques.

The Werehog bathed its hands in purple Chaos Poison; one Art that eats and devours the cells inside Chaos energy. The Chaos Light barrier shattered in one blow, sending a ray of purple streams through the destroyed barrier to slap and lather Tojiro's body. The Cloakmaster of Darkness slammed to the floor, only to be grabbed by the Werehog with one of its massive hands. It turned around, flinging Tojiro out of its hand and at a diagonal direction did the Demigod painfully crash through three floors. In the end of all that pain, it couldn't bear to the Cloakmaster of Darkness for where in the school he ended up in.

In a hot, wet, steamy room. Tojiro, rose up to look around. He was in the girl's shower room. It was discrete for what came next. A roar from the Werehog echoed as it crashed up through the floor behind Tojiro, frightening the now screaming females that were either completely undressed, or halfway there. Tojiro who had already turned around sought fit to block a vicious Chaos Punch by the Werehog.

The attack forced Tojiro to smash to the floor on his back, his orange eyes cringing by the pressure and power the Werehog continued to apply, slowly pushing its vile fist of purple Chaos energy closer to Tojiro. At first, Chaos Poison is deathly acidic; only defining it as something that first burns to devour whatever remains afterwards. Tojiro, with rage of allowing himself to fall so easily, and with thoughts of this school's safety out of sight, a beam of red exploded from both of his eyes. Tojiro rose up, turning both beams into azure blasts of Chaos energy.

The Werehog was sent crashing up through every floor until he was sent into the sky, exploding into a sphere of sparkling blue Chaos energy. With his hood lowered and his breathing intake as painless as an open heart surgery without anesthetic, Tojiro rose to his feet in occasion to stand upon his first victory. It was one simple victory for many to follow. It's unfortunate, however, that Tojiro is unaware of such a truth. Like many things, he'll find out for his own that peace isn't a luxury, nor a virtue in anything he does.

Flying across the skies in his Darkrai form to keep his speed constant, Tojiro painfully crashed into the ground of a busy street, knocking over ten cars out of the street and into the nearby buildings with utter destruction. Sheering metal that tore, sudden chaos that burned, yet no screams. Tojiro rose from his crater, twisting his neck until he heard a crack.

"Damn…it. I feel like I have a helluva migraine." he claimed, clapping his hands together.

All the destruction around him suddenly rebuilt itself, and all the cars that he had sent flying reflected back onto their positions before Tojiro's crash landing.

"At least Chaos Control is always helpful." he noted, splitting his hands apart.

Time unfroze, the cars came driving at him. Only seconds after did Tojiro soar into the air, reverting to his Werehog form. He gripped onto the side of a building, scaling it with frantic climbing skills through the use of his stretchable arms and sharpened claws.

"_I smell a rather…painful stench. One that reminds of…those I despise. Mine as well follow it._" raced his thoughts, leaping up land on the rooftop of the skyscraper.

Looking out forward, Tojiro spotted a large tower. With his eyes pale white, and the soul of his orange pupils gone from them, Tojiro angrily stared out to the right. In came an attack helicopter, locking onto Tojiro without warning. Three rockets were released with blazing speed. Tojiro pointed his right hand out at them, causing them to vanish, then reappear to fire back at the attack helicopter they were shot from. Tojiro lowered his arm, watching the helicopter succumb to a fog of flames and ebony smoke.

"Rather pathetic. Yet, it's not over isn't it?" he announced, peering over his shoulder to witness a large field of rockets being shot towards him from eight attack helicopters.

Covering his left hand in green Chaos energy, the Cloakmaster slammed it down on the ground, quickly lifting it back up. In one instant did a large black M61 Vulcan Gatling-style mini-gun fly out. Tojiro reached his right hand up, his metal limb actually stretching up to grab it by the large barrel. Retracting it back down, Tojiro aimed, and let loose his bottled up anger from these sudden annoyances.

All the rockets were blown away, and the swarm of whirling helicopters came next. Shrapnel and flaming metal shards flew down upon the ground below which Tojiro carelessly allowed. With only drifting silent clouds of black to wander and vanish in mid-air, Tojiro made the Gatling gun vanish in a green flash. Turning to face the south, Tojiro leapt across the sky to flee the scene of his chaos, leaving an immense tower focused in the heart of Tokyo, Japan.

Landing in the backyard of a house in a rather large neighborhood, the Cloakmaster of Darkness landed. The cloak he wore still covered the massive body of his Werehog form. With his hood up and the point of his snout along with his gritted fangs sticking out of the hood, Tojiro leapt over the house. He landed on the roof of a house, rattling it through every floorboard. With one landing did he jump across the sky again, once more did Tojiro land on another building, this time landing on a street, crashing onto the ground.

"God…DAMN IT! My stomach…feels like its about to split in half! What is my damn Chaos energy doing?!" he shrewdly yelled, rising to his feet.

Painfully, Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form, knowing a smaller form wouldn't use more Chaos energy than he would have to. With the Blade of Darkness, he transformed it back into the cane he was using earlier. Leaving his hood down and his full shell empty eyes of white to gaze at the sky, the Cloakmaster of Darkness shot a red beam of red Chaos energy from the index finger of his left hand. A red Chaos Portal expanded after it halted in mid-flight. Tojiro crouched down, launching himself into the air and into the portal to ensure his goals were met in the world of an altered past.

**つづく**

_To be continued_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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-Tojiro Ankoku stands before Minna Dietlinde Wilcke on the site of an airstrip.-

"After his grueling battle and warning from Ryu Kaze, Tojiro returns to the altered World War II dimension." -A Neuroi in the form of an SR-71 Blackbird enters the airspace, flying at deadly speed.-

"Hoping to enlist the help of Mio Sakamoto and Yoshika Miyafuji, Tojiro not only contends with the reborn Neuroi threat, but the judgment of certain Witches."

-In Hedgehog form, Tojiro performs a backwards flip into a dive.- -Minna falls from Tojiro's hold.- -The SR-71 Neuroi reflects in the eyes of a fear stricken Minna.-

"All's fair in love and war, minus the idea of love." -Two Neuroi Witches enter the airspace.-

-Tojiro Ankoku is pushed through the cemented airfield by one of the Neuroi Witches.-

"The only way to win a war is with soldiers. No better time exists... Than the present."

-Tojiro stands engulfed in a fog of onyx black, fatally injured... But breathing... and very angry.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXXIII: ENLISTMENT  
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	73. Chapter LXXIII

**CHAPTER LXXIII: ENLISTMENT**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story, except (for in this chapter) Tojiro Ankoku and Ryu Kaze. They are my original characters, copyrighted and owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

**A long time coming. In the weeks and months that have passed, my first book has risen to that one climatic moment; Its publication. Soon that day will arrive. Writing my Fanfiction has been an obscured thought the whole way through. I've no idea when I'll continue work on this Saga's current setting. As for now, all the chapters coming are already completed. I'll perhaps balance working on my books and writing chapters in the future. That'd make life more easier. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Altered Dimension, Traveling over Suomus Air Space, 3:00 pm**

Upon the clear sky of azure and painted clouds, a Junkers-88 carrier plane soared through a swarm of hindering clouds. On the rudder side of the back tail, the symbol of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing was symbolized. Inside, casually keeping her patience company by reading a book was the Wing Commander of the Strike Witches: Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. Along she sat, prudent in her ways as always. The trip to the Suomus region was strictly for military purposes. Purposes that would later rectify the chances of the Neuroi's ongoing exploits to gain more power in the world, if they haven't already.

"Commander, the airstrip is up ahead! We'll be landing shortly!" called forth the pilot from the cockpit.

"Good timing." she replied calmly, closing her book and setting it down next to her side.

Minna strolled forward to the front, sparing her gaze past the foggy glass windows the pilots were staring out to spot the Suomus Airfield. Minna smiled with limited discretion, feeling the reason for journeying here was drastic enough to leave the Strike Witches base.

A vicious shake of turbulence smacked the plane with sudden force. Minna held on tight to the metal grip of the small doorway into the cockpit.

"Tell me that wasn't an engine malfunction." Minna blankly spoke.

A blazing Neuroi ship in the shape of an SR-71 Black Bird shot past the plane from the right, aiming its goals on the airfield. "Neuroi…one you hurry and contact ground control! Patch into their signal and tell them they got a very determined intruder heading their way!" strictly ordered the Witch from Karlsland.

A daunting shadow overcame the ship. Minna and the two pilots looked in pale awe at a monstrous Neuroi in the shape of a B-2 bomber passing over them at a slow and steady pace.

"Did you patch over to their signal yet?!" exclaimed the now cautious Minna, her eyes glued on the massive Neuroi.

From the underside of the B-2 Neuroi, a swarm of daring red beams hungered to obliterate Minna's plane. The left pilot struck the stick to the left, dodging five beams with nerve wrenching anxiety.

"Communications on the ground aren't working! It seems that first Neuroi we saw has already took care of the communications building!" informed the brooding face of fear on the pilot in the right seat.

Upon the ground, smoke entrails slandered the skies' beauty with a mix of fire and oil smoke.

"Is there anyone in the area we can try and contact? Anyone?!" Minna desperately cried.

"Not for now, ma'am! The Neuroi are pretty uptight about keeping us quiet!" shrewdly yelled the right pilot, taking a sudden dive to avoid a storm of red beams.

Minna took a dangerous dive back once the plane exited its seven second drop, quickly flying up to ascend into the sky. The Black Bird Neuroi came around from the plane's right, aiming for its back.

"Oh hell! Commander, get out of there!" shouted the right pilot.

The evil force of shredding metal that the Neuroi bashed through the tail of the Junkers-88 carved it away, throwing Minna out through the sky with minor cuts across her left cheek and left arm. Far in front of her, the oversized B-2 bomber Neuroi focused all its power on the belly of its hull, aiming for the center of the Suomus Airfield.

"_No! There's no way it can end like this! Somebody…just hurry up and stop this!_" exclaimed the fear born thoughts in Minna's mind, a deviant's glare in her eyes.

A screeching noise from far above made the falling Minna stare up. Through the cloud bank, a single red comet choked through the clouds, piercing straight through the center of the gargantuan Neuroi. The very impact caused the entire ship to plummet down in a single axis, plummeting into a red cloud storm of chaos and fire, blowing down hundreds of forest and land so only dirt remained. It was in that moment where she realized that this Neuroi's attempt at an ambush…failed.

The SR-71 Neuroi came back around, eventually spotting Minna. Her brilliant red eyes sought to freeze in the sight of the enemy. As it came at her with deadly intent to blow her to pieces with sheer ramming speed, a gripping force grabbed onto her right shoulder. She looked to see a red sphere surround her; and the Cloakmaster of Darkness himself. Flying forward, the merciless force of the red sphere that protected the pair disintegrated the Neuroi ship in a flash of showering silver.

The white cloaked hedgehog dissipated the shield, now holding Minna with just his right hand around her waist. They dangerously came charging towards the Suomus Airfield. A quick flurry of wind sent trees dancing madly. Those that were on fire from the impact of the B-2 Neuroi's impact were whisked away by the wind of Tojiro's ridiculous velocity. Sticking his feet forward, Tojiro surged through the middle of the runway, carving through the very concrete by merely skidding across it like he was riding a surfboard. He angrily narrowed his eyebrows, shutting them, vigorously preparing for his next move. Tojiro blew a green beam of Chaos energy to create a curved wall.

"Sorry Miss, but I have to ditch you." Tojiro advised, launching Minna over to the barrier.

He immediately clapped his hands together, causing a long glowing green hand to safely catch Minna. Tojiro smashed across the ground and slid onto the edge of the curved barrier, motionless. The green arm and hand vanished along with the barrier, dropping Minna onto the Demigod who growled in response after she landed on him. Minna, in coming eye to eye with the cloaked hedgehog she was laying on top of gasped for a single moment. His full white eyes widened as well after meeting hers.

"Get off real quick, okay?" he summoned, grabbing her and tossing the Commander off to the right.

She rigidly smacked across the ground until halting. Tojiro hurriedly jumped back to his feet, raising his hands up to absorb a pair of large red Neuroi beams that exploded upon impact. Minna, who was ready to give Tojiro an earful was forced to stay still with determination by facing the harmful winds. After the calming fog of gray smoke continued to summon, Minna looked off to the far right in the air: three Neuroi Witches.

The self-acclaimed and emotionless doppelgangers aimed for the hangars on the right next to the airstrip. A blinding orange light from the gray smoke shot out, causing the three Neuroi Witches to disband and evade perfectly. On the ground, the Cloakmaster of Darkness had reverted to his Werehog form. His white cloak had absorbed itself into his body. Looking down at the black furred legs, his feet had also been worn with black shoes that appeared to be made of steel.

Glaring in confusion, the Demigod of Death quickly did a backwards flip to avoid three single strips of red energy beams. Tojiro grasped the ground, pulling a huge slab of cement from the ground. One of the Neuroi Witches aimed for Minna in a desperate effort, firing energy beams to put Tojiro's haste to the test. He eagerly leaped to stand at Minna's defense, holding the cement defense to absorb the blast. Tojiro quickly leaped out of the small dust cloud, a large rock that fit in his fearsome hands. He smashed the first Neuroi Witch with a monstrous strike, throwing it down to the ground.

The two airborne Neuroi Witches fired a single blast from both of their hand blasters. Tojiro quickly spun his massive body through the air to dodge all four shots and then bash both the Neuroi Witches in the face by stretching out his arms and delivering the two stones in his hands directly into his foes. With a furious spinning process by smashing into the ground, the Neuroi Witches impacted, leaving Tojiro to land on the ground, his arms retracted. The third Neuroi Witch that was first knocked to the ground speared Tojiro in the back, causing both foes to trample across the pavement aimlessly.

Tojiro gripped the earth with his right hand to ground out the pain and leap to his feet. Immediately taking five energy beams directly; three to the chest and one to each arm. Dropping onto his right knee and clawing his right hand into his left shoulder, Tojiro shared a death glare with his foes. Two Neuroi Witches spat forth just inches above the ground. Tojiro leaped right over them, then crushed his feet directly into their backs and printing their motionless corpses into the disintegrating pavement. The third Neuroi Witch was already in the air, preparing to bombard the Cloakmaster with its energy fire. With easy determination did the Cloakmaster of Darkness toss the two Neuroi Witches to absorb the twin energy beams shot by the hovering Witch doppelganger.

The darkened red cloud hovered in place with light of the two unfortunate Neuroi Witches that took the friendly blasts. Tojiro, in the form of a spilling red drill cut through the remnants of the energy blasted Neuroi Witches, went on to annihilate the last one in a single cycle that chewed its entire body to pieces and broken scrap that fluttered towards the ground. Tojiro exited this feral attack mode by becoming surrounded by a black fog.

Minna watched as the chaos leveled itself to a peaceful silence. The Demigod fell from the black fog, in his hedgehog form. Covered by his white cloak, black t-shirt, and baggy ebony cargo pants with chains hanging from the top left and right pockets, the Cloakmaster of Darkness had returned to a _normal_ size. Amongst what could have become a further pit of destruction and hell, Minna rose to her feet. There was only minor damage to the airstrip. Only three hangars were damaged after having a large puncture hole in their roofs. Minna remembered the memory of first meeting Tojiro.

It was considered a long time ago. Since this world is an altered dimension, time isn't as so consistently balanced with what is on track and what isn't. The determined Wing Commander effortlessly ignored the past and hurried over to the wounded dimension-traveler. She crouched down, rolling him over onto his back. His blank white eyes appeared, glazed and merciless. Minna flinched back, standing up in the process of his speedy recovery. It was pointless for someone of his power to show impatience and laze around: so he rose to his feet, remaining kneeled on the ground using his right knee as _leverage_. Minna cornered her eyes to a self appointed gaze, remaining calm as possible.

"It's good to see someone of your ability remains faithful. How long have you even been here?" Minna quietly began.

Immediately afterwards, Tojiro coughed and hurled from his own breath. Minna was left ignored, or somewhat worried of this warrior's condition. Tojiro wiped his mouth, ignoring the agony in his bones and stomach to graciously stand on his own two feet.

"I must be respectful enough to assure you that none of this was planned." he calmly stated, wrapping the front of his cloak sealed, his arms hidden within and in the pockets on the inside of his iconic cloak.

Minna watched as he used his right hand to make appear his silver cane, quickly changing it into his sheathed Blade of Darkness. Tojiro tossed it up, using his Chaos energy to magnetically attach the weapon to his back so its at an easy to reach position. He looked back, grabbing the grip and pulling the blade out. A black Ninjato sword that was thick in steel as it was in length. A white dragon embroidered itself down both sides of the blade. As he swung it left and right, Tojiro planted it in the ground without having to bend his backbone.

"Excuse me, your name, it's Tojiro, right?" Minna purposely asked.

"Indeed it is. Yet you ask a question you already knew the answer to. I remember you as much you do me. I guess?" faltered the Demigod, removing the Blade of Darkness from the ground and sheathing it back where it belongs.

"I'm afraid the past isn't much to dawdle over. As for what you did here, I thank you for protecting this airfield…and me, I suppose." Minna bravely acclaimed.

"And your reason for coming here, if I may ask?" wondered the out-loud Tojiro, arms crossed.

Sighing with grievance, the Wing Commander responded; "To prepare other regions for the Neuroi. You remember them don't you?" Tojiro stared up at the sky, grieving with closed eyes.

"Did that also count me being threatened and shot in the-" a loud bullet struck Tojiro in the right side of his head, yet he remained completely still. Minna shockingly watched as the blood dripped from Tojiro's face, his eyes remained clear and cold.

"…Head. Why in the head? Really?" he suddenly exclaimed, glaring to the right, unfolding his arms and letting them hang down by his sides.

Tojiro took a tiring gaze to the far right. Amongst a squad of rifle armed soldiers, a woman in all black clothing by the name of **Hanna Rudel** lowered her scoped rifle, just as surprised as Minna was to see the Cloakmaster hadn't moved after taking a bullet to the head.

Simple and straightforward, he busily scratched the side of his head. Tojiro was reluctant enough to pull out the bullet, which didn't even make it to his skull. He crushed the bullet into dust, looking back Minna with a sharp look, tilting his head at the same time.

"Commander Minna? Tell me…that thing is on our side." called out the anti-ground witch.

"It's okay, Lieutenant. He's not a threat. Not yet at least." Minna shouted back, whispering her last sentence for only Tojiro to perceive.

The Cloakmaster's gaze remained still and cold at Minna, unwavering like times before.

In one of the hangars, Hanna and Minna were strictly stuck in conversation, while Tojiro remained sitting on a random spot on the floor, his arms stretched out to the left and right.

"They _both_ lost their powers, huh? How is that even possible?" questioned the static Hanna.

"I'm not sure. Honestly, I think it was just their power and they risked to stop the Neuroi back then." Minna answered with slight concern and regret, staring off to the ground.

"Desperate times called for desperate measures, I suppose. You have any ideas of how to replace them?" Hanna strictly assumed.

Minna broke away from her concern, staring at the Flight Lieutenant.

"Don't say that Hanna. Please, I have enough on my mind than there already should be." answered the instituted Minna.

"And? You're the Commander of the Strike Witches. You have to be strict, no matter what cost comes to take its demands from you. This includes members." Hanna's words left Minna shallow.

A stale sense hit every corner of the girl's mind, showing no calm demeanor to bother her at will. Hanna retracted her challenging eyes over at the white cloaked Tojiro that was flat on the floor: As tired as a dead man.

"And what of him? When'd you meet that charmer?" Hanna spoke, retaliating the previous subject.

"I have no idea. The second my plane was shot down, he took down the Neuroi just by striking it once. After that, he broke my fall." Minna answered, her arms crossed, turning to look over at him.

"We've met a while back. Just before we had to switch over to our base near Rome." Minna informed closely.

"And that's history. What are you going to do about him, Commander? Chances are he won't let you out of his sights."

Minna continued to send her lonesome gaze at the Cloakmaster, feeling slightly hopeless for what the ill-prepared for what she must do with Mio Sakamoto and Yoshika Miyafuji.

"I was able to catch eye of what he was fighting with. Some kind of energy of some sort. Makes the Neuroi's weaponry look like a harmless light show." Hanna daringly stated, looking at Minna afterwards.

"Don't tell me I should bring him with me? It was a bad idea to let him stay in our first base, I won't make the same mistake twice." Minna annoyingly spoke in a whispered rage to Hanna.

"Very well, very well. I didn't mean no unclear anger." Hanna snickered. "It's only all this confusion that's getting to me! God, I never thought I'd let this pressure get to me. Letting Yoshika go was horrible, but losing Mio at the same time; it's…it's rather-"

"Too unbearable?" suggested the Cloakmaster, stunningly appearing in-between the two officers.

They both jolted immediately after his words, looking down at the cloaked hedgehog who shared his confused glare between the two equally.

"Have you been listening the whole time?" Minna strictly imparted.

"Sure. Why not? If that's more important than your own comrades, we may talk about that." barked the silent sarcasm bequeathed onto Tojiro's voice.

"Who are you?" Hanna implemented.

"Tojiro Ankoku. Last Nightshade in the history of existence, and Death itself. Pleasure to meet you." greeted to surprisingly polite Demigod, shaking hands with Hanna.

She was left with a blank slate, unknowing in true fact to not believe Tojiro or simply ignore what he was _trying_ to say. Letting go of such a noble greeting, Tojiro turned his attention to the Commander of the Strike Witches:

"What's this about the Miyafuji girl and the sword wielder with an eye patch?"

Commander of the Strike Witches assuredly answered: "They overused their magic, defeating the Neuroi after taking control of one our battleships: The** Yamato**. Afterwards, Yoshika went on to begin her career in medicine. Mio…I have no idea." Tojiro, who easily let his confusion catch him off guard for a second, turned away and hummed for a short tune, looking at the far away light the sun was spreading across the mountains.

"I may have a resolution to this supposed problem of yours. But of course, it shall be your decision." beseeched the Demigod, glaring out the corner of his soulless eyes.

"What kind of proposition could you have now?" responded the drastically strict voiced Commander of the Strike Witches.

"You say they have no magic powers left. Both possessed prudent skill to the 501st, and so the best cause of action would be to replace it." spoke the being of hate.

"Say it already Tojiro. Don't waste my time." Minna barked.

Tojiro held his right arm out. In the palm of his hand, Tojiro easily formed a sphere of red. In its time, it began to drudge. Like a lava lamp, but reversed, globs of red floated and vanished from the red sphere. Both Hanna and Minna were disclosed by such a sight.

"If not magic…**then why not Chaos?**" spoke the level headed Cloakmaster, staring at the two women with corrupt truthfulness.

Under the shallow sky, Tojiro was found far off from the airfield, sitting against tree while the airfield remained just half a mile away from him. He wasn't nullified by Minna's answer, for it was just and honest. He gave Minna _that_ much credit. He was reading this days' newspaper issue from Suomus. Often in times of silent constraint or boredom, the Cloakmaster would notice the land he is in, and make appear the latest issue of the land's newspaper. The crushing of small grass peeked his ears. He lowered the newspaper, Minna stood before him. An eyebrow lifted on the cloaked hedgehog, then became increasingly serious as Minna remained hesitant.

"Are you sure of this decision?" spoke the well-mannered Commander.

"It isn't in my person to acknowledge your words. I only proposed the idea…I didn't tell you anything. The decision is clearly up to you." he responded calmly, flipping the page of the newspaper.

"Then you'll train me first." answered the defiant Commander.

Tojiro, in a stunning shock, lowered his reading material. Minna remained with a stalwart stance to match her face. "Now _that's_ interesting. Putting your being first instead of running the risk of imminent death or suffering to your own comrades. Noble you are, Minna Dietlinde Wilcke. Very noble indeed."

The Cloakmaster made his newspaper vanish, standing up in the process. "I shall train if I must. But you alone, I won't accept."

Minna grunted at his definite response.

She responded willfully; "What are you planning? Whatever that power you have, it doesn't look good. I don't want Mio and Yoshika immediately going into learning it at the same time."

"I understand that. But when it comes to Chaos energy…things aren't as simple and sweet as you assume it to be." spat the Demigod, wrapping his cloak closed, glaring daringly at the Commander without a second thought.

Minna remained quiet, her thoughts racing. "You're probably thinking otherwise now. I wager you're assumptions are much more keener now, yes?" continued the Cloakmaster's conscience.

"You think your power _frightens_ me?" Minna assumed.

"Yeah. Pretty much. I can see how caring you are for both yourself and those around you. **Especially Mio**." instituted the demonic warrior.

Minna, in all pressure, persisted a quiet gasp. Her gaze reverted to the ground.

"Chaos energy takes discipline and visible eyes to control; more or less, even master. I've learned it all the hardest way possible, Minna. Training alone with this directly is a fools' plan. Chaos energy strictly takes itself into each person's mind and changes. If you're with people close to you, your mind and heart will control that temperament the Chaos energy may overshadow you with."

The Cloakmaster spoke with no envy, only sheer truth and simplicity. The envy was of Minna's ability of wielding a heart; as to where the Demigod of Death does not fight for emotion, but his mind. Yet in his mind he holds no concern of possessing such an organ; such a symbol of care, love, and weakness. In his eyes, the heart holds no bounds to reason and understanding. It fails to recognizes harsh truth and the encompassment of frightening terms life will list out to you. Minna didn't see this at all. If the power of Chaos was so dreadful, why was it that she was willing to risk it? Before all else. Why? A defiant look shot from Minna to the Herald of Hatred.

"Commander Minna!" shouted from afar, behind the Commander.

Hanna returned with most urgent of news. "What is it? You didn't need to charge all the way out here." advised the careful Minna.

"No need. I forgot to remind you that your CO gave you a new report. Both on the Neuroi and three escorts that will take you back to your base." instantly informed the Wing Lieutenant.

"Neuroi, huh? Does that mean we have to move our base to another location?" prompted Minna directly.

"No, ma'am. Headquarters informed me that if your team was relocated, the construction of another base wouldn't be complete." Hanna once again informed perfectly.

"Then that would give the Neuroi the best chance at attacking us. Good point. Pass that, what about these escorts you mentioned?"

"They should be hare any moment, Commander. I only figured that their assistance would help you later on." explained the sure Wing Lieutenant's voice.

Upon the silent and shallow minutes of time, Minna and Tojiro remained still at the main hangar of the Suomus Airfield. Tojiro sat against the outside of the large metal sheet doors, while out in front stood the defiant Commander of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. Looking over her shoulder, Minna's face was drawn on with confusion. Tojiro was standing and juggling four red Chaos Spheres.

"Why do calm atmospheres put so much unrest into your body? Really?" inserted the Demigod.

"That's your energy to deal with. Eventually, it may have to pass to me, Mio and Yoshika." bravely responded the Commander.

"Being immediate in training with this power of mine isn't as simple as you assume it to be. It's life threatening. That's why I shall only take part in this damned course if _you're_ actually up to it."

Tojiro's response didn't leave Minna anything to dwell on. "You've been going on about it long enough, Tojiro. There's no point in trying to make it a problem."

"And that much is true, eh? Well…Chaos energy has a knack for being surprisingly difficult with the user's body and thoughts. You can at least be serious and acknowledge this curse with enough discern to understand what it means to be a user of it." Tojiro rose in a fearful tone, bringing thin air to the four Chaos Spheres he was juggling.

Minna fully turned to him, a varied look shooting from her eyes. Tojiro lowered his arms loosely, sending a penance of hatred in the form of his two eyes down at the storm cloud colored pavement.

"I feel it unyielding to upset others over my own proposals. In the training of Chaos energy, it was horrifyingly real. Everything I faced and had to do; it was a twenty-four seven nightmare, three hundred sixty-five days over…I hated all of it. Learning this power is damnation for any simple human to understand and suppress." spoke the empty shell that was the cloaked Demigod of Death.

Minna took an unfavorable gaze away from the Cloakmaster. "Are you willing then? Is learning this power…truly worth seeing those two girls back in your squadron. Personally, I'm just beginning to think this is a very selfish act." impacted the Cloakmaster's stinging words.

"If you can't get to the point then don't go on aimlessly saying things like that. I have all the determination I need to believe in both Yoshika and the Major. Nothing else needs to be threatened." calmly commented the Commander.

"I can understand that. Let it be so until right, yes?" Tojiro answered reluctantly, looking past Minna.

The roaring magic engines of Striker Units grabbed the Cloakmaster's attention, shortly afterwards did it do the same to Minna. Three Witches came down for a landing on the airstrip. Minna was quick to react, hurrying forward. Tojiro calmly stepped away from the hangar doors, marching silently towards the middle of the runway.

Quick moments of removing their Striker Units, Minna and Tojiro were acquainted to the three escorts. First the brilliant and powerful Hanna Justina-Marseille from Karlsland. With the familiar of an eagle, her perception in battle was unmatched. Next was the headstrong Kanno Naoe. A stoic pose matched her diligent eyes that were keenly glaring through Tojiro's body and soul. Third and last was another from the Fuso Empire, Kuroe Ayaka.

The nickname "Kuroe the Monster" was bequeathed to her for reasons upon her reputation. Out of their Striker Units already and standing foot to toe with Minna and the cloaked Tojiro, the three Witches pondered curiously; most of it was aimed at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro undeniably switched gazes with turns of his head between the three Witches before him, grumbling with each sharp glare he shot.

"Ladies, this here is a trusted ally of the 501st: Tojiro Ankoku.

Tojiro? Would you like to introduce yourself?" Minna sharply began. "I am respected to meet you three brave women. Fighting for this world is surely a given fate of its own; and if I must say, I kindly thank you for refusing to let the Neuroi win this war." spoke the mannered Demigod, bowing at the end of his sharp bitten words.

Minna's eyebrows were lifted, looking at the Cloakmaster with dawdled awe. Hanna, eyes closed and hands crossed, her quick witted smile had already took shape.

"I met with Erica Hartmann last week. She mentioned to bring up that a while back some kind of strange man in a cloak single handedly fought serpent like Neuroi. In the end, that cloaked man was victorious; and now we're looking right at him." insisted the light tan haired Witch from Karlsland, setting her eyes upon the Cloakmaster once more.

Tojiro remained ever still, bored out of his mind suddenly.

"Before we take any action to return to Romagna, Minna; I would find it fit to challenge this legendary fighter."

Tojiro shook his head as if he just woke up, tilting his head like an introvert. Kuroe remained cold eyed like Kanno. It was redundant whatever the Fuso Witches were thinking.

"In battle, there are no teachings to adhere to one's life. If you fail to contemplate and strategize against this demon; your first kiss will be with this airfields' pavement." answered the Demigod, swinging his arms out so his cloak opened up.

The sight of his right arm surprised Hanna, Kanno and Kuroe without spite. In that moment, the Demigod of Darkness lowered his hood, revealing the hedgehog form of black fur. His muzzle was the same. His mouth wasn't even visible. The six tips of his quills on the back of his head were blinking red; preparing his Chaos energy. The snow silver eyes of the hope-wielder locked onto Hanna Justina-Marseille with merciless intent to answer her challenge.

"_He still retains that unbreakable favorability. Certainly he is a person of unbearable comprehension_." Minna soft solemnly dreamed in thought, creating a brimming smile to look at the silver cloaked hedgehog.

Upon the quiet moments, the challenger from Karlsland had already prepared her Striker Unit modeled after a Bf 109 F-4 Messerschmitt. Hanna created her magic shield upon the rigid ground. Her eagle familiar appeared, ears and feathers. In one swoop of wind did the Karlsland ace blast into the sky's breezing ease of silence. With Kuroe and Kanno by her left and right, Minna watched with the two Fuso Witches as Tojiro seemingly trudged onto the center of the wide open airfield of calling solace. As solace as it was, it matched his disquiet expression. The blinking red tips on the tips of his six quills halted, remaining white as the demon's eyes. No pupils rested in the herald of righteous rage. His stinging spirit sought to challenge Hanna, and only her. Having signed her own fate to duel with the supernatural warrior; the discourse of this silence made two Witches impatient, and one drastically impugned. May it be interesting to take aside time and ponder who was feeling what right now?

In the sky, Hanna was armed with her MG-34, steadily aiming it at Tojiro. Tojiro looked at the ground with an insignificant gut feeling. Taking his gaze back up at Hanna, he sighed with regret and grievance. He slowly aimed one last gaze at Minna, knowing that she, among the other Witches here, knew of his insane durability. Tojiro immediately blasted into the air, eyes set on Hanna. A smirk graced her face. A straight charge into the sky gave Tojiro the warning to chase.

Hanna kept her eyes up and forward. Tojiro shut his eyes, another unbearable sigh eased out from his tired lungs. In one short moment did the Karlsland Witch look down. A second passed, and by the time she looked up, a certain Cloakmaster spin dashed like an out of control rocket. Hanna instantly broke to the right, but was grabbed by her right Striker Unit, a furious charge of electricity was shocked across her body. Tojiro then threw the stunned Witch across the air. Forgetting the doubt and pain, Hanna halted in mid-air with luck. Tojiro shot towards her, his right fist raised back, punching the Karlsland ace directly in the stomach.

Before she could even be launched by the attack, the angry Cloakmaster grabbed her by the face. His twisted gaze couldn't be surmised. Cold white eyes matched his nature. Tojiro pushed her away, causing Hanna to gain room, pointing her gun directly against his chest. Below, the Witches became fretted. A storm of lead broke through flesh and bone of the cloaked hedgehog's torso. He was glaring straight forward, allowing the whole load of fifty bullets to split liver, ribs and other organs. Hanna halted upon letting her shock take over. Blood was pouring off from the Cloakmaster's entire chest. The back of his cloak held true to Hanna's ammo; fifty holes. Tojiro stared away, not in pain. The dark steel of Hanna's MG-34 was lathered in a crimson blanket. A blank yet disquiet glare shot from Hanna's eyes to Tojiro's. As he always is, the wrath-warrior stayed silent in the face of pointless fault. Without any sense of trying to achieve a response from Hanna's lips, Tojiro trusted in this;

"As inhuman as I may be…as freakish as you may assume me to be…I'll remain honest and true to what I see. Putting fifty bullets into my body doesn't prove much of yourself Miss Marseille…if you haven't noticed already." placing his right hand on a profuse amount of blood, enveloping his hand in the plasma. Lowering his right hand and shaking it loose, he continued;

"Whatever skills I have aren't of your concern. I refuse to believe that you would waste any thought or imagination thinking I'm better. I'm not because I'm too destructive. From your view, you and all the other Witches of this world have been fighting the righteous fight. All together as one. You see your whole world as one single force. You all seek peace, and nothing more. So instead of remaining there, speechless and guilt filled; show no regret nor fear when you bring violence upon a man who deserves it."

The wounds on Tojiro's torso have healed in this short time. Tojiro watched as Hanna seemingly lowered her weapon, a confused gaze rubbed over her expression. Tojiro shared the same fate as her, tilting his head in the process.

"Didn't I just get through telling you not to be guilty? Or…am I too impatient? It's because I'm impatient isn't it?" acknowledged the herald of doom, his voice filling with a hopeless tone in his last sentence.

Nothing left Hanna with any sense to either remain swallowed by awe or wrought by uncontrollability of her own actions. Harmlessly left silent by his own acuity, Tojiro teleported down to the ground with a flash of crimson light. With his hood remained lowered, the pale eyes glanced to the right. Kanno and Kuroe hurried over to Hanna as she slowly descended, landing on the ground safely. Tojiro turned away, feeling the imminent glare blatantly being shot from Minna's eyes.

The Commander remained where she stood, clear in Tojiro's incapability to show mercy in any form of battle. Even for an exercise did this Demigod find it pitiful to play like a fool who taunts. Only a jester would find entertainment in showing hilarity to his foe. Hanna took her sudden glance at Tojiro. Arms crossed; his body covered by his iconic cloak. In that simple form of a sparring match, the hearing of rumors that Hanna's heard for so many times were set to come to light. No fear came from it. That was impossible for such a strong willed Witch. Hanna, as much as she hated to ignore the two Fuso Witches, kept an icy stare of uncertainty piercing through the Cloakmaster's spirit. If not for overconfidence or structural perception to win a competition, her thoughts would have been less restless. Too bad her sparring partner was a man without a heart or sense to give a damn.

It didn't take long for ill comprehension to come over the Demigod. By the time the sun had vanished, the moon took its place with the righteous stars that shined with honesty. Before long, the image of a red colored camera flash appeared above the hangar. The Cloakmaster had made his return after leaving the airstrip over three hours ago. It was his time that Minna decided he should begin searching for Mio, to no avail of course. He looked below, seeing no one around in the dead of night.

Tojiro presented himself to this calmly night with his favored form; his hedgehog form. The hood of his cloak remained lowered. His large eyes that echoed with only but white, Tojiro sat upon the crease of the steel edge, his legs hanging down as he stared forward to the horizon.

"No Sakamoto. No magic priorities sensed. All I get is Miss Wilcke pointlessly ordering me to find that Mio woman. All of it only depresses my focus. God! This is annoying!" thronged the Demigod's voice, clenching both sides of his head, his cranium slowly hanging low.

Tojiro lifted his head desperately to take a gasp and glare at his right hand. The blue right blinked red on the dome button of his right palm. It returned to a black shade. The Cloakmaster jerked his head back with arrogance, looking forward with hysteria.

"Tojiro!" called the voice of the red headed Wing Commander.

His pale eyes launched down. There below awaited his handler for the day. His hands rested on his lap to match his slouched back.

"Could you come down here for a moment, please? I need an update on your search." she spoke sternly.

Tojiro hopped off the top to give the ground a nervous shake once his steel boned joints pressed upon it with gravity's might. "I couldn't find her anywhere, Miss Wilcke. It would have been three hundred times easier if she _did_ have Chaos energy inside her. Although it is obvious that she's been nowhere near Chaos energy so therefore I can't detect her." confirmed the Cloakmaster.

"And since she doesn't have her magic powers anymore, it just makes it more difficult. I knew I had an uncertain feeling that this was too hard." confirmed the Wing Commander, her eyes steadily sealing.

"Good news is that she's not dead. You should accept that much and swallow your pride. Mio can handle herself no matter where she may be." Tojiro assured in a cross armed pose.

"Don't pressure the situation more than it already is. I've already had to deal with the thought of Mio leaving us in the first place!" snapped the Karlsland Witch.

Tojiro's nerves were only tickled by such an upfront response. Tojiro saw how steady her face remained. It was as she said herself: All the pain and thought Minna already went through was clearly _enough_.

"You wouldn't care if there was still one thign holding you back. _That's the key_." commented the white cloaked hedgehog.

"Stop speaking in riddles!" barked the Commander, her easy nerves broken and torn.

"You're the only one who uses her **first name**…therefore you must truly care about her, right?"

Minna's eyes strangled themselves in place. Tojiro unsettled his arms to let them hang down. Minna set her gaze at the Demigod's feet. She saw much sense in his words, despite how rude he put it. Minna's trust in the Major has seen its high points; but the dreary cold moments she shared with Mio in the past were just as pivotal. Tojiro felt the reality of the situation. For once, he was right in more ways than one. What's so bad about that, you say? He said them all at once! Tojiro watched Minna turn to her right, finally able to lift her head to watch the stars in the sky wave back at her with blinks of brightness.

"Minna, I would-"

"Our relationship is far more different than you assume it to be." interrupted the brave Witch.

The Cloakmaster lightly gasped shortly after her comment.

"What I've noticed is that she's so assertive yet genuine with her decisions. I'm the _good cop_ to Mio's _bad cop_. I don't really think it matters how impossible meeting with her again is. All that matters is getting there…and all the determination we use to get there, too."

Tojiro was harmoniously stricken cold with a grasp of silence.

"The 501st owe a lot to Major Sakamoto and I intend to uphold that fact. The Neuroi have been nothing but moving their most desperate plans across the board and we've stopped theme every time. If with Mio's leadership, if with her spirit, I really doubt the possibility of losing this war." continued the brave Commander, completely facing the Cloakmaster of Darkness one more time.

Tojiro blinked. In that unison of surprise and devotion, Tojiro's orange pupils returned to his eyes. The black irises that were surrounded by a fiery orange color looked into Minna's ever so burning red eyes that spelled more than honesty. Tojiro wouldn't go as far to disclose what other words he felt from Minna's bravado, knowing full well it would only embarrass any future tasks her conscience would surely have to endure. Tojiro settled for closing his eyes, preparing to acquire all the mentality to finish the sentence he was so devoted to begin.

"It may be short and confusing for you to understand, but I truly dream the future of my Earth having more people like you. It's bothersome the way it is already. So! I have one solution for you." proclaimed the stout Death-wielder. Minna's eyebrows turned high up.

"You mentioned Miss Miyafuji taking over her family's clinic, correct? I perceive after that only one thing." conjugated the Cloakmaster further.

"What? What is it!?" Minna replied desperately.

"You haven't guessed already? Heh. All I'm saying is that **we're going to the Fuso Empire** to find her." concluded the definitive Tojiro.

"What?!" reacted the Wing Commander's awe blanketed face.

"And once we get there; we shall recruit help from Miss Sakamoto's very own mentor: **Kitagou Fumika**." recalled the Demigod of Death without hesitance.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Following Morning, 9:30 am<strong>_

A blur of white sped onto the center of the airstrip. An immediate freeze in speed made Tojiro halt while looking over his shoulder. In his Darkrai form, Tojiro crossed his arms, letting his turquoise eye burn higher than the clouds in the sky.

"No one here. Typical! I thank history for not making me _too_ human." contemplated the complaining Demon Demigod, his right hand to his forehead.

Wrappings of crimson dissipated the Cloakmaster's appearance for a moment. It cleared away in seconds to reveal him in his human form, hood up and face blackened and mute of feeling. Tojiro watched as everything around him was silent. He could find more company with dust, but such an end is not so easy to determine. Tojiro watched Minna enter his boring fray from the large hangar he was standing before.

"You ready, Tojiro? The plane sure is, and as am I." confirmed the resilient Commander.

"No." bluntly dropped the Cloakmaster's voice.

Minna grew several angry marks on the back of her head. "I must attend to my own continuation. Trust me, it's for the better." warned the Cloakmaster who seemed bored out of his mind.

"You'll only be wasting time! You promised to assist me in finding Mio!" defended the Commander.

"Sorry. _This_ Cloakmaster doesn't make promises for _anyone_. That's one of my rules. Besides, you have the most experience with Miyafuji's person, while Fumika may have no regret in helping you find Miss Sakamoto. It shall work out, Miss Wilcke. The only thing you must remember is never be foolish in simplistic situations that only ask for one side of a coin, not both." said the Demigod's splintered voice.

He reached into the right pocket of his cloak to remove his black headband. Tying it on symbolized what _too_ many people recognized him as;_** Death**_. The Japanese Kanji of death was embroidered on the front in a seagull white hue. He also readied his snow goggles with red lenses, wearing it over his headband.

"I must take part now. I'll return the moment I must. Remember, focus on _this_ mission. Do that, and you'll find your Mio." compiled the Cloakmaster, flipping his hood up, while his face remained visible. Minna stood with silence as she desperately tuned her ears against such nonsense. Tojiro readily stepped backwards seven paces, opening a red Chaos Portal. Tojiro wore his snow goggles over his burning orange eyes, falling back into the vortex abyss of white and black.

_Altered Dimension, Sengoku Period, Near Okehazama, 8:00 pm_

Reasons for war span far, you know? Call the world 'lost' and mankind 'searching'. War feeds people a strange string of habits and overlooking beliefs. War seems like its own kind of habit, does it not? It would make no task simple to effortlessly live everyday as one of chaos and slaughter. Every warrior must witness, live, and breath in every day that their heart beats: This intoxicating stench of war.

For the oddest of reasons, war can be symbolized by any form of life. Lucky for us human beings; half of the world would be against us if they had a set number of extra chromosomes and fortuitist beliefs. Though on this night of misfortune, under the sky of a split dimension, things start off with a rhythm of anarchy.

Within the rigid circle of stone, an unwell Chaos Portal appeared and out came the leaping Tojiro. He skidded out to the cave's mouth with pointed stone. The portal shocked and flicked with yellow lightning bolts, shattering within seconds. The Demigod jerked his solemn gaze back without question. He felt unsure.

Being too unsure made him impatient to think; time is endless in his eyes, but this land he was brought to would later reject all forms of acute planning. He raised his right hand up with the palm facing towards the ocean sky. From the blue dome orb on his palm, a hologram image slanted itself into the frame of a rectangle. In blue lettering, it read on three separate lines;

**Owari Province, Okehazama, Japan, **

**Altered Dimension: POSSIBLE PARADOX DETECTED**

**Chaos energy levels low**

Fitting, wasn't it?

"No Chaos energy in this dimension. Sincere, yet trifling. Wouldn't **Paragon** have a tie to it? Well, it has to! But…a paradox dimension? This place is surely rare." he confirmed calmly, lowering his right hand to make diminishing of the hologram. "Might as well take my first step and…find the best location for **restoration**."

A frightening sense welled itself up in the Demigod's nerves, making them twitch and freeze; the Cloakmaster sensed misfortune upon these lands. He just got here too! Clearing through tree after tree, the towers of wood and grass began to tear at Tojiro's insignificant patience. He untied the sheathed Blade of Darkness with his right hand, waving it forward with his other arm.

His distant eyes saw through the tree fold, staring at the moon with boredom. Chirping birds flicked his ears, causing his focus to aim his gaze forward, and there he saw sanctity. A huge open field of dirt, soil, and ash. He stepped to prey his hopeless eyes upon the remnants of a cindered village. There was nothing but silence. Not a single structure was standing. Only the remains of charred debris were left amongst the area.

"Humans really _don't_ know how to stop wagering over war."

Tojiro stopped in the center of the disappeared town, holding the Blade of Darkness up over his head to course into the ground. Its handle stuck up, and the Cloakmaster sat down with a calming essence falling down on his shoulders. A relaxing session made him this way. A grand Demigod laying against his trustworthy sword; it always had his back.

He took it upon himself to lift his lazy and latent neck to throw his distinctive eyes into the wide open sky. Tojiro quickly watched as one of the painted stars crossed many of its replicas, creating a large silver tail to embellish his attention. He rested his right hand on the dirt by his side, clenching a clump of ash to ascend his clenched hand. It slipped between his fingers like gentle streams of sparkling water. What would be full of life was quickly replaced with meaningless dust that swept out of the Demigod's hand.

"Nothing comprehends control. _Nothing _and _no one_…will ever know control. I haven't once designated humanity to know control. The force of history itself even, it holds no prescription to synthesize both peace and quiet with the world. Not one dimension in existence knows its own destruction. No one on Earth knows that it is their own filthy obscurities that make them so hostile towards even the assumption of another. All of humanity is built over balance; while it should be balance that overshadows all without eternal oppression."

"Friends and foes alike have stood on the borderlines of eternity to witness these events that transcend the continuously turning pages of history into a longer and more complicated tale of trepidation. These stars…I recognize as all the people who are standing against me. The god, Ryu Kaze. Even he stands along the ranks of those who wish to see me erased from existence. No plan has shall ever make that a reality. Death is what I am, and what I shall be. For I am only an illusion."

This talent of tumbling tides of war in the form of a rambling soliloquy aided Tojiro to bar none. He lowered his head. Calm and diligent lunged into the apertures on both sides of Tojiro's head. He regrettably clenched his eyes closed. With his eyes of descending evil and willful choice, Tojiro retracted his right leg so the knee was sticking up, and the foot of his leg remaining flat on the charred earth. He crossed his right hand onto the knee. A stubborn posture allowed Tojiro to befall this night's current time.

He kindly welcomed sleep's enchanting arms, and yet he could not dream of grandeur, but duty and choice. The negativity of his past left him without dreams and only reprimanded his life with an ill belief that no other living being in existence could shoulder. With his hood up, his left leg left extended, his gaze gone along with the rest of his face, darkness encompassed his heartless corpse. It was there that he arrogantly imagined the sincerity of this actually being considered _a well earned rest_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Next Morning<strong>_

The sun claimed its daring expression over the environment. The hills glowed with green. The mountains were serene and majestic to match the sun's elegance. While upon the vanished village, Tojiro remained in constant rest. His sword had been surrounded in a red aura with rippling white lines. Tojiro left his nerves in unrest, unaware of four female children. One, the tallest, carried the smallest on her back, while the second pair remained staring with worry at the Cloakmaster. The two standing on their own had short black hair, the older of them had long brown hair, while the youngling on her back had two small buns tied out of her mahogany colored hair.

From their attire, it was best to assume this village was what they _use_ to call home. _Home_. Tis' something the Cloakmaster hardly knew ever since he was given this destiny. The youngest girl hopped off, rushing to the senseless disciple of Death. They all followed in suite. It was seconds until the lenses of the Cloakmaster's goggles filled with crimson. He reached back to remove his sheathed blade from the earth.

He removed it with incompetence, pointing it directly into the young child's face. It was great enough proof that she stopped in time for obvious reasons. The other three girls stood only feet away from the shorter girl, afraid for her safety. Tojiro's eyes twitched to the left for nervous reasons.

His eyes halted at what he saw. A dreadful energy was wired to these children and what he saw: The humble graves that _they_ made for their parents. Rocks and stones were put around in a square shape. Everything inside were wooden posts that the children could find in their village's remains. Tojiro blankly lowered his sword, immediately stabbing it into the ground. Grunting with a tire and bad taste in his mouth, Tojiro stood over all the newly made vagabonds of this war torn era.

"So this is all I get. A screwed up dimension with mindless killers who slay the families of others. Humanity…how I despise it so." shuttered the cursed man's voice.

He looked back at the four girls, making them all jolt in place. The solemn Demigod took his gaze and threw it back at the grave markers. Tojiro lowered his hood and lifted his goggles to cover his symbolic bandana. His spirit locked and sold itself to embellish this demoralizing place. The four girls scampered after the cloaked warrior with wonder. He stopped before the yard of resting peace. His worn eyes appeared weak before this imagery. His eyes burned with his dry lips. Tojiro held both his arms out with his palms open to the sky. Patches and bouquets of flowers appeared. He slowly waved his hands opposite ways, lowering his gaze from the graves. The flowers landed in front of each grave. Tojiro let swing his arms down. He positioned himself on one knee, holding his right hand forward, all five fingers positioned together to point to the starry heavens.

"Just…_be at peace_." conjured the Demigod's slurred voice, hoping for safe passage to these vanished people.

Tojiro watched the children group on both sides of him, looking at the graves with stout expressions and O shaped mouths.

"They're safe where they are." he complied with crossed arms as he stood to his feet.

His right hand was pulled by the very youngest girl, who looked up at him. Tojiro irritably grunted in response. He rubbed his metallic icy hand across her scalp, causing her to shutter, and then smile up at him. He retracted his hand back with surprise. The source of his life lowered and clenched in a fist form. He quickly rested his goggles over his eyes once more, turning away from the lonely group to return to his Blade of Darkness.

With it still slurred in red and black Chaos energy, he removed all the dread that this village gave off. He removed the sheathed sword and strapped his favorable weapon onto his right waist. A whirling fan screeched against his eardrums. He turned himself around with haste, mounting his right hand on the grip of his blade. He saw the very person that he has first made an enemy out of: Ryu Kaze. The blue portal he exited was quick to vanish, yet his reason was as thick as the chaos this village witnessed.

"I wager you are here to only cause me more trouble. Just tell me I'm right and I _**won't**_ make the first attack." quickly noted Tojiro.

"I've come only upon a request by God Himself. He wishes to speak with you." Ryu blanketed calmly.

"You lie, Kaze! I've already spoken with Him ONCE! I'm not going to start a war with one of the most powerful Chaos users alive! _Not yet_." Tojiro inclined harshly.

"It is not out of suit! The world is beginning to recognize you for more than your power, but what you will do with it." withered Ryu's voice.

Tojiro lifted his goggles to his forehead once more, arrogantly firing a dual mirage of red Chaos beams. Ryu calmly swung his left hand to deflect the blasts into empty air. Tojiro remained with his crinkled face that was born by his visual angry eyes that resembled the fires of Hell's sixth circle.

"You deny everything…as always. You must aim your attention to me for this sole moment, Cloakmaster! You are not as you are!"

"And I wager _that's why_ God wishes to have an audience with me? WITH ME?! You are but a fool! Much more of a fool when you attacked ME!" said the Cloakmaster's climbing voice.

"Silence your arrogance, Demigod of Death! It is _your_ foolishness that has made you become what you are! Especially with your fruitful decision to handle the power of the Nightmare Scythe!"

"I don't give one damn soul or spirit what I did with the Scythe's power! This conflict is your brewing! NOT MINE! I have enough pain to deal with when my own Chaos energy is trying to pull my own organs inside out! So before you assume like every other pitiful being in history's existence, you **WILL** acknowledge this declaration of war that God calls upon me!" acclaimed the Cloakmaster's seething tone, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness and pointing its rejuvenated power at Ryu for deceitful manners.

"Why must you be so technical with everything that your ears receive? It is **exactly** this reason why _**everyone's**_ after your head!" summoned the infallible god.

Tojiro lifted his head back by inches. His startled hand caused him to keep his sword raised.

"What do you define as…**everyone**?" spoke Tojiro's nullifying tongue of hatred.

"That is not of importance, regardless of what you demand from me! Now, will you stand down for the sake of humanity's continuation? Or shall you oppose and raise your sword against-"

A funnel of red and orange spat itself from Tojiro's sword, consuming Ryu from sight, and Tojiro's conscience as he remained standing with the pressing wind and momentum the blast of mixed Chaos energy gave off. Fogs of debris and smoke left themselves wandering until Ryu swung his staff to cut the entirety of the smoke in half.

"So quick with decisions you've become. Much like with the Nightmare Scythe, you allow yourself to be doubted by newfound power." confirmed the god-like Chaos user.

"You're only wasting your time! As is God…and everybody else that supposedly seeks my end!"

"Humanity has nothing to do with this, Tojiro. And nor does your selfish belief! You are only foolishly unaware! And that truth…is not even worth MY time!" crowned Ryu's shuttering tone.

He launched twenty Chaos Wind Spears. Tojiro threw the Blade of Darkness directly into the air. With it halted, it pointed directly at Ryu far below at a diagonal angle. Ryu quickly waved the Golden Dragon Staff up to throw the twenty Chaos Spears up at the Blade of Darkness. Tojiro shot forward in the form of a drill.

Ryu's Chaos Spears contaminated the air with green and white explosions. Tojiro punched Ryu directly in the left side of his neck, quickly jumping backwards into the air. The Blade of Darkness shot through down to land itself in the Demigod's right hand. He assuredly lunged the Blade of Darkness down at Ryu. It stuck itself before Ryu's feet, emanating a yellow glow. Ryu grabbed the sword, and pointed it up at Tojiro instead. The Cloakmaster's eyes remained steady and without doubt.

"Chaos Implosion: Blast Technique!" shrieked his violent tone.

Ryu redirected the technique, and kept it locked inside the sword.

"What!?" confined Tojiro's impatience.

Ryu made the sword vanish. Tojiro quickly flew forward through the air, the revealed Blade of Darkness appeared as well, tagging him by inches. Its yellow glowing aura remained around it.

"Why continue this nonsense, Tojiro?"

"Oh, I have a lot of room to be a bother! Thanks to you!" snapped the shrouded voiced Tojiro, ending up in a spiral turn and upside down left turn.

With his back turned towards the ground far below, Tojiro watched as his most trusted ally was trying to blow him to pieces.

"God…I've always hated irony. Damn you Ryu!" complained the Demigod in denial.

Tojiro shot straight backwards through the air to avoid his eagle flying sword by inches. Tojiro watched as the Blade of Darkness turned back and returned to its determined chase. Tojiro aimed for Ryu with blazing flames of Chaos energy shooting from under his feet. Ryu steadily prepared himself, aiming the Golden Dragon Staff at Tojiro to release an overwhelming meteor sized blast of scarlet Chaos energy.

Tojiro quickly halted to use chaos Control. His sword collided with the blast resulting in a shower of yellow and red to flail amongst the sky. Ryu grunted in surprise to watch Tojiro charge down through the clouds with the Blade of Darkness being held by both of his hands. Ryu swung and jabbed Tojiro in the stomach with his staff. A warped blue light surrounded both master Chaos users. They both shrunk into nothingness, their vanishing done through a fortunate use of Chaos Control.

**つづく**

_**To be continued**_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
><strong>

-A cloud of fog obscures three female fighters.- "In the wake of his battle with Ryu Kaze, Tojiro continues his mission in hopes of finding allies for the coming future's war."

-Ryu creates a barrier of Chaos Light, a hexagonal shape.- -Kan'u Uncho and Tojiro Ankoku face off in front of Seito Academy.-

"Traveling across the major academy's, housing fighters reborn with the spirits of warriors long gone, Tojiro hampers his chances at standing against Heaven."

-Suikyo, the old master aligned with Seito Academy, speaks to an ignorant Cloakmaster.- -Hakufu Sonsaku salutes in another scene; ditzy as most times.-

"In knowing he can't create alliances, the sight of bonds tear away at Tojiro's mind." -Surrounded by steam, Tojiro launches into the sky.-

-A storm of green fire shoots its way to Ryu Kaze.- -Tojiro's grip around the Blade of Darkness causes it to turn hot red.-

"In the midst of his madness," -The fighters of Seito and Nanyo watch Tojiro fly away, knowing he needs them no longer.- "Tojiro is transported to a domain inside his mind."

-Tojiro stands within a dark dimensional city. Hundreds of small huts and houses fill his this dimension of his mind.-

"There, he meets his truce **Face**. The almighty dragon that has been sealed inside his body for all time."

-Tojiro lands inside a massive Colosseum, staring into a huge grated floor at the sand covered center. A huge pair of empty eyes, flaring with crimson, stare back at the Nightshade.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXXIV: A NEW SEAL  
><strong>


	74. Chapter LXXIV

**CHAPTER LXXIV: A NEW SEAL  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro Ankoku, Ryu Kaze and Roku Tatsumaki. They are my original characters, copyright and owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

**ANOTHER long chapter. Thirty six pages this one. Befitting enough with choice interest in its closing moments. Enjoy!**

_**Present Day, Tokyo, Japan, 11:45 am**_

Through a struggle of wits and power, Tojiro and Ryu shot out of a blue Chaos Portal that appeared high above the city. Within this city's limits, much chaos itself has been born in this city, much too enough for its citizens to handle. Tojiro elbowed Ryu directly in his jaw, hearing the crunching success, following up with a two kick attack to the chest that caused a pair of orange imprints in Ryu's chest that simmered with Ryu's painful grunts. Tojiro and Ryu faced their beliefs glare to glare.

"Nothing has you prepared for this day and age. Believe me, you shall!" commanded the powerful Ryu.

"Like this planet has the power to rid me from its surface! I have nothing to fear, and no time TO fear!" barked the Cloakmaster, transforming into his Darkrai form.

Ryu readily created a hexagon barrier of Chaos Light. Tojiro shot forward in a spiral fashion. The air began circumventing around his body in a green aura. Ryu, deceived Tojiro's assumption. He charged forward with the barrier still in place to protect everything in front of him.

Tojiro clapped his clawed hands together, preparing the Tiger hand sign. Ryu prepared a large emerald blue drill that extended from the center of the hexagon barrier. A blazing green drill surrounded the Cloakmaster. The two vicious roars the warriors exchanged allowed them to collide with twice as more momentum. The blast resulted in a tormenting green flame explosion with silver clear smoke.

Tojiro shot backwards through the smoke with his hands extended out, firing green Chaos Spears from the palms of his hands. Ryu ascended through the clouds to avoid the screaming projectiles. Tojiro halted in the sky of blue. His lowered hands made sure work to vanish the sappy green Chaos energy from his palms. Ryu was left silent in his ambushing ready abode. The clouds left Tojiro more unsettling than Ryu.

Tojiro knew Ryu had as nearly _five times_ the skill and battle strategy than he had himself. Ryu has been existing on the planet with Chaos energy inside his body for all too long, and now to have such a powerful ally become his most unprecedented foe, it became wasteful to continue thinking about it. Tojiro watched as a large tunnel beam of light orange with a sun sized hole that showered a storm of golden glitter. Tojiro angrily clapped his hands together.

"Nightmare Form Stage One! _**DREAM FORM!**_"

A blizzard of blue waves mixed with silver orbs exploded around the Demigod that carved away the giant destructive beam. Ryu was revealed within the clouds as his beam vanished by Tojiro's heinous and desperate transformation. Ryu continued to read through the air, only finding a voluminous amount of positive Chaos energy focusing on one point, and a sliver of unthinkable negative Chaos energy being a part of it.

"Lightning Concussion Barrage!" echoed the damned Tojiro.

A hundred blue lightning bolts lined with red fired through. Ryu painstakingly accepted the trap's agony for now without complaints. Tojiro was revealed as a completely changed Darkrai. His black colored hue became white, the red neck around his head became blue, and the white hair that was swaying from his head became black. He clamped his right metallic hand with his blood and bone extensor. A physical rupture in the lightning cage exploded around Ryu.

"Chaos Implosion: Spike Crush!" Ryu commanded with shattering volume.

From the left and right, Tojiro was surrounded. A long black Chaos formed drill was to his left while to his right was a white drill. Ryu clenched his left hand as it was raised up. The two drills punctured through the Demigod's hips. Tojiro bled horrendously from his body, as from his eyes. Ryu was secured of safety as the lightning diamond vanished from around his space.

"Here we are on Earth. I would summon the great Chaos user _here_, but I presume you are still battle able." Ryu claimed with silent degree, still holding great respect for the Demigod of Death.

Tojiro's head loosened and dropped; the pain began to crush his shoulders and everything after that. Tojiro watched as Ryu approached. Ryu halted with mere feet between them.

"We're on Earth…just like you said. So get ol' Alpha and Omega down here. I would rather face Him." said the shot-put Tojiro with a conflicting glare.

"And you would rather face His power than mine? God has the ability to throw this entire planet into chaos." Ryu surely concluded without remorse.

"He should. Humanity has already disappointed Him enough, correct? Have you seen that face of his? He's seen far more hatred and death because HE has created the humans! What does my existence have **anything **to do with _**them**_?!" assaulted the tortured Cloakmaster.

"I need not waste any more time with how determined you will become! And determined you are! This war is not yours…you've already lost." consulted the grave god's voice.

Tojiro felt the tips of the drills connect within his body, causing a violent eruption of black and white flames. Ryu's cloak swayed and flew by the imminent combustion. Ryu held his trusted staff of enigma in his right hand. Nothing but the clear air wafted before him. The chaos was silenced. Ryu's mind was set to distrust and complication. A large whirling slid into Ryu's ears, utterly preparing him for the worst that he was so ready for. Tojiro charged down from high above Ryu at a diagonal angle. The sun was blocked by a humongous red sphere with wild streams of white encircling it.

"That's what you get when you face a **Chaos Clone**! Now its time for you to clash with the real deal!" boomed the Cloakmaster's voice, in his Werehog form with the effects of the Nightmare Form's First Stage still active; white fur and black tipped quills with azure eyes. Tojiro rammed directly against Ryu with his powerful attack, only known as:

"**MASSIVE CHAOS RASENGAN!**"

The perfectly shaped sphere overwhelmed the warrior god, and both he and the Cloakmaster hurled down through the sky. As Tojiro remained in a diagonal position while holding the gigantic Ninjutsu against the much smaller cloaked god who was on the other side. The impending doom the technique was answered as it plummeted through the entire upper half of two skyscrapers.

The freakish Chaos energized attack vanished within the smoke, and Tojiro trifled with the hurricane of ashy smoke, avoiding tumultuous bunches of debris that fell to gravity's nature. Tojiro listened as spitting cries of rock smashing upon the streets below mixed with chaos filled his ears and the souls and spirits of everyone below. Tojiro landed in the eaten half of the second building that was violently dissected by high speed revolving Chaos energy.

Tojiro stumbled over to the gigantic open half of the building, using a shattered column of worn masonry to stand up. His blanketed blue eye sockets were worn down with his sweating brow that shoved for anger. Orange embers were as clear as the smoke that wandered all before Tojiro's eyes. It nearly engulfed the building he was standing in, and the one behind it. Tojiro watched a humongous sledgehammer shaped formation of purple Chaos energy swing down through the fog of destruction. Tojiro quickly launched towards it while spinning his arms around that caused cyclones of silver and glimmering blue to slash a large hole in the attack.

Tojiro passed on to the other side to punch the unready Ryu and his resilient Golden Dragon Staff. Tojiro's left fist remained glued to the staff as both his fist and metal continued using their elements against another. Tojiro's eyes quickly enlightened themselves with silver.

Ryu glared at the Demigod's legs as they pointed towards his chest. A cyclone funnel of red and orange fired from the underside of both his feet, overwhelming the fully aware Ryu in its brilliant glow. Tojiro's legs hung down, shortly following up with a black fog that reverted him to his human form. He watched blood of the most tainted form curve from his skull like a stream of bubbling lava.

Tojiro's ears were beaten by the sense of desperation. A golden flash shot through the smoke. Tojiro was skewered between his pectorals by Ryu's very own Golden Dragon Staff. His legs and arms were jutted forward as he was shot backward through the air to find himself pinned against a wall of cracked stone that was part of one of the many rooms this building housed. A contemporary butterfly effect of blood splashed with a high pitched fruit crushing noise that appeared in the form of an unacceptable Rorschach test card.

Ryu appeared before Tojiro with his feet smashing into the ground, grabbing the throat of the Demigod without hesitance. Tojiro released a mist of Chaos Poison from his mouth. Ryu punched Tojiro with all five knuckles of his left hand to cancel the counter.

"No more chaos. No more tricks. Surrender your efforts or suffer an honorable death." spoke Ryu with drastic offense.

Tojiro vaguely planted his feet back against the wall. A horrendous blast of Chaos Fire boosted both forward, causing the Golden Dragon Staff to pierce through Ryu's chest in response to give him a sickened cough of agony. Tojiro and Ryu were thrown across the city in a straight line. Tojiro held Ryu by the clavicles, piercing his thumbs deep through the skin of his hooded head.

Ryu butted heads in a nail biting sensation that made a visible set of small cracks glow red on the Demigod's torn headband. The distraught Demigod watched with wavering eyes as Ryu grabbed the Golden Dragon Staff with his glowing blue hands. "Chaos…Control!" The equally leveled master Chaos warriors vanished with impermanence.

Upon the grounds of a high school in the Kanto Region of Japan, the beaten and scar covered Chaos warrior smashed onto the campus of **Nanyo Academy.** Lifting his admirable gaze up from the stone tiled ground, Tojiro removed his headband with resentment. He shoved it into the right pocket of his cloak while using his left hand to push himself onto his feet. With the after effects of his Dream Form, Tojiro's negative Chaos energy had to flow back into his body from his right arm.

Tojiro's goggles were returned his right pocket as well, feeling his forehead slathered in tireless sweat. His cheeks cringed against the sides of his jawbone, his head began to weigh on him. His footsteps became nulled of senses. Tojiro felt as if he was dragging a pair of one hundred pound weights to his ankles. Tojiro eventually allowed himself to halt after hearing echoes of shouts and war cries. His gaze ascended once more His eyes of wrath looked over his left shoulder.

Two eagerly appearing girls in skirts were charging at them, but not without reason. A twenty man horde of other fighters were on their tail, all from **Kyosho Academy**. The two escapees that caused the anger of the Kyosho fighters was **Hakufu Sonsaku**: "The Little Conqueror." By her right was the teeth gritting and despicably nervous faced **Bachou Mouki.**

"_Those_ two, huh? Now I feel the urge to be responsible…and that's just befitting." sarcastically said the Demigod.

He turned around and snapped his fingers, preparing for a wasteful transformation.

"Hey! Don't look now Hakufu, but I think we have another fighter blocking our path!" exclaimed the heinous Bachou.

"Ehhh? Who?!" exploded Hakufu's voice, leaving her gaze of their chasers to the cloaked Demigod.

Her light emerald eyes blinked several times. It wasn't a test. She should've remembered by-

"TOJI-KUN!" yelled the frantic warrior, actually leaping off the ground and throwing her arms out.

Tojiro raised his fists, using all forms of ignorance to clog his ears and hopefully his frontal lobe so he would _**never**_ hear that name again. Period. Hakufu and Bachou were nearing the Demon Demigod. His legs bent and his calling shined. Hakufu lunged forward with a wide open mouth in the form of a smile. Tojiro shot forward, but vanished with Chaos Control.

"Hakufu?" stuttered Bachou, halting to watch her teacher fall face first on the ground with her arms and legs stretched out.

Tojiro reappeared in his ten foot tall Werehog form. He grabbed both sides of his hood, lowering it to reveal his horrifying example of a humane face. Tojiro bellowed a gargantuan roar at all the Kyosho pursuers. Spit and black crimson blood was spurting out from his throat, and even sticking to his white fangs to give a far much better impression. The entire horde of warriors were wide eyed, their eyes resorting to the size of a grain of sand.

"To hell with THIS! I'm outta' here!" cried one of the Kyosho fighters.

In a fleeting moment, they were all in frantic retreat; screaming and shouting out references to their failure of getting past a mutant version of a hedgehog. Tojiro lowered his hands to fold the large fingers and knuckle drive them into the ground. Hakufu and Bachou were gazing at the back of the towering Demigod with arms as thick as tree trunks. The muscle tightened and rolled, causing Tojiro to collapse like a ton of bricks placed on a crooked pole.

Bacho was first to act, "Tojiro!" called out the warrior from Seito High School.

The two warriors took a vigil stance over the energy sapped Demigod. Bachou kneeled down by his head, checking aimlessly for a pulse.

"You really think you should be doing _that_ now?" barked his irritated voice, grabbing onto her arm with his baffling sized hand that shook Bachou out of his grasp within seconds. Tojiro pitted his hands flat on the ground to rise to his stumbling flat ended appendages, looking clueless at the two warriors before him. Hakufu tilted her head in a confused manner. "You don't seem okay. You okay there, Toji-kun?"

"Now you ask? Well…I really don't feel like talking…nor do I intend to stay conscious. So, if you would excuse me…." responded the stammering Demon Demigod.

He clapped his hands to envelop himself in a black fog that returned him to his human form. While lowering the hood, Tojiro readied his sheathed Blade of Darkness. Hakufu was still confused.

"Did you just get here? OH! How long do you plan on staying? Well? Well? Hmmm?" Hakufu assertively joked, stepping up to the Cloakmaster as he kept his eyes off her pestering movements.

Tojiro changed the entirety of the Blade of Darkness into a silver cane. It was the same as before and it still suited him because he feels more comfortable when having a tool to support him. Tojiro truly never desired to let his back hit the ground over something so pathetic as his very own Chaos energy trying to kill him. Something _that_ complicated sounded _too_ bland for him to accept when in death; if that statement contradicts itself or not.

"Listen, I'm going to walk into that blatant school of yours, find the infirmary, melt the door hinges shut, and then catch some rest." he spoke with impatience, glaring at Hakufu throughout.

Still dazed and confused stood Hakufu. She was so confused that her eyes became large green circles.

"Uhhmm, Master? I think…that's it." went the whispering Bachou to Hakufu's ear.

"Ehhh?! No way! Listen Toji-kun I need to ask you something before you even try and leave, kay'?" pointed the exclusive Hakufu, her right index finger in the Cloakmaster's face.

"Keep that finger of yours there any longer and I just might turn cannibalistic, _just_ _this_ _once_." contemplated the dark voiced warrior. Realistically Tojiro was upset and annoyed at Hakufu's nature so there weren't any hard feelings, really!

"Master, is he really that strong? We've only seen him fight once and that was waaaaaay too long ago to remember!"

"No worries Bacchin! I can handle him!"

"Really. I can transform into my Werehog form right now if you want. Come on! I won't even hold myself back if you wish." orchestrated the lively Demigod.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Seito Academy, 11:55 am<strong>_

Walking ahead of a haggard Tojiro marched the high knee stepping Hakufu of Nanyo. Bachou was stuck behind by the Cloakmaster's side. She was _attempting_ to keep her eyes of him. Due to situations in the past, Bachou has been left haggard herself due to Tojiro's abilities in combat. He wasn't open ended nor was he intimate. Like good and evil, he was stuck somewhere in-between; he stood on his own ground and supported himself this way ever since he's become a Nightshade. Whether he be rebelling against his own limitations or practicing within them without careful regards, Tojiro manages to keep his mind petite. Upon entering the academy grounds, the eyes of the wandering warriors were set upon four individuals.

The frightening power of Shiryu Choun along with Shokatsuryo Komei, the unfortunate monk Kanshu Kouchu, and the leader of Seito, Gentoku Ryubi. Tojiro grumbled an awful rhythm under his brow.

"Yosh! All right, Toji-kun, do you know why we came here?" implied Hakufu, turning her back to the waiting fighters of Seito that remained far and still.

"I surprisingly don't, Miss Sonsaku. Frankly I am finding it difficult to start figuring out why and how I'm going to influence anything in any of your people's lives." conjured the Cloakmaster's yawning voice.

"I really don't think you should've brought him here Master. You know what'll probably happen if he crosses paths with Kan'u, right?" consented the silent Bachou to the smirking Nanyo fighter.

"Hey, hey come on Bacchin! Its not like I'm against his strength or anything! I just want to see how he fights!" responded Hakufu in rather hushed voice.

"Master, you don't get it." said the gray hope of Bachou.

Hakufu shot out a gasp, "Maybe I can even use his training methods on _**you!**_" grabbing Bachou's shoulders.

"Why is it that when you talk about me in secret…you do it right in front of me?" complained the level headed Cloakmaster, managing to have lifted the burden on his shoulders, glaring at the two fighters with a wasteful stare.

The fighters along with their trusted Cloakmaster finally met the Seito fighters in unison of skill and respect.

"Sonsaku-san!" exclaimed Ryubi upon Hakufu's halt before the group.

"Ryu-chan, things sure must have been well here at Seito, huh? Everyone's been great ever since we defeated that _**Kentei **_guy!" commented the effortless Hakufu.

"It has hasn't it? It _is_ thanks to our recognition of each that we're all fighters that got us through that conflict. Right, Shi-san?" smiled the bespectacled leader of Seito, eventually looking at Shiryu.

"Indeed. Our Head has certainly leaded well." commented the sword bearing A-ranked fighter.

"Even Kan'u helped with the speeches. Ryubi, for some reason, enjoyed it greatly!" summoned the voice of Ekitoku Chouhi, standing on top of the main campus building.

"Ahhh! Ekitoku?!" exclaimed the stunned Kouchu.

"Eh? What's wrong? Hmmm?" bugged the short haired fighter, jumping down to pose a conflicting arm cross before the towering monk.

"Ekitoku Chouhi and Gentoku Ryubi. Even the sword master Choun Shiryu stands among you but, where is **Kan'u Uncho**?"

"Kan-san is in the dojo with Suikyo-sensei. She had some urgent business with him so…"

The leader of Seito was left with a cold wind flying past her as Tojiro fleeted through the group and to the dojo where the legendary descendant of Guan Yu's spirit awaited.

Grabbing the doors and sliding them open, Tojiro came sight to sight with Suikyo. An old man with orange lense sunglasses. He was alone and silent, raising his cup of sake for a taste.

"Wow. Didn't see that coming." slammed Tojiro's annoyed tongue, turning his back to Suikyo.

"You only visit because of _her_, do you not?" spoke the patient teacher.

Tojiro turned around, unsheathing his Blade of Darkness and throwing it directly at Suikyo without calm. Suikyo remained still.

The blade's handle was sticking directly in front of him in a wagging style. The entire sword itself? It was driven through the sake cup Suikyo was drinking. The pointed tip remained in the ground, leaving Suikyo to sigh with angst.

"I'm getting _really, really_ tired of things like that. I've met you the day before this school was even built." threatened the Demigod, flicking his right hand to reestablish the Blade of Darkness in his right hand so he could sheath it.

"And you were much different back then. You nearly destroyed this place when none of our most valuable fighters weren't here to protect it. And back then, you wouldn't have as much skills and abilities that you possess now." commented the teacher as he rose up from the floor, holding his hands behind his back and meeting the Cloakmaster eye to eye.

"You've sure grown older. I assume using Chi is out of the question?" laughed the quaint Suikyo.

"Its always about trust and limits with you. What measure of trust must you bequeath upon _any_ of these children before you throw them into war?"

"Not a fertile one. A fighter can be born of any age and of any race. All it takes is a will and fire to fuel it. Just look at you." he replied ominously.

Tojiro glared away from the old man's obscure sentences. Tojiro strangely felt its weight press down on him more and moreover. Suikyo's glum expression swept on. Tojiro grabbed his forehead with a grit of anger present in his irises.

"Why don't you sit down? Kan'u will arrive shortly, I assure you." gently motioned the teacher of Seito, taking a gentle approach to sit back down on his knees. This reluctant situation absolutely called for it.

Tojiro rested down in front of Suikyo, while he prepared two more cups of sake. Tojiro waved his hand to make the shattered cup he skewered vanish from the floor.

"Quite…honest and thankful you are. When a kind individual welcomes you into their home you make do to clean whatever mess is made. You Tojiro, have most certainly changed in these increasing years."

"I still look the same, Suikyo. Nothing too viable has changed in me. I've actually become far more aware. Too…aware." Tojiro coughed, his eyes beaming to bottom right of his eye sockets.

Suikyo lowered his small drink of sake. A beaming stare was sent from behind the sun orange lenses of his glasses, taking great caution with Tojiro's words. Tojiro finally lifted his right hand that held the sake, taking it all down. He placed it firmly on the floor with his eyebrows crunching down on his flaming eyes.

"You certainly sounded sure when you said that. Tell me, what is it that has influenced you so?" bothered the compliant Suikyo.

"Something with a potent sense of danger. Supposedly an old comrade of mine is after me for reasons unknown. He wants me dead. He has no reason that I can hypothesize on, but I finally believe I found the loophole in the most coincidental form." mentioned the witty Cloakmaster, removing his bright white cloak.

Gentoku and the others arrived at the door, peeking through the small creak in the door. Tojiro dropped his rolled up cloak to his right, moving on to turn his back to Suikyo. The spying group of fighters moved away to avoid Tojiro's seething sight. Tojiro pulled the back of his shirt up to reveal a heinous dysfunction. From his right arm, and only his right arm, tubes and metal began to grow under and out of his skin. Deformed skin wrapped around several gray steel dials that appeared on the upper right portion of his back.

The sage stared at the terrible sight without motivation to bring to Tojiro's ears. Tojiro lowered his shirt, lifting his head to the inch closed door. He waved his right hand and the door slid open with an influence of air. Suikyo looked past Tojiro to see all the fighters awaiting the Cloakmaster. Tojiro rigidly rose to his feet, hoisting his cloak off the ground quickly to head towards the door. The fighters cleared for him a decent amount of room to leave.

Suikyo lowered his head, having no defining words to aid Tojiro's confusion. All Tojiro was seeking to do was to rectify this mystery of all forms of chaos; shunning all forms of supernatural war between good and evil. Though what reason should he care anyway? Humanity _is_ good and evil. The forces of Heaven and Hell only house them in the afterlife to propose them for a better or worse judgment. Tojiro was at a stalemate.

"Tojiro-san!" called the voice of Bachou.

Her waving hand ceased to maneuver left to right as it was brought down as she halted behind the Demigod. Hakufu arrived in just half the time, a stalwart stance motioning her into a stable pose.

"What were you talking to Suikyo about? From the look on your face, you appeared really angry." questioned Hakufu in a determined voice.

"None of it cautions your life. It only surrenders _my_ peace. _Not yours_. Do stay out of it…or you'll only suffer." mumbled his fogged voice, turning halfway to the two fighters.

The other fraction of Seito fighters remained only feet away from the dispute yet, it hasn't reached its peak, _yet_.

"You've been gone for a long time, we know! But try and be respectful to my Master, okay?!" barked the arguable Bachou.

"Like it would matter. Use that hatred correctly if you intend so." complained the etched Cloakmaster's voice. Bachou's response was a forward stomp only to be blocked by the right arm of Nanyo's Hakufu Sonsaku. She had been quiet for such a focused amount of time. Now with this strenuous glare in her eyes…Tojiro felt it to be possible to count his blessings.

"All I wanted to happen was see you and Kanu fight each other. That's all! Really!" she admitted with a bright expression, her emerald light eyes closing while her wide smile took form with adamance.

"And that's only half of the truth. Half truths are something I'm used to. So…if you don't mind telling me the whole thing-"

"Okay, okay, okay! I was only trying to see how you use that power of yours!" complied Hakufu earnestly, her eyes peering back open.

"You want to learn about Chaos energy? Seriously. You surely can't mean that." growled the slouch positioned Tojiro.

"Chaos energy? Is that what it's called? Perfect! Show me how to use it!" declared the defiant yet ignorant fighter.

"I knew you weren't serious. Just look at you. Happy over Chaos energy? You're either insane or desperate if a simple human wants to learn the powers of Chaos energy." assured the cross armed Cloakmaster.

"But you got them, right? What do you have against-"

"It's foolish dammit! THAT'S WHY!" stormed out the Demigod's vicious breath.

Silent reaped the two female fighters in that short time of at least five seconds. Tojiro's gritted teeth clenched with his fists, his vision distorted by anger as his head was turned to the right. Tojiro's nostrils continued to breath out one vigorous output of air over and over. A sudden pain gripped him by the nerves at every square inch of his body. His left hand wrenched around the forearm of his darkened steel arm. Such grief made him only more destitute to speak any further to Hakufu and Bachou nor anyone else that met his eyes. He tiredly lowered his left hand, his eyes closing as his head turned back to master and student; his steaming hot eyes opening back up.

"This power is the very reason why I'm suffering, Hakufu. No simple human should use it. I already have three others in line to use this, and I'm not even thinking about whatever results sprout from _that_ training. You have the ability to manipulate Chi, and you possess that dragon within you. It holds no conscious will. Only a fearless and beast of carnage awaits inside of you, Miss Hakufu. Chaos energy will not only make it worse…it will most definitely cause that dragon to become influenced by my Chaos energy. It shall only grow in strength until it decides to free itself." gouged out the Demigod's frivolous words.

"Toji-kun…" mumbled the silent Hakufu.

"Whatever my reasons," he spoke in dread. "I have no intention of bringing my power into the lives of those who have their own will to choose what power is…and what _isn't_."

The group of fighters only remained hesitant in their own era of knowledge. "Do you have some sort of trust towards us? Not even the least bit?" swiftly asked Ekitoku.

"That is where the source of the problem lies," Tojiro snapped with resilience.

"It is because of your desperation to be of any aid to me so you may feel righteous. You can't help me; truly none of you can."

He left no mistake between _those _syllables. Tojiro's conjoined thoughts of right and wrong have been glued together for too long.

It has been so long in fact that he has continued to show people how arguably stubborn and arrogant he is. No matter what ordeal another would spout off to the Cloakmaster he would find it agreeable to not allow the kindness of others to catch the better of themselves; he refused to let others go to the trouble to be headstrong and throw their lives into a war that they have no say in. Tojiro's eyebrows rose.

An edge turned his feet. The Demigod swung around to face the meaning for his arrival at Seito. Kan'u Uncho, in her dojo outfit, along with three other fighters: Ato, Chousen and Kanpei.

"Oi! Chousen! Hey, remember me?!" continuously exclaimed the hyper voiced Ekitoku, hurrying over to the blonde haired fighter.

Tojiro's twitching metal fingers moved away from the grip of his sword. The rest of his right arm lowered in calm while his posture erected back to normal.

"Chouhi! Good to see you again. And Hakufu, Gentoku as well! The faces of great fighters greet us well!" spoke truthfully the fighter upon Ekitoku's greeting.

"Has Gentoku been well?" surveyed Kan'u, stepping up to the frozen Ekitoku.

"Fine! Fine! She's been doing well under my eye, really!" answered the smile worn face of Ekitoku.

"And what of _your_ talks with these three? Have they agreed to join us?" conveyed Choun Shiryu.

"Definitely! I stand by my master's side no matter what foe we face!" implied the brave, red haired Kanpei.

Kan'u was left distinguished by a nervous side look that made Gentoku giggle in unison with everyone that saw Kanu's face.

"We _have_ come far. We spoke with Kan'u in terms of negotiation and she agreed for us to enroll here. Chousen, Kanpei and I are quite grateful for hers, and Seito's hospitality." greatly ordained the voice of the short mahogany haired Ato.

"Miss Kan'u." broke out the Demigod's voice. All eyes set to the Cloakmaster of Darkness. No eyes of judgment were settled upon Tojiro's person, only attuned ears and conscience minds. "I request that you and everyone else here listen to _**me**_for a few moments. It's rather…urgent, so to speak."

"Ah, Tojiro Ankoku…I didn't see you there. Why the serious tone?" responded Kan'u respectively.

"You're the first group to hear this. In fact, this whole city should hear it but, I feel as if that I am being watched." said the shrewd Demigod.

"How dire is it? Speak, Tojiro. We won't be stone walled by mere words." advised the silk smooth Choun.

Tojiro became enthralled in an informal fashion. His lowered head that shook left and right caused the Man with the Five Faces of Darkness to look back at all the gathered fighters and these ruthless, true, and one hundred and ten percent words of sanity:

"God is preparing to attack this world just to destroy me, along with anyone else that attempts to defend me. His Angels shall be given orders to start searching, and if all is for no good; God Himself shall descend from Heaven to deliver proper judgment to me, and anyone else who gets in between Him and myself."

A boom amongst the clouds shuttered everyone under its endless spread of air and water. Tojiro stared from the bewildered faces of the fighters and to the sky above the metropolis in the distance. The sky was loosening up on color to become dark, blinded with rage.

"T-t-There's no way you're serious…are you?" bumbled the voice of Gentoku.

"Fortunately, yeah. I am. God has some belief that I'm going to end the world completely, and so far that's all I've been dealing with." accompanied Tojiro's mellow voice. "There has to be a logical reason f-"

"Not really. No." barked the hushed Tojiro, halting Koumei's words.

"What if-"

"Nice one. Try again." interrupted the Demigod. This time, however, he cut off Bacho's response.

"Tojiro listen! We're not saying you're lying! We're only-"

"So sorry. But that's it." exclaimed the impatient Tojiro, obscuring Gentoku's voice.

The revelation to the fighters was something completely unreal to them. It wasn't a half lie. It may be possible that it was a complete lie but, Tojiro doesn't lie. That accusation: Rejected. Why would he mention it now? Does he doubt their survival? Not even. He respects these schools and the notions Hakufu and her allies have made to secure peace. Another accusation: Denied. All those confused faces and frightened expressions that wiped across the brows of these legendary fighters appeared as if they had just been told they carry an incurable disease.

"I only spoke to Him once…personally of course. But seriously, could you all remove those expressions of yours?" deduced the stone boned Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"I've been to Hell more than once, _more_ than twice,_ more_ than enough! Heaven exists as well. Get over it, and stop being so foolish! God has great reason to be coming after me, and I have to find out why!" barked and exclaimed the fervor of the twisted Cloakmaster.

"How do you know He is coming after you? How can you be sure?" proclaimed the hasty Hakufu.

Lightning zapped across the skies, bringing quick surprise to all the fighters. Tojiro glared over his shoulder. He lifted his hood to darken the expression he held. His eyes became embellished with glowing crimson.

"I'll just prove it to you then." he stated, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness.

Tojiro stalked to the edge of the towering stone steps that led to the entrance gate of Seito Academy. He pointed the Blade of Darkness outward to the sky above the city of millions. His right hand, the one that gave him life, it remained stuck to the sword's handle.

"Come on…attack me." he whispered with arrogance.

Lightning shot across the clouds once more. Tojiro's deathly glare was all that was shown. A face of darkness clouded by a stubborn and unbreakable vow to uphold his own beliefs: that is Tojiro's way of moving forward. A short set of winds breezed by with neglect. The fighters that gathered far behind Tojiro stood stout through its demeaning freeze. Tojiro's eyes closed with steaming rage.

His Blade of Darkness literally began to steam as the blade's ebony steel became wrapped with a tight red aura. Tojiro's eyes exploded with damnation; his patience shattered. A gigantic wind tunnel of blue shot down from the sky above the distant city. Tojiro lowered his weapon in shock and confusion.

Funnels of blue electricity exploded out from the dancing tornado, striking the city with dastardly speed. Tojiro sheathed his sword and transformed into his hedgehog form.

"Toji-kun, wait!" shrieked the sprinting Hakufu.

Tojiro blasted off of his footing, ignorant of his _past_. Hakufu broke her desperation, standing at the gate to the grand Seito Academy. Her eyes were null in an empty sense. Bacho silently stepped towards her master who watched the creeping smoke created from the dirt on the ground from which Tojiro leapt off from.

"Master? Are you okay with him just leaving?" asked the cautious and concerned Bacho.

Lightning struck in the form of six tendrils. Thunder shook the foundation of the heavens. Hakufu remained standing still and quiet as a block of ice.

"I'm not angry…I'm not angry…at all. He actually made me feel a bit disappointed." said the slumbering voice of Hakufu.

"Sonsaku, you can't take this as a threat or betrayal. It as he said…this is his war. Not ours." preached the righteous Kan'u. Hakufu's gentle fists cringed together, refusing to part.

"Yeah, you're right. He doesn't need us," began the Little Conqueror as her head was raised. "_**He doesn't need us at all**_." she finished with orange dragon eyes replacing those trustworthy…kind…and highly trusted emerald green ones.

The Demigod of Death's powerful feet stomped onto the roof of a building directly in front of the blue inferno. His cloak whipped and snapped with the arguing winds of nature. With such close proximity already, he would have expected something to happen already. He vividly embodied this one action.

Tojiro stretched his right arm slowly into the gigantic blue tower of air and light. The light immediately shocked the Cloakmaster all over his corpse with furious fruition. The unfortunate warrior was launched back across the ground. The right side of his head slammed onto the ground, giving him darkness, wiping his eyes of that blue night that would later show him indifference…and hope.

Within the conscience of this unruly warrior that represents Death, Tojiro stood completely blackened. His cloak was gone. His orange eyes were black like coal. His simple dress code remained. All the difference was that his right arm was shining a bright red. The symbol on his forehead, too, was glowing red: An emanating crimson circle surrounded it. Tojiro knew this place. His conscience embellished him with silence; darkened with past and future hatreds. Voices didn't beckon him to murder. No voice called his name in vain. Silence.

"There better be. Perhaps a good reason why I'm here alone. I remember having more than one annoyance to deal with once I first came here." he mumbled with impure sorrow. Tojiro turned around with a distant glare gazing through the darkness he was surrounded by.

"The Death wielder righteously comes into _**my**_ domain?" called an echoing voice

A sweat of doubt grappled Tojiro's senses. He found himself standing at the back end of a gray coliseum. The stone and granite that shaped the structure was a more vulcanized black. The sand that shifted and hissed as Tojiro moved his feet tweaked his eyebrows to rise up. Silence once again.

"Whoever's there better speak again. I'm not as patient as I use to be. Reveal yourself!" claimed the darkened warrior's voice.

Tojiro set his continuing sharpening gaze towards the center of the arena. Red energy along with pounds of smoke spouted from a large caged hole in the ground that Tojiro approached with a calm attitude. He stepped onto the gigantic caged vent. Hundreds of small inch sized squares were printed in the steel. Within it, however, no light was present. Much like his senseless beliefs, darkness embraced this caged floor. Tojiro felt much like an ant on a jumbo air liner. The smoke spouted like a fountain once again. Tojiro crinkled his eyebrows and nose. The smoke was completely familiar to him _now_.

"I surprisingly should've expected more…but not as less as your presence." conjured Tojiro's arrogance.

A set of silver claws clanged against from the inside of the trap door, along with two streaks of scarlet shimmering pupils. They were empty pupils that reflected Tojiro's very own beliefs of humanity; methods that require an unquenchable amount of hatred to show it. Tojiro stared into the eyes of his very own Dragon form. The "true" face of Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku. It defined him as everything he's become; a burden of Chaos energy, hatred and relentlessness.

"I never assumed my Dragon form had such a trinity paneled attitude. You're meddlesome. A creature worse than myself. And I lastly admit that you're a curse to humanity.

"You know not of which you carry, Cloakmaster…Ankoku. Tell me Hell Shade…what is it…that makes you believe _me_…to be a more fearsome threat than yourself?" spurted the Dragon's voice.

The claws it helplessly dug into the cage cover lowered inside the darkness. All he did was tighten the muscles around his glowing red eyes, snarling to the being he was sealed within. Tojiro returned the questionable glare as payment for getting to see the being that has kept him alive for such a long time.

"For all that I've come across, you have better possess logic enough to come up with a good reason why you made me come here."

"You really don't know…anything. Don't you? I'll be frank and announce how apocryphal you handle your power. Your festive mind can't handle the purity of how far you're going to make it…stronger. It slightly pisses me off…watching you disrespect your limitations without any regrets. But that's _**you**_ after all."

The Dragon's kind words left Tojiro shrewdly despicable.

"Tell me what kind of thoughts that are always racing through that mind of yours. You alienate all that you disagree with. And I don't mean that ten year old bullshit like 'Trust me!' or even 'I'll protect you no matter what'! That soulless and stupid logic others throw at you is diminutive. Tis' beyond foolhardy! What gives you the inspiration to move other people into becoming…righteous?"

Tojiro appeared more impressed now. The Dragon within his body was actually him, minus the size, appearance and wings.

"What is it that you know of me? Besides everything below the checkbox that reads: Eligible to become the reason for humanity's disappearance." stated the obscene eyes of the Cloakmaster.

"I know everything there is, and that which isn't. My truths blend reality into many ways. You're very lucky I'm here locked inside your body." conspired the Dragon's cunning.

"Then do you know why God's after me? It would _really_…assist me if I have something to use against Him." pursued the Cloakmaster.

"Oh, yeah! Yes. Of course. How is the good Almighty? Has he kicked your a-"

"Dammit you fool, just stay on the subject." snapped the Demigod with his restless eyes.

"Indeed! My fault, Tojiro," surged the Dragon's laughter. "All I'm assuming is that your Chaos energy is becoming more…let us just say it is becoming maniacally rampant. Does rampant work? I think rampant works. I like its sound. Do you concur?"

"God wants to kill me because He doesn't like the sense of my Chaos energy? That reason is completely identical to every other supernatural being OR Chaos user that's been after me. What the hell is wrong with you? You accursed salamander! I assumed you knew me well but of course I was an ass to do so. Thanks."

"Respect only gets you so far, you know." reprimanded the aloof Dragon.

"And a well aimed Chaos Fear blast only gets you nowhere but your destined afterlife. I heard Hell enjoys using Dragons as their gate openers. I guarantee you'll sweat out all of your rancid Chaos energy before you have the chance to come up with another wise crack. Just tell me…WHY is God trying to destroy me?!"

"Just open that seal and you'll get all the answers you desire."

Tojiro's eyes became glorified with mystery from the Dragon's request. Tojiro stared towards the far end of the gate prison that imprisoned Tojiro's Dragon beneath his feet. The Dragon's words of empathy pursued Tojiro to march over to the other side of the fenced floor.

A brief halt left him bewildered at this _seal_ that the Dragon spoke of. Tojiro's eyes were caught staring at a square sheet of black metal. Within the perimeters would be the symbol of Tojiro's distraught conflicts, future and forever. There was first a right side up black diamond with the smallest angles pointing up and the other pointing down. A yellow line traced down through the center while on both sides of the line were thin scarlet glowing diamonds that were in diagonal directions, all pointing towards the center of the line that cut between them. On all four sides of the diamond were five triangular shaped teeth that shined with red.

Above the top of the diamond was an upside down wide angled triangle with its top point touching the point of the diamond. The same went for under the diamond except the triangle was right side up. The top triangle glowed red while the bottom one glowed blue. Finally on both sides of the diamond were thin crescent moons with their outside curves touching the points on the left and right sides of the central diamond. Together these two crescent moons were changing colors between blue, red, green, yellow, silver, purple and cyan.

A fog of steam spat itself from within the Dragon's confinement. His laughter followed after sensing Tojiro being accused of bearing a clueless gaze.

"Odd, is it not? I know _just_ enough about you and yet you don't know a cent about me." spat the confident Dragon. His words left Tojiro arguably mugged of comebacks. Nothing could retort against this more powerful beast that has stirred within Tojiro for all his life.

"Does my vessel desire to know what he's looking at? Am I pissing you off? I better hope so." gurgled the maniac Dragon, punching the steel grate that kept him sealed.

Tojiro sent another glare at the seal. A lining of red stretched around the entirety of the grated prison, symbolizing several latches that kept the gate locked down. "Cloakmaster Tojiro? You there you senile murderer? What you're grazing your eyes over is the **Redemption Seal**. I assume you've heard of it?"

Tojiro's complete and utter arrogance kept him silent and drained. His mouth was glued close and his eyes were kept open with imaginary clothespins. The Dragon burped out another pressing storm of steam to make the Demigod turn his head over his right shoulder. "I have not." he clamored, hiding the hate within his belly.

"No wonder God wants to judge the hell out of you! I'd do the same if I had the chance but, well, look at where I stand!" yelled the heinous winged creature. Tojiro remained abstinent. No retort came to mind and thus not a shred of his being was able to speak against the Dragon. Tojiro would never allow himself to be mismatched within battle but this demon within his very skull seems to be on a winning streak.

"The symbol before you is a seal that bears itself within _**every**_ single Nightshade that **ever** existed. The Redemption Seal is one of the most powerful Chaos energized seals out there. Your people were just lucky enough to come up with the damn thing. Each part of the seal…as you may have already guessed-"

"Has a different component, huh? Doesn't surprise me. All Chaos powered seals should have that."

"Hey, hey! Look who finally found his goddamn backbone! You know anything about the seal? Yes? No? Maybe?" pestered the high and mighty Dragon.

Tojiro shrewdly grinded his eyebrows down.

Behind a cruel mouth, Roku commented; "Did your mother…at least before _you_ killed her…ever tell you staring is impolite?"

In befitting that rage, in account to the crackpot words this inner side of Tojiro's true motives…Tojiro stayed silent. His fists and arms loss the ability to move and bend. Tojiro's eyes became unclear. His very nerves began to tighten around his brain. Something was telling him to lose control of his hatred.

That wretched insanity…it is because of the very creature behind him that has given him such a vigorous personality. Its power…its Chaos energy…its inch sized existence is the definitive of all of Tojiro's pain and exhaustion. And now he stared at the ground with shallow hope, having full awareness that he _just_ found out the source of humanity's small amount of respect for him.

"I have no argument against you. It shall only waste my time." stung the Cloakmaster's voice.

"God forbid it." laughed the ghoulish winged beast.

Tojiro's eyes tightened with ferociousness. He held his right hand out, releasing whips of blue Chaos energy from the tips of his fingers and thumb. They passed on through several of the small square divots to crack and snap against the Dragon with efficient pain. Tojiro then grabbed hold of the blue resonating wires, causing them to wrap around the Dragon's neck; suffocating him dearly and gently with a burning sensation that made the Dragon snort and croak. Incomplete snarls and roars competed with the force of his complete opposite form of power.

"Let you and I…wager one simple fact: I pull YOUR strings…" began the subtle Demigod, subtly yanking his right arm up to smash the Dragon's skull into the steel grate that sealed it.

"And YOU…don't get an inch near mine. Fair enough, dragon breath?"

The Dragon hurled spheres of oxygen and saliva out from its mouth, reaching for his neck. Tojiro lifted his left arm to release several more blue strings to elasticize and ring around the Dragon's arms. It was brought down to the ground of its cell, gurgling and cursing with deceit behind those egg white fangs. "You're within my conscious…imprinted on MY frontal lobe…so unless you feel like keeping your wings attached to your back…I would kindly steam bath them in your own blood after I continue hearing _your_ nonsense."

"Don't you show me up with your own abilities, Demigod Ankoku. I've no reason to fear someone that is more of a beast…than that of a man."

"Either the blood bath or you shut up. Or you can choose 'C', tell me why this Redemption Seal puts fear in Heaven's realm." retorted the more adamant cloaked warrior.

"Ohhh, it's not of much importance," slurred the sarcastic Dragon.

"Though by your power, I envision a new world. A world with no law. No limits. No…_rules._"

"Good and evil shall forever be in existence. That is balance, you senile lizard."

"Not to anger you any further but, that could be a reason why the man upstairs is trying to destroy you." wandered the Dragon's slowly speaking voice.

"He never tried anything before. Not even when that blue hedgehog saved the entire planet by removing a planet destroyer device from its damn core!"

"Sonic _was_ chosen! Come on! What kind of idiot are you? It's obvious that God is after you due to _that_ seal!" erupted the Dragon in quick response.

"The seal? The Redemption Seal…is why God is planning to get rid of me?" blurted the Cloakmaster.

Another distant gaze left Tojiro suspended by accusations.

"So what makes it important?" questioned the frivolous Demigod, bringing his right hand to his chin.

"Whatever you have planned, you might as well wake up when you get the chance." snorted the hissing Dragon, embracing laughter.

Tojiro shocked the Dragon with several more ropes of red Chaos energy to apprehend him out of his enjoyment.

"I don't need your advice. Not for now at least." spoke the Cloakmaster, whipping his right hand to dissipate the ten red ropes from the Dragon's simmering corpse.

It coughed out smoke, hoping to prepare actual fire; though the seal had come to mind and its hatred was constrained.

"Don't go to war with Him, Cloakmaster. God has…more allies than you may expect. God…as of now…is the second most powerful Chaos user…ALIVE!" chuckled the eerie Dragon.

Tojiro's arrogance flamed from his burning irises as the Dragon refused to feel contempt for his host.

"Find what you must. Make everyone pay. And…above all else; _let humanity…__**forsake you**_," continued the vile creature. Tojiro glared with questionable hatred.

"AGAIN AND AGAIN!" laughed the heinous winged monster.

Tojiro turned away from his 'true' self. The unraveling of this beckoning war shrieked its name without hesitation. It left him…hollow.

"By the way, before you wake up…ehehehehehe." gargled the Dragon. Tojiro turned his violent glare down at the behemoth.

"I _do_ have a name. Hehehehe. And it's **Roku….Tatsumaki!**"

Tojiro was swallowed by rays of black and white. The fainting laughs of Roku, the inner face of the Cloakmaster of Darkness continued to shape themselves perfectly; echoing throughout Tojiro's mind, tearing away at its feeble remains.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

"The ultimate," -A scene of a mountain obliterated of its entire peak.-

"The omnipotent Almighty who has watched over Earth since its creation."

-A tall man in a white cloak with the outline of a cross stitched in black; Stands across from Tojiro.-

-A bloodied and broken Tojiro looks at his towering opponent.-

"The Ruler of Heaven; God, takes His stand against Tojiro's tortured resolve."

-God lunges his fist forward, smashing against the Blade of Darkness.- -Tojiro Ankoku yells at the Almighty whilst unfolding his arms.- -Tojiro protects himself in a blizzard of positive Chaos energy.-

"Against the Creator, against one of the most powerful Chaos Users alive, Tojiro Ankoku..." -Arm extended, God closes his fist.-

-A kneeling Tojiro is butchered from within; One hundred sapphire, crystallized spikes burst out from within Tojiro's body.-

"_**Falls...**_"

-The silhouette of Tojiro's right hand in the Sun, slowly falls away.

NEXT TIME!

**_The Nightmare Wars_**

**CHAPTER LXXV: THE HAND OF JUSTICE**


	75. Chapter LXXV

**CHAPTER LXXV: THE HAND OF JUSTICE  
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**Disclaimer: I claim NO-Wait! The only characters that appear in this chapter are my own originals. Well, this is awkward! I claim ownership to Tojiro Ankoku, Valkyrie, Okiku Kazumi and Aku. Copyrighted and owned by me.**

**The chapter was important on one level for one reason; Can you spot it? Enjoy the chapter!**

_**Altered Dimension; Paradox detected, Saigoku, Japan, 8:00 am**_

The inferno orange eyes of Tojiro awakened. He was in human form. Jumping to his feet, his head swiftly turned in all directions that were lateral. He was on the coast, facing the ocean with the sand beneath his feet. Tojiro turned around to hear the faint noise of burning debris. Against the steep mountain, a village was burning down. Black smoke caressed the sky into a visceral fashion. Tojiro glared down with hesitance, seeing bloody tracks in the sand. From where he kneeled…it stopped at his very own.

Tojiro looked to his hands. Coursed in a disturbing scarlet, the chaos was his very own doing. Tojiro turned his gaze away, sitting down to leave his crouched position. He knew that in his meeting with Roku Tatsumaki…the villainous beast took control over Tojiro's body…due to his mind being stuck within the power of his Dragon. Tojiro had finally understood that it was he…who committed to such…horrid acts of cruelty: Cruelty…to humanity…and everything else around it.

His cursed hands splashed into the water. He crouched before the water. It reached past his knees from where he stood. The blood turned the water rancid; Much like the aura that the Cloakmaster emits to any pure form of life. Tojiro waited until the stink of death vanished from his hands. From his sight it vanished but, not from his mind.

Visions may be able to haunt him all they wish, however. He turned around with a glare of hopelessness. From the water he was standing in, miniscule drops of blood slipped into the water and expanded. Tojiro, in all relinquishment of emotion, his eyes cried tears of blood. A sign of weakness.

When sadness strikes the core of a Nightshade, their very own skull begins to shatter and crush. If it continues, death is immediate. If a Nightshade does not clear their mind of what forces them to embrace weakness, they will be given a pitiful end. Tojiro's eyes tightly gripped themselves into a stare full of hate.

The Man with the Five Faces of Darkness wiped his face clear of empathy…and did the same with his mind. By kicking the ground with his right foot to make a small pool of red Chaos energy appear before his feet, his shunned eyes awoke to grab a large black revolver named **Black Death**. From the sea, two halves of the water were cut by a severe wind. Tojiro entered a sprinting position, holding Black Death back with his right hand around the handle.

"About time something happened." murmured the Demigod of Death.

He threw his right arm forward. The incoming target shot straight for the Cloakmaster. Tojiro's eyes of fire vanished. The white background of his eyes became shimmering crimson. The Tsukikagegan…replaced his vengeance with sheer rip-roaring hatred.

"DRAGON…" began the condemned Cloakmaster.

The foe shot into the air. Tojiro gasped through his gritted anger. The target sprouted large angel wings, creating a large silhouette that casted a taunting shadow around Tojiro.

"Awww, damn! It _would_ be her!" cursed the Cloakmaster.

He diligently jumped back at a swift pace to avoid a violent smash from the foe that desperately charged down without a moment's thought. Wiping sand and slashing wind swept across the space around Tojiro. As it cleared, his eyes that were filled with by legacies; met the demeanor of his long ago student: the Angel that stands by the Lord's side, **Valkyrie**.

The blonde haired Heaven messenger appeared with her double ended axe staff. Her elegance withstood itself to certain measures. Some of those measures baffled many, and it is thanks all to the demon before her.

"Not in your hedgehog form, Kyrie? That's a kick in the head." compiled the Cloakmaster calmly.

"I need not to emphasize with you, Tojiro! You're not my teacher anymore!" decimated Valkyrie angrily.

Lowering Black Death, he made a ebony holster appear on the right side of his belt, placing it snugly inside until the time calls for it again.

"Don't you lower your weapon so soundly!" cringed the angry angel.

"I'm not particular to feel threatened, nor tempted to attack you at will. In fact, God didn't send you, did He?" conspired the Cloakmaster.

The Angel went wide eyed. Small red streaks appeared on her cheeks simply to match her lying face. Tojiro closed his eyes, making the Tsukikagegan vanish; returning his eyes to normal with white walls and orange fiery pupils.

Valkyrie flinched at the stinging glare Tojiro shot at her. They both seemed to have waited for this happen. Tojiro let his guard down, arrogantly of course. Valkyrie watched slowly as her nerves began to neutralize themselves of tension. Her arm lowered so she didn't appear threatening, though what good does that do with someone like _Tojiro_?

"Nothing surprises me. Not a word you may mumble shall change my course," slurred the Demigod as he turned his back to the Angel.

"Of course, this new journey of mine doesn't bode so well."

"What are you talking about? I thought assumptions would be part of your past. Like everything else should!" Valkyrie declared carelessly.

Tojiro reverted to his hedgehog form, walking away while holding his head. Valkyrie simply stared at him. Not one smart comeback? No despicable feelings to echo through her ears? Valkyrie used Chaos Control to make her weapon vanish, then did the same to herself to appear in the Cloakmaster's path.

"You're going to start making sense. No more proverbs or metaphors you lunatic! What has occurred that has made you so low like a worm?!" barked the demanding Angel.

"You sure know how to digress when it comes to staying positive, don't you?" said the negligent Tojiro.

"Once again, or by God's fury, I shall strike you down!"

Tojiro glared up at Valkyrie with a dismal stare. She remained keen. Her hands on her hips, and her back bent so she would send off the same type of stare Tojiro was giving her. Their faces made perfect sense. It was a redefined definition…of master and student.

"God didn't send me, Tojiro. I assure you this." noted the now blatant Angel.

Tojiro remained with his first plan! A hollow gaze that continued to filter out any lie…that would attempt to leave Valkyrie's soft light pink lips. The Demigod's eyes became disheveled.

"No lies in these eyes, Cloakmaster. You should believe in me." advised the Angel.

"Then if you want to know about that empty village and all the people that _use_ to reside there; it wasn't on my accord." assuaged the Demigod.

"What?! Then…who? Did you even see-"

"I was trapped by my own Dragon form. He took over my body; Killed all those people at the village." confirmed Tojiro, flipping his hood over his head and making his way down the beach. Valkyrie stood tall as the cloaked hedgehog arrogantly left with his problems and mistakes. Valkyrie stormed after him.

"Tojiro!" she called.

He insisted on his march. A painful march that with every step, he failed to lead an unconditional life. A failed existence.

"Tojiro! Stop! Tojiro!" yelled the persistent Angel.

A wave overwhelmed Tojiro's senses. He dropped to his knees, gripping both sides of his head. He could feel all of his nerve cells becoming frail like glass. Tearing and snapping. Awful sounds that condemned the Cloakmaster into far more pain. Valkyrie kneeled before him, actually taking away that glare of suspicion and distrust to watch Tojiro cough and grip his stomach in agony.

"Breath Tojiro! Breath, come on!" exhaled the auspicious servant of Heaven.

Tojiro's right claw fingered hand was clinging into his belly, carving and twisting at his own flesh, leaving the scarlet plasma to pile and splash onto the ground.

"This…thi-this…is just too…damn…bothersome. Even for me." growled the sluggish cloaked warrior.

"It's because you're just _you!_ Stop blaming the world!" cried the upfront Angel.

"Truly not the best comeback, Kyrie. You should know that! Dammit! Why…is this…happening?!" exclaimed the demon in pain, punching the ground with his left fist.

"You only allow yourself to feel hatred because you foolishly believe there's nothing else in this world! You only believe in hatred! In revenge! WHY must you embrace such horrible things?!" complained the distorted vanguard from Heaven.

Tojiro's ears flicked. His agonizing demands that kept him shelled within his physical self dissipated. After seeing the reddened face of Valkyrie's teary on-look, Tojiro recognized silence.

"Why…why must hatred…become the sole reason for your living? Why should hatred be the reason for ANYONE'S existence?" exploded her shattering voice.

Tojiro looked off to the ocean aimlessly. A bright light hindered his lost gaze. A light above the sun. Tojiro quickly turned his head back to Valkyrie in a frozen gaze.

"I've expected…so much from someone with great power. Have you no authority? Do you not have _any_ authority to assume your future? Is that lonely pit darkness known as **hatred**…so worthy of protecting!?"

"For now?" reacted the Demigod, hoisting his former student into his arms bridal style.

An enormous section of the sky split open and fifty swirling blue cyclonic Chaos beams shot down towards the pair. Tojiro launched himself sky high with a spinning rotation. The beams changed course and carved through the beach and up through the entire mountain! Tojiro watched with vigorous pain as he continued to focus so much of his Chaos energy to blast from right under his feet. The mountain side was set to ashes as silver flames burned away at it like a plague. Tojiro finally halted as he sensed the pressure of Chaos energy lowering. He himself stopped in mid-air. A fortuitous blast of air echoed throughout his lungs.

"Tojiro! It's _**Him**_!" cried the sudden Valkyrie.

The Demigod widened his eyes with danger. The entire sky was silver. There was no blue. Not a cloud likened the sky. A shining silver painted and flurried in the heavens as a furious bell and gong slammed the wind and air. The oceans slashed and waved in chaos, creating a gigantic funnel that pierced through the silver sky of emanation. Tojiro's ears flipped and bent by the ongoing battle horns that continued going on a voluminous low note. The cyclone of singing water shined blue, the sky returned to its bluebird hue and the clouds reinvented themselves.

Tojiro looked at his sheathed sword, then to the eyes of Valkyrie, quickly watching them transition from the whirling entrance of the Lord Himself to the Demigod. Tojiro nervously shook his rage sensational pupils.

"No…no! T-T-Tojiro, you can NOT face Him! He's…His power is just too strong! Don't face Him!" Valkyrie complained, her hands still wrapped around the cloaked hedgehog.

"I'd rather see you back in Heaven. That way…your Holiness won't get pissed and lock you in your room." Tojiro admitted with a breaking wit.

"Take this seriously! **He is the second most powerful Chaos user in the entire multi-verse right now!** You can't face Him! He'll tear you apart!"

"And? You needn't care, Kyrie! Don't even try! I'm serious." contemplated Tojiro's social ego.

His eyes were serious! Even in that tone that seemed to joke and poke hilarity, he truly meant it. Valkyrie knew these eyes all too well. Having trained with him in the past, the guardian from Heaven's realm knew no lies. Valkyrie pushed herself away from the Cloakmaster, hovering right before him with a dismal leer. Valkyrie prepared a light blue aura of Chaos Control energy around her hands.

"Oh? You actually think you're going to send me somewhere else?" said the lowly Demigod.

Valkyrie grabbed Tojiro by the cheeks on his face. Cracks started to pierce across his flesh. His body literally froze by low temperature cold.

"You will not face my Lord! I won't allow it!" claimed the unwavering Angel.

Tojiro grabbed Valkyrie by the neck of her throat with his right hand. It remained charred with ice, yet it snapped, becoming disheveled by the fearsome scarlet aura that cloaked the warrior's body. The cracks began to recede like a dying ocean current.

"He won't show mercy. He never shows mercy nor kindness to those…who even try to upset the balance of this multi-verse!" declared the shaking Valkyrie.

Bathed with red was the Cloakmaster. His former student soaked in blue. Valkyrie's eyes began to fall light to the Cloakmaster's darkness. Her eyes keenly set upon his eyes one more time. She slowly raised her arm. She could feel her tendons buckling, becoming tense as Tojiro's Chaos energy was taking affect. Valkyrie could only touch the left side of his face. It was never warm. A cold front of overwhelming feelings. It was something that even this friendly Angel deemed:

"Foolish."

Tojiro's pupils and irises of fire widened immensely.

"You always…hold onto that trait. Being a fool?"

Tojiro glared continuously, looking directly into her half witted smile at the end of her words. The roaring horns and battle bells drove themselves to sudden silence.

"Don't be a fool. Never be a fool…for anyone else's sake."

Tojiro's poor choice of thought kept him at bay from replying.

"Surrender yourself to the good will of humanity. He won't see you as a threat if you just" swallowed the unwell Angel.

Tojiro's pupils and irises vanished with a greedy stare.

"Just…forget about being **reborn**."

Tojiro used Chaos Control on Valkyrie, leaving his arms to lower. All that intensity caught him off guard, leaving him dwindling with patience and focus. A tentacle sense wrapped around his innards. The sky roared. The funnel filled with a large black silhouette. Huge broad shoulders. A fearsome stare that wrote humankind. Tojiro reverted to his human form willfully. The entire tower of shimmering blue became an aqua explosion of light. Tojiro sensed no physical power in the comets and projectiles that came from the manic implosion that symbolized God's entrance into this world. Tojiro wickedly launched high into the sky to avoid a Chaos Sphere two thousand feet in diameter. The near asteroid destroyer crashed through the overwhelming mountain, eroding it with sheer force and power. The entire mountain top was carved out of existence until the impending force of Chaos energy vanished in a brief moment.

Tojiro reappeared on the far back end of the mahogany surface that was left behind. The Chaos Sphere deleted any debris that _would_ have fallen, albeit thanks to its freakish size and power. Tojiro looked forward to watch ripples of silver form at the center of the wide open surface he stood upon. It was practically round thanks to the Chaos Sphere's shape. No unorthodox Chaos user throws all their power into such a basic technique, whilst changing it to an advanced ability merely by manipulating a change in force.

However with the storm before him, Tojiro watched as he was encompassed in the presence of the ruler of humanity and Earth: Blazing with the most powerful form of positive Chaos energy. Covered by a white cloak with a black outline of a cross on the front. Knight armor covered black gloves that coupled around his hands. The cowl that covered his head completely left his face a mystery. All that remained in the hole of judgment and power were two thin fearsome eyes, permanently left in a disappointed stare that spelled righteousness. He held no pupils, nor did they have irises. God, the ruler of Earth's universe and creator of its inhabitants; Stood before the unhinged Cloakmaster. The ground felt like it was shivering. Tojiro yielded. He would only denote himself as weak if he was afraid of God.

"Abound by what strings…are you hanging from this time?" conveyed the Lord.

"Not enough, I must say. Why do you ask…oh holy one? Like many others, does my appearance nullify any of your emotions and drive you towards stupidity?"

"No. Not even a chance. I am here to pursue goals that choose the future for the universe. You, Ankoku, you have the relinquishment… to deny us all sanctuary."

"So does that mean you're going to tell me what Ryu _couldn't_?! Perfect! I'm waiting!" allured the Demigod with crossed arms.

"It is not so easily solved. I am merely here to end your existence… **before you end **_**ours**_." assured God, charging forward.

Tojiro remained still, his arms loosening. The twenty-eight foot tall man prepared to enslave his hands with crackling blue Chaos energy. Tojiro grabbed hold of the Blade of Darkness by its grip. God slid across the ground with his thundering feet scraping through the earth, causing three sharp slabs to project themselves in front of Tojiro.

The Cloakmaster dangerously leaped backwards, slowly avoiding an intensely brightened blast of blue and silver Chaos energy released by the ruler of Heaven. Tojiro remained safely hovering in the air to unsheathe the riveting pulsating Blade of Darkness. God grabbed two of the pointed earth mounds, causing them to entirely freeze up with a sparkling sheet of ice.

"_That Chaos energy. Its rate of cell manipulation is far too low for any Chaos Water technique! What is He doing?_" said the feverish Demon Demigod.

God flung the projectiles forward. Tojiro angrily tightened his grip on his sword to swing a giant red slash through; Nothing. The two slabs exploded into a sweeping fog of air that froze Tojiro's Chaos energy, immediately killing it! Tojiro grabbed hold of his mouth to avoid the potent freezing power of the Chaos energy from spilling into his insides. Leaving his mouth with a protective Chaos Light mouth cover, Tojiro readily used his Blade of Darkness to dodge the humongous Chaos Punch of God. Tojiro desperately pushed to slash between the armor on God's right hand.

"Chaos Implosion!" barked the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

A spray of red Chaos energy threw the combatants separate directions. Tojiro landing on the ground safely while God crashed onto his back, yet his left hand aimed out and shot a thousand silver Chaos Spears at Tojiro. Tojiro sidestepped from left to right, moving backwards at the same time. He violently swung his vile blade to destroy the ear splitting Chaos Spears until God had came fist to face with Tojiro. The Cloakmaster was blasted across the sky by the Lord's merciless provocation. Tojiro swung his sword by pointing it back at where God stood. Tojiro immediately charged down through the sky, releasing a singular stream of red and blue Chaos energy straight to God's face.

The Lord vanished in an instant while the beam splashed into thin air once it hit the earthy molded surface. God reappeared facing the dangerous whiplash from Tojiro swinging his Blade of Darkness. God used his hands to combat the blast of wind and Chaos energy that forcibly pushed his feet directly into the ground. Tojiro kicked his feet against Alpha and Omega, throwing himself into a long going back flip.

God immediately punched the air that lead to a sphere of Cyan Chaos energy to spear through Tojiro from behind. Arrogantly, the Cloakmaster slashed away at the thin cone spike that stuck out through his belly, causing the sphere behind him to completely vanish. Tojiro raised his sword to summon a red spherical barrier. In charged an atrocious silver beam of Chaos energy. It embraced around the Cloakmaster's protection and continued on past the clouds in the sky.

"Tell me Cloakmaster! Tell me how you simply lied to those humans about training them with Chaos energy! Reveal to ME how you could've ended their lives…just for the sake of retribution!" exclaimed the frivolous God.

Tojiro charged through the overbearing beam without mercy or consent for his own body. He broke through the beam, completely shattering it. Tojiro lunged the tip of his blade for in-between God's eyes. The holy beginner merely stepped out of the way to smash his left fist down, splattering Tojiro in a large smear of blood on the ground. God raised his clenched fist to observe the contents that now drenched his fist. It began to steam and hiss.

God's eyes cringed undeniably angrily. From all around, multiple rivets of steel cones appeared. God was shaken by the earthquake that suddenly revealed itself to be a gigantic mouth. Tojiro's Mecha Form exploded from the remainder of the ground. Standing at a pivotal one-hundred and twenty feet tall, Tojiro crushed his jaws together.

God raised His right hand up, halting such an act. The huge glowing orange eyes vented. Steam blasts occurred all over Tojiro's giant metallic body. God merely stood still with His one arm and two feet holding Tojiro's silver jaws apart.

"That's why you fired that beam of blue and red Chaos energy. Was it not? The blue was Chaos Control energy. The red was this form, and-"

God suddenly turned around to look at the back of the Mecha's throat. A human form Tojiro; The real Cloakmaster shot towards the Lord with impending doom. In the form of a Giant Rasengan created with static Chaos Lightning energy, God tightened his eyes without gasp. From afar, the entire scene exploded in a white light. Its pattern shattered into four million crosses that showered themselves across all of Saigoku.

God Himself remained hovering in mid-air with His cloak and cowl still in tact. His hooded eyes of judgment aimed for the ground below to see the Cloakmaster of Darkness still standing. Now those human eyes return. His shoulders rose and fell in the morning sun, showing no sign of embellishing the thought of losing, not even to God.

"Nothing beyond _this_ realm shall I deny you any right of prejudice. Enough people have succumbed to your anger, hatred, and apathy. You stand alone as the core of too many things. And it is in this age of continuation…that I judge you the correct fate." proclaimed the holy ruler.

Tojiro reluctantly kept his backbone straight like a tower, refusing to let this battle end so soon.

"I have upheld all responsibilities that were passed down to me. I deemed myself to be the most wondrous…fabled…accursed…warrior I could become! My mother…passed whatever bravery…she could hand me! Even as a child, I was a fool! A fool…all the way to the end!" roared the vicious Demigod, releasing a gigantic beam of Chaos Blast energy from his eyes.

God held His open hands forward with His fingers extended to the sky. The crying, rip-roaring blast smashed against an unbreakable barrier of Chaos Light that God projected. Tojiro continued letting in all the more Chaos energy into such an attack. No mercy. Tojiro would not let his hatred be bewitched by mercy. **Never.**

God shattered the blast by stretching His arms to the left and right. The Lord charged through the breaking wind with His body straightened out. Tojiro readily grabbed his shoulders. He launched a gigantic red and yellow colored net of Chaos energy. God tore through it, using the energy of the net to make one and trap Tojiro in it. God ferociously slammed Tojiro into the ground and began spinning the Cloakmaster around and round in what seemed like slow-mo.

Within seconds, speed picked up and God continued to swing His left arm in a circle. Tojiro was tug as a rug. Doomed like an ant with a magnifying glass over it on a sunny day. Doom, however, didn't seem like a favored category to think about when in combat for the Demigod.

Tojiro used Chaos Trigger to change his human legs into his cybernetic ones. Tojiro clamped his cramped hands together, forcing Chaos Fire to explode out from the jets under his metal feet. The Cloakmaster flew like a moth to light. God watched and stumbled around as the Demigod zip lined up, down and all around! God was suddenly pulled off the ground. Tojiro ascended into the sky, surrounding himself in orange Chaos energy. Tojiro adjusted his head to glare down below to see that God was holding on with great fervor.

"_Just a little more, then!_" shouted the Cloakmaster's mind.

Looking back up the Cloakmaster continued releasing jet fuel combined with his Chaos energy to continue this rigorous ascension. Tojiro slipped through the cloud cover and ventured some more into the bare blue air. Finally Tojiro bended back and dive bombed with molecule cutting speed. God prepared a spiked barrier of silver Chaos energy to protect himself. He had the wrong deduction.

Tojiro shot down past Him, heading straight for the center of the blown away mountain the two combatants were previously fighting on. God immensely shot down through the air by Tojiro's unquenchable taste for victory. The Cloakmaster looked over his shoulder to see God was falling faster and at a more alarming rate. Looking back down, Tojiro came eye to eye with the bare earth! A quick flip of Chaos Control made the Demigod vanish.

God's eyes stretched with determination. A zeppelin sized explosion of smoke spat out in all directions upon the half-sized mountain circle. The waters off shore even shrunk and splashed back off their regular current, slowly dropping back down while the rest of the area _slowly_ calmed from such a fall. Tojiro lay coughing amongst the waste surface of rock and charred chaos, gasping for reluctance to get back so much wasted Chaos energy. Tojiro observed his hellish surroundings to notice God was still standing. A wave of His right arm revealed that He was still standing!

"_H-h-He…He actually landed that impact?!_" rose the Cloakmaster, wiping his mouth, lowering his clenched fists by his side.

The Ruler of Heaven soundly prepared a fog of thin blue air to swipe the entire area. Tojiro sprinted forward with brown smoke carving his path. God raised his right fist up to his face. Tojiro leapt towards God's face. Tojiro was suddenly halted. Quickly looking back he saw two long tendrils of thorn covered ice wrapped around his legs.

God reached to grab the Demigod. Tojiro forced flames to shoot out of the jets under his feet. God stretched his right foot behind himself and turned his back to the east. Tojiro completely obliterated the icy braids and aimed to shoot barrels of flame, only for God to be one step ahead. The Lord ascended high into the sky leaving the terrain below him swept with this icy Chaos energy. Tojiro landed on his steel supporters, crouched and apparent to this merciful environment around him.

"_This fog…the levels of Chaos energy are at their absolute lowest of burn. No ignition is making them nowhere near able to explode, or combust by another form of Chaos energy._"

God halted within the sky, waiting for His plan to take mold.

"_Not a single cell of Chaos Water is in this mess. Why didn't He impart any Chaos Water energy? This is just regular blue Chaos energy! Unless…!_"

Tojiro sensed another, no! Not just two types of Chaos energy, but one other! Tojiro despicably rose to his feet as he felt his very insides coarse in wriggling pain. Tojiro could feel Space and Time Chaos energy in the air along with the Blue Chaos energy.

"_However He's doing this…I must certainly stop it from taking full affect!_" denounced the Cloakmaster.

God read Tojiro's primitive thoughts. He extended His left hand down at the swarming blizzard. Tojiro reverted to his Werehog form, knowing it bared more Chaos energy and more warmth, just for the occasion! Tojiro's hands aimed at the hovering Heaven Ruler. God then lowered His pinky finger. A quivering Cloakmaster clamored down as his left leg dropped to the ground. Tojiro angrily blazed with a fiery red and orange Chaos energy combination.

"So he's actually fighting back against my **Chaos Blizzard technique?** Such an extremist child." stirred the Lord's words.

"Chaos…Implosion technique…" growled the Cloakmaster's dimming voice.

God tilted His head, feeling the nerves in His left hand become weary.

Tojiro grudged and drudged, his will forcing him to back away from continuing this fight.

"This damn technique is freezing the Chaos energy in my body…and actually freezing the cells…killing my Chaos energy!"

Icicles began to grow off of Tojiro's arms, impaling several vital spots. His legs were coated with ice made knives. God lowered his index finger, Tojiro was still moving but, now his right leg began to buckle and spark and steam out of unbearable pressure that made it seemingly impossible for Tojiro to even gasp for air.

On he walked, regardless. God had never doubted the will of hatred in humans, for it is lengthy and controlled by change. However, with a demon, with the last of his kind, and with the most vile form of negative Chaos energy keeping him alive; God could not understand the meaning and purpose behind Tojiro's strength. Tojiro raised his tired arms to the sky once again at God.

"…Chaos…Funnel Blast…" murmured the Cloakmaster.

God clenched His left hand whilst extended. A hundred, sapphire crystals pierced out from the inside of Tojiro's entire body. The simultaneous rush of exploding flesh and shooting blood. Gouging and tearing, holding flesh and material innards on them. They were all the length of a spear's pole-arm. His past…riddled and tainted with mistakes of the most dreadful kind... flooded the Nightshade's memory.

* * *

><p><em>In years far in the past, Tojiro was given the images of when he was a child. A boy with no thoughts for his unprecedented future. A ten year old Tojiro, in Feudal Japan; wearing a black kimono. The Obi around his waist was red. His lower fabrics was a foggy gray. The young Tojiro sat at a pond staring deeply at the koi fish that circled around. Tojiro's hair was messy, spiky edges hanging over his forehead. His sky blue eyes surveyed the creatures, thinking he could catch one. It was in the center courtyard of his family's large house. Here he lived with all the family he had: Okiku Kazumi. <em>

_ Long raven silky hair ran down her back with a white and pink lily in her hair. Earrings in the shape of the sun hung from her ears, and a cherry blossom pink kimono with summer colors such as yellow, orange and peach colored it. Her wide sleeves revealed only her hands that she kept tucked in one another. Flowers and pedals matched her sleeves and deepening elegance. Many would say that she smells of the most fragrant of flowers, swooning men and dropping them senseless._

_ Yet in the past, she lost the only man she loved, and she has her one and only son…to watch…and protect. She came to a view to see that Tojiro had vanished from where he was kneeling. She curiously pressed her right hand against one of the wooden poles that made up the open hall that outlined the courtyard. By the falling of cherry blossoms, Okiku swore to go over to the small pond. She did not kneel on the gravel of white and gray, seeing nothing but-_

_ "YOSH!" yelled Tojiro, rising from the pond and frightening his mother._

_ Okiku kept her face covered from the sprinkles and water spots, luckily having none reaching her. Okiku opened one eye, then the other. Her eyes stretched to see a wide grin on the future Cloakmaster. He looked to see the fish he had caught leaped out of his hands. He veered left and right with a wide mouth._

_ "Come back here, demons!" he exclaimed with a daring attitude._

_ Tojiro stuck his head underwater. Several koi fish turned to him with flopping gills. _

_ "BOO!" he gurgled with bubbles flying from his mouth. _

_ The fish retreated immediately, hiding in the corners of the pond. Tojiro irritably removed his head from the water, turning to look at his stoic mother. Tojiro's petrified nerves, well, refrained him from acting. He couldn't even move his mouth to come up with an excuse. Luck…even at this young age wasn't something easily found for the future Cloakmaster. _

_ Moments passed before Okiku took her son to bathing room. She practically left him covered in toweling, only his nose and a fair amount of his skin was showing. _

_ "This is a new experience. Isn't it, Tojiro?" basked the smiling Okiku. _

_ Tojiro huffed, turning his head, like any child would if he was embarrassed. _

_ "Oh dear. You're still breathing, right?" asked Okiku, kneeling over. _

_ Tojiro quickly opened the blankets up and grabbed his mother's flower. He swung the door open and charged across the wooden floor. _

_ "Tojiro, you get back here you rambunctious-" called Okiku, taking swift charge after him immediately . _

_ Tojiro turned a corner, taking a sharp right, using his right hand to swing around and dash down the hall. Okiku soon followed after him, her hands out of her sleeves with clenched fists. Tojiro peeked over his head. _

_ "_

_ Oi! She's fast!" exclaimed the frightened Tojiro, after seeing the unyielding smile on his mother's face. _

_ Tojiro ran across the courtyard with V shaped eyebrows and a face full of smirk. Okiku leaped into the courtyard by jumping directly over the wooden rails of open hall, storming after Tojiro._

_ "You can't escape from me! I will apprehend you!" exclaimed the smiling Okiku, wiping her forehead._

_ "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" stammered the frantic Tojiro, making it into another hall. _

_ His smile vanished as he saw his family butler, Aku walking towards him. To his left and right were two other servants carrying wooden trays of food. Tojiro grinned._

_ "Master Tojiro? Master Tojiro, you know better than act in such disrespectful manners!" declared the booming butler's voice. _

_ "Don't be so foolish!" retorted Tojiro, skidding across the floor. _

_ Okiku came into the end of the hall where Tojiro had just arrived in, gasping. The young believer slid directly under Aku's legs, jumping onto his feet on the other side and looking back with a deviant's eyes. Tojiro began stepping back, hopping even as if he was preparing himself. Okiku charged down the hall at Aku and the two frozen statues behind him. _

_ "M-M-Ma-Madame? You too!?" yelped Aku with bowl shaped eyes. _

_ Okiku ran towards the wall to her right and ran across it to pass the three blockade, continuing to charge on after her devious son. _

_ Tojiro made it to the large doors of the entire estate. Okiku was feet behind him. Tojiro looked forward to notice the doors were wide open. Okiku's lowered her arms, keeping them briskly down by her sides. A whisk of green Chaos energy appeared around both her hands. Okiku's eyes turned confident to the highest power. Two slices of green Chaos energy shot down across the reflecting wooden floor, grabbing the two doors and shutting them. Tojiro skidded to a halt, gritting his teeth; syncing them perfectly with his doomed expression. The two streams charged at Tojiro. They morphed into a hand to grab Tojiro, sliding across the ground as the future Cloakmaster was helplessly clenched in its grip. Okiku, praised in her technique walked calmly up to the arm and hand. The hand dissolved. Tojiro fell into the warm arms of his mother._

_ "Gotcha'!" she announced, holding him out so she could meet with his laughing face._

_ Tojiro put the flower back in his mom's hair, giving her a drifitng sense of kindness to let out a bracing smile._

_ "Why thank you, Tojiro!" laughed the enduring Okiku._

_ "And you are welcome!" saluted the stern Tojiro._

_ Okiku giggled, soon leading Tojiro to join her. Okiku squeezed Tojiro snuggly. Tojiro's small arms and hands braced his mother's neck, and his eyes shut soundly, having all the affection he ever needed…right here before him._

Reality forced him back into the world. Tojiro's soaking body with creeks of blood dressing him, glared forward at God.

"You actually lost yourself for a moment. Strange…and yet…" God assumed.

The ice spikes that plucked themselves out from the inside of Tojiro's body immediately melted; Leaving Tojiro to take a knee. Only burdening all this pain on his right hand that was clinging itself into the ground. Tojiro became encompassed with red and black Chaos energy.

"…And he is still so…haphazard," observed the Lord, watching Tojiro fight his own will, even if his legs would snap under all the pain and pressure. "What is it that masks all your pain? I know not of how this is happening, yet I feel the rest of the universe is much like myself; in thought that is."

"True that. Not everyone is as symbolic as you are when it comes to advancing one's own will or power. It questions me…to the very brink of chaos." implemented the Cloakmaster, using Chaos Trigger to get his flesh and bone legs back.

"Doing this won't help you any further, Cloakmaster Ankoku. Surrender your will to me…and let fate harbor you a place to rest." insured God deeply, without vain.

"So when translated, you only see me to stand right _here_ and die? Then after that, throw me into Hell?" argued the Demigod, standing up straight.

God was left still, not challenged by Tojiro's efforts. Tojiro's body may have began listening to his own will just by that stance but, God would not witness it idly and allow him to counterattack.

"I've been to Hell enough times and I am SURELY…**never**…going…BACK!" dared the Cloakmaster's determined tongue.

A large red Chaos Portal appeared behind the Cloakmaster. God stepped forward, preparing mounds of positive Chaos energy around His tightened fists. Tojiro was sucked in, but he didn't leave until those eyes of his continued to sheer through God's eyes; letting Him know with great intention that this fight…was merely the beginning of an all-out war.

"Left here, I can determine Tojiro will run and hide. So I'll let him run…until his own power…catches up to him." muttered the Ruler of Heaven, calmly staring into the sky of this quiet dimension; fully aware of the preparations that must be made.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW**

-In a rain fallen shrine, Tojiro stands before the Takanomiya Shrine, ran by the **Hiiragi **family.- "Stricken by his own wounds, Tojiro Ankoku is once again hidden by the eyes of God Himself."

-Kagami Hiiragi, in Shrine Maiden garb, shouts down a dark hall.- -A group of home invaders stand before the frightened family.-

"Standing in the rain, veins swarming free of blood and Chaos energy," -A Darkrai appears behind the unaware presence of one of the crooks.-

-The lights throughout the house turn to darkness.- "Tojiro is reminded of the person he once was... and always will be."

-Tojiro is blown out of the Takanomiya Shrine.- -An unknown figure opens a book, releasing a whirlwind.-

"_**A**_ **_mortal_...**"

-Tojiro turns his back to the Hiiragi's shrine, leaving across a beaten and battered temple ground.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXXVI: MORTALITY  
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	76. Chapter LXXVI

**CHAPTER LXXVI: MORTALITY  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Kane Betelgeuse and Diana Rigel. They are my original characters and thus owned by me under rightful law. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_**Altered Dimension: Kuki, Saitama, Japan; Takanomiya Shrine, 7:30 pm**_

Upon a black sky and consuming rain the same red portal Tojiro used to escape his tragic battle appeared. The Cloakmaster was spat out, slamming through a large section of trees, not too far from a lightened Shinto Shrine. Tojiro had reverted to his human form. Tainted with blood and rain, the dirt and scarlet face of the Cloakmaster looked forward through the crying trees to see the Shrine. A place of purification and peace didn't seem like the best spot to be at right now, especially after facing God but, Tojiro's mind was on living instead of caring; as of for tonight and maybe tomorrow morning. He limped and scuttled past tree after tree, even having them to lay against one for a brief moment just to make sure his lungs were working.

He doesn't have a heart, so what? But since they're a part of his body and thus help him in creating Chaos energy, Tojiro had to allow this pain to do whatever it wanted. Tojiro gripped his chest with his left hand. Not a heart in him. Not a single one of his steps were spent in vain, until just minutes ago. Tojiro faced the decimation of God's power. He even looked back and remembered Valkyrie's words:

"_**He's the second most powerful Chaos user in the entire multi-verse! You must NOT face Him! Please!"**_

How in vain was that? Of all times to pledge for a battle and ignore others' advice, Tojiro did it in belief that he could match the power of God. It was despicable for him: Having to lift his heavy legs that seemed to never halt with scarlet rivers. His chest that appeared as if he was painting himself, and mixing several thousand black caves that were so small, and yet produced so much damage. It ached. Instead of feeling all the pain from those damaging little nuisances, Tojiro felt like he was carrying all those pounds of agony on his back instead.

It certainly looked like it! Doesn't it? A white cloaked man slathered with blood, dirt and rain, gripping his chest; thinking he was missing something important? He thought to Hell with it. All the meaning and conjuring up of kindness and resolve, Tojiro may have been in debt when **hope** saved him in the past, however, times _do_ change when you don't expect them to.

Tojiro arrogantly tugged his hood over his head to mask his face with black. Two large empty red eyes shined in his hood as it glared at the Shrine. Tojiro hurriedly dashed for it without respite. His ears ignorantly told him otherwise. Tojiro leaped to hide behind one of the stone torches in the ground. Tojiro looked around the side to spot a car pulling up. Its headlights and rear lights shut off simultaneously and out rose a couple. Tojiro lowered his guard. The happy couple were covered by an umbrella the man was holding up. The two quickly ran to the front doors, dodging the hectic weather to enter the Shrine.

Tojiro looked towards the archway that stood far away from the Shrine. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear on top of it. Using the tips of his fingers to remain crouched, Tojiro stared forward at the Shrine in silence. The slew of rain continued with motivation. The darkness all around Tojiro masked him well. It gave him reason to calmly sit down, but not to remain hesitant. The screeching and whining of car wheels sounded. Tojiro watched as several, about four, vans came driving through the archway and towards the Shrine. Tojiro bluntly grabbed hold of the Blade of Darkness, unsheathing its evil fang.

Within the Shrine, the man hung up his coat, placing the umbrella next to it on a handle. The woman with long violet hair and great figure headed in to find a certain two.

"Miki! Are they here?"

"Dad?" responded a voice from the hall to the left.

A girl with purple hair and in uniform of a Shrine Maiden appeared.

"**Kagami!** Miki? She's here! You made it here safely? How about Tsukasa?" asked Tadao Hiiragi.

"Right here, Dad!" responded the kind and lovable airhead known as Tsukasa Hiiragi, also dressed in her Shrine Maiden outfit.

"Sorry if we worried you guys. **Konata's** cousin actually came over to check if we were okay." spoke the well smiling Kagami Hiiragi.

Miki hurried back down to grasp her heart.

"Hey, Mom!" called the smiling fraternal sisters.

"I can't say I was worried…but I just am! How are you two? You're not cold, just fine?" responded the embracing mother.

Kagami and Tsukasa blinked in surprise, but turned that around to greet their mother with smiles.

The double doors on the back of the paper white vans slammed at various degrees in time. Tojiro scanned with his left hand holding up his chin. There were a total of sixteen. Tojiro lunged his glare off to the right side of the Shrine to see eight heading there. Four were at the front doors, two on each side. The remaining six went over to the left side of the structure and, with grappling hooks attached to rope, walked up the side of the Shrine to get on the roof. Tojiro watched with pity and disbelief.

"These people are terribly desperate. And the hooks and rope? A thought out plan that surrounds the house and dooms everyone inside? They're all wearing cloaks, too! Along with…ski masks." grumbled the Cloakmaster.

His hollow sigh sounded as he lowered his indiscriminate head; filled with indiscriminate thoughts. Tojiro sheathed his Blade of Darkness, refusing to darken the holy site with blood and evil. These robbers were the evil ones this time; not the Cloakmaster. Tojiro prepared the hand sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"Chaos Clone Jutsu." he summoned in a low tone.

Tojiro's feet and legs became surrounded by an aura of Silver Chaos energy. His orange fiery eyes changed to a shining green. And finally his arms and fists became encompassed with a warpy crimson rage. The thunder that slapped the delicate boundaries of sound shattered. The lightning struck four times, only revealing the crouching Demigod. Darkness encompassed him again.

Three more bursts of lightning spat amongst the sky, revealing Tojiro, his Hedgehog, Werehog and Darkrai form. Tojiro's eyes returned to their blazing orange hue once his dozing grimace looked back at the Takanomiya Shrine. Tojiro stood behind as his three Clones leapt to their apparent duties, keeping in silence until the time was right.

Within the walls of the Takanomiya Shrine the well-full Hiiragi family were settling in, dastardly deeds held firm around the building. On the right side, eight of the sixteen had made it to the back of the building. Among the eight, six were armed with a Magnum in each hand. The other two walked in calmly with a katana in one hand. From a tree branch behind them, Tojiro's Hedgehog form sat perched like a monkey.

On the left side, the group of six were on the roof, each with MP5s with red dot attachments. Even in the darkness of the dark night, on the soggy ground on the left side, a black mass rose from the ground with turquoise eye that saw all the failure in their petty crime.

At the front door, the remaining four were prepared with .9 millimeter pistols. Chaos had the whole place surrounded. The fool on the left side placed his left hand on the left door; opposite with the idiot on the right. On the roof, a concentrated makeshift explosive was set.

It was a minimal cube shaped fire starter but, these robbers were desperate for items and money. The back door on the rear of the Shrine posed great for the execution of this plan. The Hedgehog form cracked its knuckles. The Darkrai lifted its hands up to create static bolts of yellow Chaos energy. At the front door, the plan was set and the two bastards nodded heads with each other. They swung the doors open while from afar, a ten foot tall black furred Werehog landed without a cloak, letting lightning mask its shuddering growl.

Tadao Hiiragi and Tsukasa were frozen by the two men that entered first. Tsukasa was stricken as someone who had lost their will to breath. Her cheeks flushed bright pink, gasping as she stood by her father's side. Tadao kept stern, sweat drops forming on his cheeks and forehead.

"Back up, pal. _Now_." demanded the man on the right, a deep dark tone echoing from his mouth.

"Tadao! What's going on? Who's at the door?" called Miki, entering with her eyes closed along with her smile.

The man on the left immediately fired, missing. Miki was grabbed by Tadao beforehand as he saw the man quickly aim for his wife. Tsukasa remained by her parents side, crouching with silence on the floor. Kagami, wide eyed out of her wit, was sitting on the bitter kitchen floor, with her cell phone attached to her right ear.

"Pick up, damn it! Please just pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up!" yelped the racing heart of Kagami's very soul.

"HEY! That you Kagami? What're you up to? Did your folks get there-"

"_Listen!_ Narumi-san, if you wouldn't mind…could you call the police." uttered Kagami's breaking voice.

"Kagami? Did you just-Kagami?! What're you whimpering for?" responded Yui Narumi, a certain cousin of Kagami's friend.

Several gunshots sounded off. The kitchen ceiling to Kagami's right shuttered and exploded and in dropped one by one through the small symmetrical hole; the six evildoers.

"GET THE POLICE, PLEASE! Hurry! H-"

"Give me the phone, runt!" growled the voice of one of the intruders, slapping Kagami out of her desperation and snatching the phone from her.

The phone call died abruptly, abandoning any reason to hope.

"All of you stay down! OI! Where's the other daughter?! Get that bitch in here!" riled the angry man on the left. Miki held an iron tray in her hand, preparing to push her own husband aside. Tadao held her back, taking a sudden bullet to his left shoulder that the vile man on the left fired.

"Tadao! Oh, lord!" exclaimed Miki with cold fright.

"Dad! Mom, please cover the wound! Mom? The wound, please!" quenched the eye tearing Tsukasa, covering it with her mother's hand.

Kagami was brought in by two of the other desperate hoarders of life, pushed down to the level of her warped family.

"Go back to the others and collect what you can." ordered the man on the right.

"How are the guys in the back?" responded the evil man on the left that helped bring in Kagami.

"They're guarding the back for a reason. Now get back to the others and start looking for what we came for!" argued the man on the right.

The two escorts grumbled and cursed beneath their cowls, leaving the family to mend whatever togetherness they had left. Kagami checked notice of her father's wound, who Miki and Tsukasa were desperately clinging onto to pressure down any escaping liters of blood.

"Dad?! Dad!" cried Kagami, turning her back to the two crooks.

"You sure this ain't taking too long, man?" pestered the man on the right.

"They won't do anything….and _nobody's_ going to help them! Calm the hell down and go check on the guys outside." chuckled the other, grinning at the suffering Hiiragi family. The man looked out to the darkened sky of rain and darkness.

"You two doing okay?"

"Yeah, boss. Never better." spoke the silent crook.

"You asshole. You're in there taking all the crap while we stand here in the cold. What's with that?" intersected the crook with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Why are you smoking? Damn, man! Really? It's _raining_, right?" barked the asking man, turning back around.

"Geez! Give me a break. Throw a car at me why don't you!"

One of the white vans came crashing down and slammed sideways against the front door, forcing the asking man to the ground. His ally turned to him instantly after the van crashed. Dust and debris wallowed itself where the front doors once were. The Hiiragi family…remained speechless.

"What the hell? What…the…HELL?! Guys?! Shit!" yelled the leader man, keeping his attention towards the family. The asking man stood up with a violent cough which he struck his chest to get rid of.

The lights began to tweet and flicker.

The evil fools before the Hiiragi family aimed their pretentious eyes all over. Their breaths shivered and raced like those of their captors. Teeth gritted and desperation began to rise.

"Man," drowned out the asking man. "What idiot did this?!"

"How should I know?" barked the leader, reaching in his pocket to receive a two way phone.

Kagami looked over her shoulder, watching the light over their heads flicker and dance madly. The girl with nervous red cheeks watched…as her own cold breath began to appear before her.

"What the hell? What the hell! The heaters are on and its _still _cold?" screeched the leader, noticing his own breath.

A pattern of foot thumps crowded over the scene.

The Hiiragi family, except the wounded father, looked out of reach. The two gunmen pointed up at the ceiling as it began to be heard from in the kitchen.

"You guys hear that?!" called the leader man.

"Shut up! You want it to come after us?!" spat the other.

"We don't hear anything boss! Say, you know why the lights are all screwed up?" responded one of the men.

"Aww, dammit. Listen, go to the back-"

The lights turned off for good this time.

"Oh, hell! Oh, hell!" whimpered the questioning man.

"Shut your ass up, or I'll help you, eh?" barked the mad dog leader.

"Hey boss!"

"Boss! Dammit! Let's get out of here! This crappy place isn't worth stealing money from! Let's go raid an office building or something!" whined the now complaining man.

"Mom, what's happening?" whispered a cautious yet shaking Tsukasa.

"This didn't happen before." clued in Kagami.

"It never happened." added the cautious Miki.

"Boss! Come on, already! Let's get out of here!" begged the complicated crook.

"Hey, boss?" called one of the crooks from the kitchen.

"Everyone just shut your mouth! GOOD GOD! What is it?!" spat the bottled rage from the leader of these doomed goons.

"Who let this kid in the **white** **cloak in**?" responded the leader.

All the lights turned black. Gunshots broke out as helpless screams, combined with breaking bones and fatal punches mixed in the darkness.

"Good god! AHH! He-H-HELP!" bellowed one of the men.

The leader and frightened goon behind him stood idly. The leader lifted his two way phone up.

"Rear group, get your asses in here…_right now_." he hissed.

The lights flickered once more, revealing the ten foot tall ebony Werehog standing behind the frightened complaining man. The Hiiragi's family laid barren imminently, and remained so when the light blinked once more to reveal the towering beast to be gone. The fighting in the kitchen halted. The leader stumbled left and right, sucking in a breath of air that he never thought he would get. The frightened man shook within every second the light above him flickered.

"Dammit you guys! Are in the house or not?!" screeched the leader.

"We're here in the kitchen, Boss! But…where the hell is everyone else?" responded one of the men.

The leader's poor eyes grew more fatigued. All this bad news…actually began to make his head simmer. He glared at the hostages.

"Who else is in this house? HUH?!" barked the man, firing an open shot at the ground, forcing the Hiiragi to snap out of their cold motionlessness.

The wall exploded behind the Hiiragi family, showing the six men that came in from the back to be suspended and smashed by masses of black tentacles. In chaos, everyone watched in horror. Their heads were scarred. Their bones were crushed with every time strike these demonic arms lashed out with. Miki sprang to her feet and flung her metal tray at the leader's face, knocking him to the ground flat.

"You rotten little wh-"

The manic crook was silenced when a large black furry arm broke through the overturned van and grabbed him. He was violently pulled back, presumably killing him when that one bone called the spinal cord snapped in two. The van was also launched back by the forceful tug, opening the front entrance to the slew of rain that continued to fall.

The leader turned angrily to the unsuspecting Hiiragi family. From afar in the rain and darkness, spheres of silver, red and green with long glowing tails growing off them converged onto a single spot, creating a faint flash of the three colors all at once. The leader saw their eyes looking past him, and with caution he turned around.

"Right here, buzz kill." said the Cloakmaster.

The leader faced forward, his throat clenched with the steel metal hand of the Demigod of Death. Tojiro looked over his shoulder, and along with his whole body tossed the man out…and halfway over the sky. The reluctant Cloakmaster turned to wounded Tadao, surrounded by his now hostile family who glared at Tojiro.

"Allow me to fix the wound. Your hands weren't created to cover up pain like that." surveyed Tojiro, crouching down.

Tadao looked to his wife, Miki. A determined and trusting setting appealed her. Tadao remained on his knees and turned to the Cloakmaster, who tore off a piece of his own cloak. Tojiro placed it on his left hand to bathe it with blue Chaos energy. Kagami's eyes were set strongly on his actions. It wasn't out of distrust…but for curiosity. Tojiro wrapped the cloth around the wound and tied it on strongly.

"What about the bullet?" asked a worrisome Tsukasa, looking from Tadao to Tojiro.

Tojiro's right hand extended. The family stared with widened expressions. The bullet was right in the Cloakmaster's hand. Tojiro crushed it into dust. Kagami watched his left hand. It may have been lowered, but it was simmering ice to heated water. With his face blackened from any of the Hiiragi's from seeing his darkly face, the Demigod rose up with quickness. He was turned towards outside where he saw a swirling mix of blue and silver gather.

Tojiro rushed out of the house and directly towards the portal. A large tunneling hole of blue Chaos energy lined with silver spheres shot out. Tojiro halted with his arms braced forth. He was thrown back across the ground, looking at the Shrine he was forcibly approaching. Tojiro turned his back to the painful blast, digging his feet into the earth as it continued to scold against his flesh. Tojiro pointed his left hand at the Shrine to wave it. A huge, just perfect size to be exact, barrier dome of Chaos Light was formed around the Shrine.

"He's protecting us?!" exclaimed Tsukasa surprisingly.

Tojiro continued with his arms and hands bent against the blast, finally dissipating it before he reached the barrier protected Shrine. Tojiro turned around with his legs spread, and his knees bent. Tojiro charged forward to dart through an entire blast of blue Chaos energy. After exiting the failed attack, Tojiro decisively leaped into the air to only come face to face with Devil Hound.

Tojiro swung himself into a front flip, kicking the beast directly in the cranium. A painful smashing blow left it surrounded with smoke, and a comfortable crater to fit its corpse. Tojiro landed with his back straight and his head hung low. His eyes remained forward with anger.

From the smoke, the Devil Hound walked out. It had light scarlet fur and a flaming patch of fur that started around its neck and halted at the center of its back. With eyes that were alight with flames and gurgling saliva sneering its light yellow fangs, another silhouette appeared. Walking up beside the beast; Dressed in a white cloak and wearing a snow white button up shirt with thin gray stripes in a vertical pattern. She wore black pants, an office variety; with silver high heels. Her glasses even matched her appearance but, Tojiro remained unsettled.

The woman's long crow black hair dressed down her back. Several stripes of blue were dyed into her bangs that covered her forehead, and many more spots on the back of her hair. Her canary yellow eyes slowly opened, a quizzical stare mounting her tilted head. Tojiro sent a discerning glare at the blue and white striped book the woman was holding. He looked to the woman, noticing an interesting between the book and her own Chaos energy. This Chaos user may be on a new line of limitations, or possibly she was here to test the Demigod's abilities.

"**Kane**…you can revert to human form now. This is the one." said her concentrated, enlightening and yet, stone cold voice.

Tojiro watched as the Devil Hound was surrounded by ash and orange Chaos energy. A man with short spiky yellow hair with trimmed edges on the side and front of his head: As for it pointed back from the top of his head. With a pair of menacing cobalt blue eyes, the Chaos user turned his head to his ally and sneered impatiently with a clear yet, tough voice:

"The Cloakmaster's right _here_ **Diana!**" complained the stark man openly.

He was Tojiro's height. Dressed in the same white cloak as the woman named Diana. This Kane character wore a short sleeve navy blue t-shirt with the Japanese Kanji for justice on the front, it being colored white. Around his shirt was a crimson winter vest. Around his chest was a black gun holster strap but no weapons in hold. All that mattered was the intricate symbol on the center of his back, connected by the leather straps with several gold rings tightened around the straps.

The center piece was a orange colored emerald, its point pointing against Kane's back, and behind the skin and muscle it pointed to the center of his spine. Several metal holdings with dancing blue bolts appeared frantically while thin metal strings crept along both arms on the underside…to where they went under the skin in his palms.

A red sash with one end hanging down was tied around his waist, conveying his ebony baggy jeans. A stretch of black cloth was tied around his forehead where it held the section of his hair that stuck far back, making several of his pointed hair hang mere inches to the center of the back of his head. Tojiro, noticing Kane's Japanese wooden sandals gave the Cloakmaster enough sense to judge that this character may have trouble moving, but that would be pointless, right?

Chaos users tend to approach many situations, let's face it, decently. The rain began to thin and widen. The individuals before Tojiro's impatience sparked his genuine sense of curiosity. Tojiro recognized they had all of the Seven Chaos Arts in their bodies. Whoever sends these kinds of people to Tojiro obviously know it takes daring masters of Chaos energy to fight him. A step forward gave Tojiro a twitch in his right leg's nerves.

"Now!" scolded the merciless Kane

The decisive warrior charged across the ground and created globs of magma like Chaos energy around his fists. Tojiro stared forward with quickness. Three glowing yellow claws stretched out from the knuckles of his left hand. The effort was worth it. The attack was blocked with sparks and embers that clashed like metal to steel. Tojiro raised his head, revealing a light of green in the back of his throat. Kane's eyes banked to the right. A Chaos Portal sucked him in, leaving Tojiro to launch the overzealous blast of Chaos Wind from his mouth. The Chaos Portal that saved Kane appeared by Diana's side, revealing it to be her doing. Diana's peculiar book lashed open.

A large mechanical arm rose out, halting the explosive blast of Chaos energy as spikes shot out in a flower like blast. Tojiro rose to his feet watching the energy dissipate into the night. The entirety of the steel arm was fashioned with an emerald green. Diana imprinted her left hand on the left page, opposite from where the giant summon was coming out of. She raised her left hand from the page, clenched. Tojiro slowly placed his hand on the smooth grip of his blade, a fearsome red aura fastening around it. Diana extended her thumb:

"Synchronize." whispered the icy tongue of Diana, her eyes closing.

Tojiro watched the glowing arm transform into a large singular cannon. Tojiro fell to the ground once more. Severe, nerve wracking aches swelled inside his stomach. His right hand remained still on the Blade of Darkness's grip.

"Round…One…" she answered, her eyes opening with a distasteful stare.

The large cannon exploded its first round. A flaming funnel of Green Chaos energy with the inside a milky white. Tojiro hoisted himself from the ground and slashed the Blade of Darkness upwards, cutting the whole beam in half. Kane stepped in front of Diana, releasing a barrage of catapulting storm of orange Chaos Spears. Tojiro growled with impatience and charged forward across the ground with wind cutting speed. Diana extended her index finger. The cannon vanished from Tojiro's sight. A whirling screech pestered his ears.

High in the sky, the cannon now had two barrels; one green and the other orange. Tojiro watched as the Chaos Spears that Kane had fired gathered in the new barrel, both linked by two bars in the form of a gatling gun model. Tojiro planted his Blade of Darkness in the ground. The green and orange barrels steamed with unfeasible pressure and exploded with two combined blasts of pure Chaos energy. Tojiro turned his back to the new foes, aiming his collision path for the beam.

"He definitely lives up to his description. Good ol' **Orion** was right." remarked the suspicious Kane

Diana remained with a concentrated glare, daring to see through Tojiro's plan. The Cloakmaster of Darkness removed his cloak, holding it like a net. Tojiro felt the heat of pain grind against his ribs, clearly ignoring it as he kept his focus clear. Tojiro flew directly over the beam, while using his cloak to stretch out and swallow.

"That bastard!" cursed the angered Kane.

Tojiro donned the cloak. A swarming aura of red Chaos energy surrounding him as his arms extended just next to his chest. The Demigod's clenched fists and devil gaze looked to his combatants.

"I see. So _this_…_this_ is the infamous arrogance…of the Great Shade Empire?" spoke the unsatisfied Diana with a lowered gaze.

"He absorbed all the Chaos energy? That suicidal fool…why'd he do it?" clashed the teeth of the upfront Kane

"The Cloakmaster seems to be having complications with his own power. Complications that even he doesn't know of…but is testing." optioned Diana.

Tojiro violently opened his orange flaring eyes. With the rain gone and darkness encompassing all, Tojiro clapped his hands together. Beneath the feet of the two assassins, a massive Chaos energy driven monstrosity stirred.

"Kane, jump back!" spoke the swiftly voice of Diana.

The two jumped back to avoid the black furred Werehog with eyes that seemed to have been poured in with glowing blood. The beast swung its large left arm with extended claws, snapping back like a rubber band after Diana and Kane jumped over it before halting in their footsteps. In the shortest of seconds did the Werehog clone reached back with its right hand and leap up with the Blade of Darkness in hand. Diana jumped directly to the left while Kane did opposite. The slamming of the Blade of Darkness by the rubber band arm of the Werehog splashed the ground into a scarlet menagerie of shimmering cracks.

Diana set her eyes to watch the angry face of Tojiro charge in from her left. Her feet hadn't touched the ground yet, even in that simple sidestep jump! With his right hand damped in Chaos Poison, Tojiro clenched it and sprung it forth. Kane dangerously flew over to his comrade but, the giant Werehog smashed into the ground, decisively swinging the Blade of Darkness at him. Kane bent as far back as his spine would offer him, passively evading the attack. Kane gripped the beast by its throat, spreading Chaos Control energy onto its body.

"Diana, here's a third!" shouted the frantic Kane, tossing the Werehog towards her.

Diana had blocked the fissure of acid Chaos energy with her very own book. The splints and spikes that wavered in the air made her shiver, having her feet finally on the ground. Tojiro growled, his eyes burning. Diana looked back, extending her left hand out.

"Great!" acknowledged the smirking Kane, vanishing with Chaos Control.

Diana lifted her middle finger, along with her thumb and index finger. She pressed it against the Werehog, summoning a blinding flash. Tojiro yanked his burning hand back, seeing the Chaos Poison gone from his hand; but now apart of the three barreled cannon; green, orange, and purple. The cannon released itself. A storm of Chaos energy was released inch to eye into the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Kane was far off in front of the Takanomiya Shrine with Diana in his arms, as she lay tired and broken by Tojiro's evil diligence. The screaming blast that tore through the earth and trees alike began to be swallowed by air, vanishing with only miniature flurries to hover about.

Diana opened her book to call back the massive cannon, closing it with a flashing yellow burst. Through that light, darkness came again. Tojiro, his face scarred and the jaw of his mouth but bare bone, charged and clenched both Diana and Kane by their throats.

The violent warrior of hate slammed them into the earth then ran forward with their corpses. The earth and stone cobbled and slammed against one another as Tojiro used his two foes as carving tools. Tojiro looked forward with a distant gaze.

Tojiro quickly tossed the two in the air, leaping forward towards the barrier protected Takanomiya Shrine. With his back turned to it and his power locked on, Tojiro leaped towards Diana and Kane once more. He grabbed them both by one of their ankles. "Chaos…" slurred the evil Demigod.

The skies began to clear, morning was arriving.

"IMPLOSION!" echoed Tojiro's slamming vengeance, leaving the stomach laying corpses of Kane and Diana surrounded by glowing orange cracks.

Tojiro marched forward with temptation. He lightly placed his left hand to his bloody jaw. Tojiro scuffled through the left pocket of his cloak. He brought out his black headband. The white Japanese Kanji of death embellished on the front. Tojiro tied it with his quaking hands, covering his face of the haunting remains of his jaw charred image. With notification did he turn around; his two combatants were gone. From there Tojiro watched the barrier around the Shrine dissipate.

The Cloakmaster dropped to the ground, tired and worn of his agony, tired of the chaos that engulfed his spirit. His eyes watched as the Hiiragi family spotted him, hurrying to him with such drastic haste. The Cloakmaster's eyes gazed without reason, only question and despair. With darkness closing him in, strings of purple could be seen in the corners of her eyes, as well as a shadow that hovered over him. The darkness had claimed its dominance over Tojiro's spirit and soul.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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-Observing the skies on the wooden floorboards around his childhood home, a young Tojiro Ankoku looks over his shoulder.-

"Welcoming another vision granted by darkness, Tojiro Ankoku relives the memories of days long gone." -The young Tojiro laughs hysterically with his mother, Okiku Kazumi, just as much.-

"Never to allow himself eternal despair, Tojiro awakens inside a hospital morgue."

-Tojiro charges down a hospital hallway, leaving a trail of red mist, and charred skeletons, in his wake.- "Chased relentlessly by military forces sent to recover his body, Tojiro outwits the mortal forces with every breath." -A Japanese, Kawasaki OH-1 helicopter locks onto the Nightshade.-

-Tojiro dives between several missiles launched from afar.- -Tojiro crashes his fist to Earthbend a ramp of concrete, leaping off it and towards a Mitsubishi jet-fighter.-

"Refusing to die, Tojiro encounters a familiar face in Ryu Kaze," -Tojiro's corpse flies over the walls of Saienji Temple, a trail of red mist following him.-

"At Saienji Temple, an even greater warning, in a new ally, is brought to attention."

-Across from Tojiro, dressed in a tan brown poncho, a pure scarlet haired girl with yellow, flame patterned bangs looks at the Cloakmaster; A face unseen.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars: **_

**CHAPTER LXXVII: HUMBLE VISIONS  
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	77. Chapter LXXVII

**CHAPTER LXXVII: HUMBLE VISIONS  
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**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro Ankoku, Okiku Kazumi, Ryu Kaze and Mayumi Fushicho. They are my original characters and owned by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_Back in days of old when sanctuary actually existed, the young Tojiro sat on his back in his room. Sky blue eyes seemed confused as they doddle with thoughts about the world, and all of that which it affords. Tojiro sat up, his mother strove in, smiling to Tojiro before closing the door behind her. _

_ "Hey Mama, what do you think about Chaos energy?" he asked deliberately._

_ Okiku froze up in a mysterious manner. She looked to the future Cloakmaster with a questionable set of eyes. Tojiro only returned the gaze while he sat cradled with his knees up to his chest and his arms locked around them._

_ "Well, what brought about such a question, Tojiro?" _

_ "You don't need to worry! I was only curious about…"_

_ "About its power?" said a concerned Okiku, sitting down in front of him._

_ "No. The reason people use it." answered the adamant Tojiro._

_ Okiku's head stirred back by the reply. It was unexpected to automatically judge someone who would later rise to become one of the most powerful Chaos users in history but, this young boy wants to know why…people use such a terrifyingly powerful force._

_ "Many reasons pose wrongfulness towards the creation of Chaos energy. Chaos energy…is something used by people who have their own sense of justice…I suppose."_

_ "So people use it to protect other people! Like people they care about! That's great!" exclaimed the joyous Tojiro, rising to his feet and extending his arms into the air._

_ Okiku smiled dearly at the child before her. There would be no other person, no other Chaos user, no other individual that shall carry the ability that Tojiro "will" possess in his future. Tojiro ran over to his mother and hugged her, Okiku fell in suite with her warm embrace swelling around her son. _

_ Tojiro laid with his head against Okiku's chest. They sat outside on the wooden porch, watching the glorious sunset. _

_ "Hey Mama, what made you like dad?" _

_ "Eh? Well, why would you ask that…so suddenly?" reddened the surprised Okiku._

_ "Are you blushing Mom?" he asked, looking up._

_ Okiku looked right in Tojiro's sight, and he gasped._

_ "You…ARE!" broke out the future Cloakmaster in laughter. _

_ "Well how kind of you! Your father would definitely want to know the answer just as much as you would!" spoke the warm voice of Okiku._

_ Tojiro looked to the sunset with great happiness. Okiku slowly looked from her son to the setting sun as well. _

_ "Kenji…was a wonderful and respectable man. People found it… so irresponsible to doubt him! Kenji was also a magnificent Chaos user. You may become a better Chaos User than he was." confined the mother of the future's last Cloakmaster._

_ "If I do…I'll train to protect those who need it! Humanity…I will become the best Chaos user…__**EVER!**__" declared Tojiro with a roaring voice of determination as durable as diamond. _

_ "How sweet of you. I can't wait to see what technique you use first! Won't that be exciting, Tojiro?"_

_ "Definitely! I'll make sure the memory of my father is a worthy one! And Mom!"_

_ Okiku looked down to her hesitant son. Tojiro rose up and walked out to the edge of the wooden porch, turning around._

_ "I will protect humanity…no matter what happens! No matter the cost! I'll protect everyone…with my belief!" sparked the history changing words._

_ The passing wind made Okiku closer her short gaping mouth, smiling with brimming eyes that saw so much love in Tojiro's soul and spirit._

_ "History will definitely change because of you, Tojiro. You will make many friends; but remember;… gleamed Okiku's words._

_ "__**Don't be so foolish…!**__" echoed both Okiku and Tojiro at the same time. _

_ Tojiro ran back into her mother's arms with undeterred laughter, and Okiku returned that happiness with twice as much duty and kindness._

_ The sun was setting, with the words of Tojiro and Okiku leaving the memory into black._

_ "__I'm glad you came up with that saying, Mama! I'll remember it forever!" _

_ "Shall you? I'm glad! Treat it kindly, yes?"_

_ "I shall! Trust me! I'll never let go of my memories!_

* * *

><p>Reality broke the chained loop of Tojiro's memories. The gleaming sun was breaking through sets of blinds that forced the Cloakmaster to awaken. His cloak was removed, and he spotted it over on a chair right ahead of him, on the bed he was sleeping on. It was cold and clear with metal. Tojiro sat up alarmed. It was not the sun that shined so brightly in his eyes, but a light next to the table he was laying on. Tojiro stared to the far right; he was in a morgue. Tojiro noticed his face had healed and the headband of his status was laying on top of his cloak. Tojiro leapt out of the cold bed to land before his items, including the sheathed Blade of Darkness.<p>

"Might as well absorb it for now. I am in a hospital after all." he relayed nonchalantly to himself.

Tojiro stuck his right hand onto his cloak to change it into a large fog of Red Chaos energy with all the inside being white. It was drawn directly into his chest, making him twitch his arms. He shook them loose then pointed his hand out to absorb the Blade of Darkness. The steam of red and black was drawn into his body like a magnet, distinctively keeping him with good enough protection for his insides.

"With this much Chaos energy…that pain is gone…" stirred the grumbling Demigod, pressing his right hand to his stomach.

Tojiro created a feisty orb of Chaos Fire on his left hand. The heat and central core that appeared in the form of an orange sphere surrounded by crimson, gave Tojiro fish bowl eyes. He focused less on the core to lower its heat.

Tojiro looked to the death headband, "I am in a hospital…after all." quietly he muttered, bringing his steaming left hand to the left side of his face.

Within seconds the Cloakmaster poked his head out from the morgue doorway, the black headband around the now charred spot of his face. He of course didn't have the Kanji revealing itself. After all, irony is a promising fixation that has attached itself to Tojiro more than once. He made sure it remained tied on sideways, tugging it tightly at the knot on the back of his head. Tojiro dozed into the hall, a keen eye strafing from left to right. Tojiro dashed for the left path immediately. A security guard walked out from the right. Tojiro sprinted directly for him.

The unprepared man watched as Tojiro skidded right under him, jumping back onto his legs to turn around and grab the back of the man's neck to slam him into the wall before Tojiro's eyes. The Demigod left the man imprinted in the wall, turning his attention to the right hall where gun ready security guards spotted the Demigod. Blazing with a red aura charged the inexplicable evil doer. Tojiro took all their shots, and their helpless screams as he shot straight through them all while releasing a mist of Chaos Fire from his body; leaving their charred skeletons to simmer and cool on the floor.

Within the crowded main lobby where silence drew the air neatly and constant news passing went from one source to another, a bellowing explosion rang and the Cloakmaster flew over a suspended walkway, successfully landing in the center of the lobby. People fled with great enough jurisdiction, seeing the man with a large ebony revolver in his right hand. Its revolving barrels were as thick as Tojiro's very arm.

The sides and even the revolving cases carried a twin crimson lining. Tojiro placed the only available weapon in a gray holster that he hooked to his waist before he made his entrance. The police swarmed the front of the building. The enforcers of law readied their weapons, pistols, shotguns and definitely rifles.

"_How did they even know to arrive?_" swayed the clenching Demigod's eyes. He huffed in a breath of pestilence while walking forward. Tojiro inevitably lowered the revolver known as **Black Death**. He waved his left hand to melt the glass doors into a molten orange ooze. The Demigod of Death watched an attack helicopter part of Japan's Self Defense Force fly in to hover over the heads of the police. Calmly, Tojiro sniffed the air.

His head spun. A snotty glare appeared on his face.

"Back on Present Earth. And hey, the year is twenty-seventeen. Time moves faster these days, I suppose." loosening his hold on Black Death.

"Attention Tojiro… Ankoku? Surrender your weapons and place your hands on your head! We will use deadly force if you do not comply!" raised the voice of the pilot in the Kawasaki OH-1 attack helicopter, locking on to the Demigod with precision missiles.

Tojiro sniped his vengeful eyes to the whirling helicopter, then to the policeman. "No mercy for the foolish, huh? I respect this play."

Stretching into a leaping stance, the police opened fire…too late. The Cloakmaster leaped over to the OH-1, kicking its missile away then slamming the very heel of his right foot into the nose of the machine to slam it into a sprinkler of flames. Tojiro flew off across the sky, his ears deadening. A stare over his shoulder cost him to be smashed with a heat seeking missile.

A trail of smoky coal lunged the Cloakmaster dead center and across a raised highway, launching debris and several cars off of it. The Cloakmaster slammed back first across one roof, while a car followed in suite and slammed straight through the roof. Tojiro's beaten corpse nervously caught ground by landing on his feet, tearing through the shivering concrete and splashing dirt. Two vans crashed down in the small residence he fell into. A fearsome Demigod leaped back onto the highway, looking to his immediate right to face the front iron grill of a silver flat nosed truck.

Tojiro absorbed the hint and dashed for the obvious left. Dashing to the right he let the truck pass, the driver didn't look so enthusiastic to see a man running as fast as his truck…on a highway. Tojiro frisked his face clear, a supersonic jet screeching over head. Five Mitsubishi F-15J jet fighters gathered in formation miles away, their target the sprinting Demigod.

Two blasted their roaring afterburners while three shot straight up into the clouds. Tojiro leapt forth by reflex when a heat seeking missile exploded in his path. Jumping through the flames left him turning around to fire large round after round from Black Death. They soon developed into Chaos Spheres made out of Chaos Light. The fighter on the left turned its rudder to fly straight in-between two of Tojiro's projectiles.

The right fighter got close to the highway bridge to break Tojiro's focus with its twenty millimeter M61 Vulcan machine gun. Tojiro skipped back into a forward phase, blasting straight across the highway bridge. The left fighter shot past his wingman. Locking on with AIM-9 Sidewinders, the pilot shot two; one from under each wing. The Cloakmaster drifted in a circle by clamping his right hand in the riveted pavement. Turned towards the incoming missiles, he also faced another truck coming his way.

Tojiro used Chaos Trigger to morph his legs into their metal forms. A burst of jet boosting sent him flying backwards. He raised his clenched fists in the air. A ramp of earth and road erected from the ground to launch the heavy vehicle into the air, gravity slowly taking its metal hunk to scathe into the road behind the Demon Demigod.

Tojiro landed on the ground once more to spin around while waving his legs. He stomped in motion with his right leg before his left. His open hands pressed a dominating wall of Airbending to launch the concrete ramp towards the incoming Sidewinders, exploding into a magnificent shroud of flames…and well aimed pavement. The jet fighter was clipped across the nose by one of the stones of hardened cement, passing over Tojiro's head to combust with a seventy mile path of flames. Tojiro stared off to the distance to the right.

A swarm of Mitsubishi jets locked Tojiro on their steady sights. Tojiro placed Black Death in his holster, performing a back flip off the highway. Preparations steamed in the glowing boosters under his metallic feet as Tojiro's sight came directly before the gap under the elevated highway.

A super sonic blast sounded, scuttling and tarnishing cars off the ground and pavement from the dirt and earth beneath it. Tojiro shot his path inches upwards, planning to head into the organized squadron of break neck jets. The pilots were twisting their necks after a fissure of air imploded straight past them, unable to react.

The nature breaking Tojiro looked from behind and on forward. The sight of building after house and structure after structure gave the Demigod no hint to cease; until he passed directly over **Saienji Temple**. Turning his back to the surface far below him, the Cloakmaster only watched as his vision of the Temple faded. A desperate eye looked over his shoulder as he kept his overzealous kilometers steady.

"_Even if I did hide out there…I'd risk Ikko's, Chitose's and everybody's safety. It'd be pointless…_" swelled Tojiro's mind.

The Cloakmaster quickly repositioned himself into a forward flight.

"_They'd definitely get arrested, tried for protecting a criminal; how am I even a criminal? I only escaped from that damn hospital…and who sent me from that altered dimension back to Present Day Earth?_"

Tojiro shot directly for the clouds for cover, and decreasing his monumental speed a tad bit.

"_They could also help me spiritually, though. If it's true that I don't have my soul because of the Fires of Retribution; then I can't turn to them now. But if I don't…they'll be no other place to turn to; I can't be trusted._"

Tojiro broke his speed immediately, halting in mid-air with a ill fated glare.

"**I can't be trusted… huh?**"

A severe twist in Tojiro's stomach opened. He gripped it with anger more than agony. A vortex of black and red slowly began to resonate.

"_Fine…the damn temple it is!_" bitterly urged the Cloakmaster, using Chaos Control with a clap of his hands.

Over the walls of Saienji Temple crashed the coursing, red misty corpse of Tojiro. Clinging his hands to the ground he rose to fight the swirling anomaly that was visible in his chest. Even at the sky, light began to persevere. A Cloakmaster's gaze knows all. Tojiro turned his ill gaze to Saienji Temple and dashed for it. Because from where he stood a lightning storm of blue and silver rained. Tojiro drifted around to a halt. The smoke and chalked debris having no sway on him, Tojiro remained standing with his right hand over the pool in his stomach.

The Golden Dragon Staff sat in the clearing mist. Tojiro's eyes were dumbfounded. He had a sense telling him that Ryu wasn't going to give up. From the Staff a shivering stream of gold formed into the cloaked enigma of Ryu Kaze. He grabbed hold of his enchanted weapon of unpredictable power, taking his gaze elsewhere by looking to the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Ryu steered his neck forward a few inches once he felt the presence of an equally powerful force to his very own Staff. In Tojiro's chest where the vortex laid, Ryu grabbed hold of his focus, returning it to Tojiro. Tojiro lowered his right hand to reveal the evil source to Ryu, fully aware that this was not the reason for his confrontation. The opening doors of Saienji Temple reached Tojiro's trusty ears, yet he yielded. The blonde haired **Haruka Amanogawa**, with brilliant crystal blue eyes spotted the Cloakmaster; his appearance hardly apparent in others.

"Ohhhh, Tojiro! Is that you?" springed the bright Haruka, waving her hand.

Ryu, even when his face was blackened and unseen, you could imagine his eyebrow was raised. Tojiro on the other hand stood with sweat drops and angry signs grasping him by the head and shoulders.

It got severe. The head nun at Saienji Temple stepped out; "Young Tojiro, is this your way of greeting friends? Haruka, why did you not tell him to leave?" spoke Jotoku Kawahara, stubbornly.

"I'm screwed. I was better off with a Sidewinder in my face." draped the Cloakmaster.

Chitose Nanbu and Ikko Satonaka left the front doors of the Temple, spotting the two Chaos users in a rigid stare down.

"It_ is_ Tojiro!" called a surprised Ikko.

"Tojiro! What are you doing facing _him_? Aren't you friends?" yelled out red haired Chitose.

"Dear lord, please stop." whined Tojiro under his breath.

"Hey, it's great to see you again Tojiro! Isn't it fantastic?!" continued the happy and enthusiastic Haruka.

"Yes, Cloakmaster. Isn't it fantastic?" spared the jokingly god.

"No! It isn't! It sucks. We all know it sucks! Now…what are you here for this time? Another riddle? Another pointless quest to answer something you don't even have a question for?" stirred the Demigod.

"I've come with curiosity. However, not for _that_ which you hold so dearly to yourself."

Tojiro looked to his chest. The swirling pool deteriorated. A windy factor was heard until it completely vanished. Tojiro slowly raised his head to Ryu, adamant to blame Ryu for an attack.

"You've acquired much power in the times that you were gone from this world…you must've lasted long and well with the **Nightmare Scythe** still giving you power."

The Cloakmaster shook his fiery eyes at the mentioning of that legendary weapon. Tojiro recalled to that rainy day where blood and scars seamed across his body. "It's the reason I'm in all this pain?" asked the Cloakmaster with a grudge.

"Ever since you sealed it inside your own body, of course. Yet you live. You stand as the universe's final end."

"Speak in English. Tell me what's going on!" thundered the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Without a mood to derail from the subject again, Ryu calmly responded without mercy; "Without a soul, your body is going to suffer a meltdown. A meltdown so powerful that it will release a time-space Chaos Wrath into reality. **Paragon**, controller of all dimensions, shall be struck first."

With the news heard, the Saienji group gathered behind Tojiro remained with gritted teeth. He lowered his guard indignantly. Ryu turned his head away as well. Tojiro…whether he cares or not…was now the catalyst.

"If Paragon is destroyed, it shall launch a Chaos Wrath into every other dimension's spacial line, completely destroying the dimensions it enters. Including this planet, hundreds of dimensions are now at risk… because of your mistake."

Tojiro looked over his shoulder to Ikko, Haruka, Chitose and Jotoku; none of their faces held smiles, nor joy. Tojiro looked forward again with a gaze glued on the ground. Ryu raised the Golden Dragon Staff, pointing it at the Cloakmaster. Tojiro's Imperial Tsukikagegan activated immediately. A rage induced boost making the white of his eyes a glowing red.

"You show control over **Roku** with your eyes but not in mind. I must finish this before its too late. You've failed in battle against God; He is far more powerful than me. I am only assisting His cause."

"How do you know the name of my Dragon?" pulled the Demigod's sharp wit, unsheathing the Blade of Darkness.

"He came from my Staff. All the Nightshades that gained their animal form came from this staff. And I remember them all. A Nightshade of your civilization couldn't live up to me; the real thing. Could they not?"

"Not another word, Ryu. Not. Another. Damn. Word." cursed the seething tongue of Tojiro.

The bite of Tojiro's blade was bathed in the fatal form of Chaos Fear. It matched Tojiro's anger along with his madness.

"This is why God is making preparations. He will set out with one last judgment to the world. Everyone will turn against you my friend. Your friends will see you as a enduring threat. Not even Yoko shall see you as the same." Ryu sadly imposed.

"Not as long as I face her. Halt your pathetic advances already! Your words aren't going to phase me!"

"Tojiro, stop this!" exclaimed Chitose.

"Apparently, I can't! I'm going to end the goddamn world remember? Turn away before I kill you AND your friends, GOT IT?!" Chitose's voice plummeted, leaving Ikko to wonder.

"Don't allow this news to take you over, Tojiro. Every infallible situation has a solution." advised Jotoku steadily.

"The balance of Chaos energy in your body is breaking down. A being like you cannot live on without a soul to control the Chaos energy in your body. You are simply an accident waiting to happen!"

"_Silence, you fool! SHUT…UP_!" fired the crowded thoughts of Tojiro's hatred.

Ryu fell silent of words. The friends behind the doomed Cloakmaster remained squandered as well.

"Roku seems to care, though. What has he told you?" struck the real Nightshade's calming voice.

"The same damn thing you said! Except even more nonsense and trivialities were in his than yours."

"Roku _does_ know something then. A possible way to halt the meltdown may be in thought." Ryu sentenced, lowering his Staff.

"Why would Roku want to help me? Aren't all conscious animal forms in Nightshades naturally angered? Angered because they are sealed by the-"

"The Redemption Seal… that must be what is deteriorating. It, for a Nightshade, is the key to your control of Chaos energy. It is what keeps the nature and force of your Dragon's spirit, soul and body from taking control! Without your soul in flux with your spirit, the shattering force of your Redemption Seal-"

"**Shall cause the end of the multi-verse**!" yelled an echoing female voice.

All sights from above watched as a tingling tornado of flames struck down in-between the gap of Tojiro and Ryu, scathing the ground with dust and pebbles. Ryu and Tojiro waved their weapons to clear the smoke. Within stood a figure just inches shorter than Tojiro.

A brown pattern less cloak with a straight trim around the body, as it stopped around her waist like a poncho, but larger. Lowering the hood was a girl in her mid-twenties with long flaming orange hair. Her bangs that covered her forehead was completely red and brushed to sway to the right. Sunshine yellow bangs from the sides of her waving hair laid down on her shoulders. Opening her poncho, the girl wore a sleeveless black shirt with a chalk white emblem of a phoenix on it. Around her curving waist was a orange and black checkered skirt. Black stockings grasped her legs while around her feet and up to her knees were long black boots with two twin pink lines on the sides.

"Boy… she certainly makes Chitose's boobs look… outsized?" said the voice of Yuko Atoda, standing with the rest of the group.

"Excuse me?!" barked the infuriated Chitose.

"How did she even get here so fast?" remarked the leaning Ikko.

The elegant girl looked to the Cloakmaster, tilting her the front of her right foot to stand on the ground, waving at him. Tojiro's understanding turned itself upside down. Across her arms were navy blue arm bands with yellow strings that kept them tied. Fingerless black gloves were snug around her hands as she clasped them together, bowing to the Cloakmaster.

"How kind!" inserted Haruka happily.

"What the hell's going on? Seriously?" slated Ikko, still tilted by confusion.

"Hey Tojiro, who's the cosplayer?!" excused Yuko.

"Ehh? Ther-There's no way I look like-"

"Kind've, yes." reacted the Saienji group, Tojiro looking over his shoulder with several question marks above his scalp.

The girl's voice was a gentle and true voice. Tojiro looked at her directly, meeting her gaze with his dangerous fire glance. The girl's large and beautiful batting Carmine Red eyes swayed to the Cloakmaster, who gawked. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness, having no other better action to clear his sentimental conscience.

"Your Chaos energy is attuned to a very special person." Ryu stated, causing the girl to turn her head over her right shoulder as she remained bowing.

"A very powerful person; God of Chaos powerful." noted Tojiro, crossing his arms, the girl standing straight up to respond to the Demigod.

"You would be correct Master Tojiro. I've been training under the watch of Master Tatsuya." she smiled with closed eyes.

Silence and dumbfounded. The Saienji group were the only ones, however, that had no clue of what was transpiring.

"I thought you were jesting. You live in Paragon with Osamu Tatsuya?" instituted the blank faced Tojiro.

"Indeed. I visit him often. He's really sweet for an elderly man, and for the most powerful and most feared of all Chaos users."

"You even know his age?!" exclaimed Tojiro.

"Man! I have _never_ seen Tojiro like this. Can we record this Lady Jotoku? Huh? Huh?" nudged Yuko.

"Don't even try, Yuko. Apparently they're in enough chaos already." explained the constant Jotoku.

"Master Tatsuya called me to make sure no conflict continues between such honorable Chaos users."

"I do believe Osamu and God are on the same side. And HE already made

His move against the Cloakmaster." Ryu intercepted daringly.

"There's no lie. She speaks the truth. Isn't that right?" spoke a calm Tojiro.

"Yes," nodded the respectable girl. "Osamu wants to keep this secret of course from Lord Kami. He believes Tojiro would never allow his own power to get the best of himself. Right, Master Ankoku?"

"Never heard anyone go by God's name like that." Ikko blankly added.

"She's very respectful." Chitose responded.

"Seeing that all of this is piecing together; an introduction must be conveyed. My name is **Mayumi Fushicho**. Loyal student of Osamu Tatsuya, God of Chaos and protégé of Sun Goddess, **Amaterasu**. Nice to meet you all!"

A drifting wind slurred by.

"Say what?" stirred a muttering Ryu, his gaze fleeing to the right.

"This continues to amaze me. I really can't decide what I need be surprised about." mumbled Tojiro, rubbing his aching forehead.

With the day passing, Tojiro found himself sitting on top of Saienji Temple with Mayumi standing right next to him. Her fragile eyes caused her head to turn and look at him. Tojiro sat frozen with a glum and dead glare. His left hand was raised out, a whirling blue Rasengan was in his palm.

"Besides the fact that my body is nearing a dimensional cataclysm, what else have you done for me?" Tojiro asked out of mind.

"Osamu was as baffled as I was. I'm sure even Lord Kami felt the same. You should not worry Master Ankoku." opposed the smiling Mayumi.

"Whoever you intend yourself to be is not of my concern right now. Apparently I need my soul so I don't destroy every form of life in the existence of time. I admit I'm hard pressed for time."

"Yet you act so calm! A lot of Chaos users that are allied with God are going to come after you." warned a subtle Mayumi.

"And? Isn't that everyone? Who knows? I wonder if Lady Jotoku plans on sealing me where I sleep tonight."

"Come now, you were so determined just now."

"Or possibly I'll wake up and watch Miss Chitose impale me through the skull with her ceremonial staff."

"Tojiro, I can help. Just stop-"

"In fact, I better see all of their ceremonial staffs stuck in a vital spot. I wouldn't want to casually make friends that'll later stab me in the back!" barked the Demigod like a dog, his Rasengan vanishing from his palm.

Mayumi didn't speak in turn this time. She only watched Tojiro drown himself with a glare that spelled future disaster… for all of us. Mayumi knew of Tojiro's visceral powers, and the recently nightmarish one sleeping inside him brought even more trouble to it. She beared simple, honest restrictions that couldn't understand how the will or sheer backbone of Tojiro was keeping him going. No other being possesses such a trait. Being the literal form of Death didn't give him much.

Perhaps the Nightmare Scythe was pity to the Cloakmaster when he became the new Grim Reaper. This questioned many things. Many things that Mayumi grew wide eyes about. If he is the Grim Reaper, why would the Nightmare Scythe start giving Tojiro this agony and sickening illness now? Why did it take his own death and sudden return for the Nightmare Scythe to demand something so persistently? Mayumi felt feverish to ask Tojiro. He was already taking in too much annoyances at once, go figure.

"What made you…well, what was it that forced you to move on from all the chaos behind you?" wondered the kneeling Mayumi.

"Small talk before the storm, huh? I guess it doesn't count actually. The war even hasn't begun yet." glared the baggy eyes of the Cloakmaster.

Mayumi studied the Demigod's face. It appeared as if he was malevolently changing with every second of his life. It couldn't be. From the words of her master, even he showed congenial hope.

_ "How long have you wandered within these walls, Mayumi? How many Chaos users have you dashed away, on my order?" spoke the huge cloaked Osamu Tatsuya, sitting on his overwhelming throne in the center of his temple in Paragon._

_ "Many, I deem. Though why do you ask? I sense your concerned spirit rising."_

_ "Commendable, I must say! It is in fact true that I lay worried; I have a mission for you my student. Find and seek the last Nightshade. Watch his every turn, keep him safe, I will not allow my old friend to harm him when this crisis can be solved."_

_ "Are you referring to Lord Kami, Master Tatsuya?"_

"I am. He may rush into destroying Tojiro without knowing of unknown consequences. I fear…that Tojiro's situation will not be resolved when in death. It shall produce…_**the same result**__."_

The conversation they held left Mayumi currently stricken. She sat kneeled next to the Cloakmaster, looking towards the horizon with her squeezed hands resting on top of her thighs. The wind left Tojiro drugged in thought. While Mayumi looked up to the sky as the peaceful breeze embraced her.

"Why do you think Chaos energy is different in every single person, Master Tojiro?"

The Cloakmaster waved his dim expression to the side of Mayumi's head. Her face bright and beautiful kept on staring forward, above and beyond; never-ending. Tojiro looked out forward with a vigorous sight.

"If you can't say it then I'll say something." reacted a positive Mayumi, her head lowering with her closing eyes.

Tojiro remained with a full on stare into empty space. He strengthened his right hand, opening it to reveal glowing blue lights from the Shards of Remembrance, refusing to take heed in their existence. Mayumi continued her uncertain gaze towards the cloaked, mummified Demigod. Draped in all that evil Chaos energy which fed him power and protection from those around him. No wonder this news struck him so finely. Not even that abominable cloak will be enough to help him become stronger.

"It isn't due to weakness that Lord Kami dissuaded you. It was the Scythe." advised Mayumi sincerely.

"Excuses are vague. It was my willingness that made me face Him, and the force of the Nightmare Scythe's growing power that earned my defeat."

Mayumi only lowered her eyebrows at his dense formality. Words of a warrior that had no possible end, until recently.

"If ever I lost a battle…It was that one."

Mayumi looked to the outward speaking Demigod. He was on his feet with his hands clenched: so much that his left hand was bleeding.

"I refuse to let this damn Scythe put me closer and closer to Hell's domain."

"Master Ankoku, please allow-"

The Demigod thrusted the crooked claw fingers of his right hand directly into his belly, bending forward with agony by the forces of his own hand. If ever a Nightshade do damage upon themselves the Chaos energy that allows them to do so will increase their pain limitations, and push them ever closer to death with each time.

"Master Ankoku!" shrieked a stationary Mayumi.

Tojiro watched a pulsing red ooze leave his stomach.

"Work dammit. Come on. WORK!" he barked, jumping off the roof and onto the courtyard grounds.

Mayumi watched Tojiro as he led a trail of bubbling plasma in his foot trail, only demanding to remove the wretched Nightmare Scythe from his body.

"This damn corpse… has always given me hell. Pain and annoyances! They're just what I need. DAMMIT!" roared the Demigod, dropping to his knees from the emptying of so much blood.

His right metallic hand along with his left were pressed on the ground. Mayumi landed in front of the temple doors, hurrying over to the doomed Demigod. A quick swing of his right arm with Chaos Spears forged from Chaos Poison halted her advance. A fire barrier from her right arm steamed the projectiles into air, lowering the barrier into nothingness; gazing upon the Demigod who began creating a black and dark scarlet portal in his stomach.

"**Reaper…**_**REAPER SUMMONING!**_" casted the demented warrior.

One vicious tug and the bleak sound of tissue and blood splashing out; a stream of red Chaos energy lined with silver and black spat out of his belly, causing him to fall to the ground in desolate suffering. Looking forward with sweat and veins straining on his forehead, the twisted line of burning Chaos energy shaped itself into a large scythe. Tojiro watched as color became its embodiment, turning into the most evil and corrupted weapon to be emblazoned with negative Chaos energy: With death and life attached to both sides, **the Nightmare Scythe**.

"About…time." slurred his blank voice.

He rose to his knees. The grip around the staff of the Nightmare Scythe was loose, Tojiro was losing too much of his treacherous blood. Mayumi hurried over by his side. Her blinking eyes shined in daze upon meeting them with the Nightmare Scythe. The left was shining white with the black Japanese Kanji for life. Opposites encompassed the right side of the blade as it was a night sky black with the white Japanese Kanji for death. A vile fang curved the Scythe's blade into a monster of creation, befitting for the Grim Reaper's new incarnation. Tojiro swallowed his pain, becoming engulfed by its darkness, following face first to the ground.

"Master Ankoku? Cloakmaster?! Cloakmaster! Wake up, Master Tojiro!" shouted the bracing voice of Mayumi's gentleness, losing the Demigod to his own will.

That will called darkness encompassed his eyes, body and mind: a simmering blue light emanating from his right hand.

**つづく**

_**To be continued**_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW  
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-Under the daylight beam, Tojiro Ankoku awakens in the middle of an ancient forest.-

"Falling to darkness, Tojiro enters a strange memory." -Tojiro looks to see he is being watched... by his legendary father.-

"Refusing to speak out of riddles, Kenji declares Tojiro's curses will never truly end." -Packs of purple and black furred Werehogs are unleashed from the forest.-

-Tojiro's hands trembled in rage.-

"Awakening to the concern of his Saienji allies, Mayumi Fushicho tells Tojiro she must guide him on his journey to get back his soul, to stop the dimensional cataclysm inside his body from happening." -Mayumi stands in Tojiro's face, visually upset with his stubborn actions of late.-

"Though the memory Tojiro falls prey to is no illusion: it is in fact his most important memory yet."

-Mayumi watched Tojiro plunge his own fingers into his belly; Opening a red and black shaded portal, releasing the Nightmare Scythe from inside his body.-

"It is the story of how Tojiro Ankoku, upon defeating Akuma Kyofu on Mt. Jigoku's peak, faced the **Fires of Retribution**... and lived."

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars**_

**CHAPTER LXXVIII: FAIRY TALE TRANCE  
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	78. Chapter LXXVIII

**THREE-PART SPECIAL, CHAPTER 78-80: "AHEAD OF THE FUTURE"  
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**CHAPTER XXLVIII: FAIRY TALE TRANCE**

**DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this chapter except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro Ankoku, Kenji Haruki and Mayumi Fushicho. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. ****All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_**Altered Dimension, Elven Forest, 16 Hours after the Fall of Mt. Jigoku on"OMNI-EARTH"**_

Seething with foul memories of a tormenting journey's end. A roaring vortex of flames slammed into the ground of a wide open clearing. Jagged stone pillars stood around the area, closest to the trees. The tunnel of fire slammed into the grass, waiting several seconds for it to be sucked into the morning sky. Surprisingly, only minimal scars of the fire's evil scorched the grass; but leaving behind a one armed Demigod was also part of its knowing. After having driven the Nightmare Scythe through his own chest, the Grim Reaper forcibly pinched the grass with his burnt and ruptured right arm. Steam vented without awareness of his surroundings.

His cloak gone, the wounded warrior bitterly rose to his feet, ignorant of the strenuous glowing red scar in his chest. The fair amount of blood that once poured from his severed left arm was now minimal. His legs shifted and buckled under the weight of pain. Tojiro used his right hand to halt his fall, only hovering up in the air to raise his divided head of scars and bruises. The orange eyes callously swayed to the left and right without knowing or question; drunken by fear for survival and existence.

The patches of coagulated blood on his forehead and chest marked his incompetence to halt and waver to heal. Tojiro braced his gut with the hand of his mechanical limb, creating a swirling red hole of Chaos energy. His eyes tightened grimly, hovering forward over the grass; changing it into blue Chaos energy. A storm of needles punctured his nerves and organs. That pain was irreversible for a Nightshade. No caliber of negative Chaos users enjoy the fulfillment of purifying blue Chaos energy but, its healing properties are unbound. Tojiro had nothing but to move on and carry on his meaningful existence…**because the Fires of Retribution just didn't bring him back without a reason**.

Gripping the bark of trees and leaving scars on them with his twisted fingers, Tojiro collapsed to the ground. After he ceased hovering through the forest two hours ago, he had decided to walk while keeping the healing technique going, and going.

"The Chains of Fear are gone, so is the Cestus, my damn cloak…and yet with all of _my_ possessions gone…" he stammered, rising by grabbing the side of a tree.

He looked to see take great care that the sheathed Blade of Darkness was still strapped around his waist. The chains from his ebony cargo pants wavered slowly, his scarred shoes now all turned to black kept moving the demented man of enigmas onward and forward; without anything to prevail for, nothing to be glad about, zero reasons to wonder why he was still alive.

"I still carry the Blade… and my life. Now besides the obvious, what I do need is shelter and occasional hospitality. God. That is… pitiful. Even for me!" rolled his raggedy voice, walking on and on without consent to halt or die.

Conscious of every step and of every drip of blood, the undying Demigod focused positive blue Chaos energy only on the wound while keeping his strenuous and vile negative Chaos energy from allowing it to try and spread throughout his body, ultimately killing him…_again_. Tojiro watched birds fly over in the freedom of the sky's air. Tojiro gazed upon a small shattered temple with tilted pillars and charred grass surrounding the structure itself.

Tojiro headed for the disheveled set of stone steps, resting with a relief to cure any form of pain; Exasperating once to clear his throat. Tojiro removed his right hand from his chest, seeing a perfectly straight line representing the shape of the Nightmare Scythe's blade.

The crimson glow was like a small stream of lava. A charred and unmerciful force of nature burdened in his belly. Tojiro closed his eyes with his lowered head, concentrating on slowing down his breathing. From around his body, the Demigod's infamous ebony cloak began to return. Bits of orange flurries that resembled ember of flames turned coal black as Tojiro's number one defense began to return to him.

With a drifting white flame pattern on the lower edges on the back and with the sleeves stripped at his elbows, the Demigod covered his winded corpse to heal. Tojiro placed his right hand over the cutting point of where his left arm was blown off during the cataclysmic finishing attack he used on Mount Jigoku.

"Come on…what technique, what technique…" stubbornly paced the Cloakmaster, standing up.

Tojiro felt his right leg, it being made of metal, and the other just like it.

"A Chaos Trigger should work, along with some Chaos Control energy?"

With his right hand and the index finger and middle finger raised together, a collective force of silver, aqua blue, and amaranth swirled around the socket of where his shoulder bone would connect to his left arm. Conflicting Chaos Trigger with Chaos Control would cause a physical interpretation of the Cloakmaster's flesh and bone arm. The Chaos Control, being made of Space Chaos energy, would create the arm's form, while the Time Chaos energy would recreate the time when his arm did exist; so he could never lose it again.

The drifting particles of Chaos energy began to reformat themselves into an arm of light and growing power. Rising to his feet, the Demigod watched his arm return. Light spheres fluttered off his newly created limb. Bending the fingers and turning the wrist; Tojiro deemed it to be a great and lucky success.

"You've come farther than me I see." wandered a drifting voice.

The Demigod restlessly turned to the inside of temple where he jumped ten feet back from, firing twenty orange Chaos Spears. A swath of yellow Chaos energy spearheaded through the projectiles. Tojiro waved the unsheathed Blade of Darkness to eliminate the raging attack, safely landing with his feet stretched apart, his Blade of Darkness held backwards in the grip of his right hand, while his newly regained arm remained leveled before his eyes.

"I figured you would have enough determination to finally get that arm back. How long has it exactly been since you drove that weapon through my chest?"

Tojiro's flaming eyes set themselves to an extinguished halt, watching a cloaked figure emanate his presence in the sunlight. On the back of that charcoal cloak; the insignia of the Great Shade Empire, and in his voice Tojiro called him:

"_**Father**_…?"

Doubt clouded both their thoughts. Two of the Great Shade Empire's best warriors and Chaos users; only two to have come so far in their learning and teachings of fighting with its deadly power. Kenji Haruki, a noble figure and congruent man of virtues and kindness. His lowered hood revealed a stone faced appearance, a short length thick beard, a pair of fiery orange eyes just like Tojiro's.

"A persistence that gathers the strife of millions. You've become much of a figurehead in our family, Tojiro. And…to our people as well."

"The second you tell me why you're alive is the second you'll realize pain! Who brought you back, Father?!" recoiled the Cloakmaster of Darkness, calming his stance to stand simple and relax his calm.

"Nothing of the greatest importance now, I'm afraid. I'm not even allowed to speak my plans to you."

Tojiro snared an angry snarl to his father; a will now chained by unseen forces. The Cloakmaster demanded truth.

"You summoned yourself to me for great purpose. Now that I'm back! I assume you're here with a message of war!" amounted the riled Tojiro.

"War is eternal my son. It occurs every day whether we're fighting ourselves or the people of another nation. You simply can't expect your father to greet his son without emotion involved, can you?"

The Demigod sweated a nervous amount, his patience hasn't even been tested yet.

"Perhaps it was my greatest mistake to sacrifice myself so easily to the humans…and the **monster** disguised amongst them. I gave you and your mother much grief…even when you didn't even know how I truly left this world."

"Father, don't do this. Not to me! Not now!" barked the savage Demigod, his Blade of Darkness instructed towards his father.

"I dare not to stay long. And I surely _do not_ wish to waste this time with Chaos techniques: I've only come with deep condolences that you succeed a new future…in the changing worlds around us." Kenji roughly tuned, his eyes shutting from seeing his grown son.

Tojiro ignorantly kept his sword raised: Without question!

"Despite all that has happened to you, losing one of your forms, face the dangers of that corrupt dragon, the Nine Hell Gods: everything and everyone that has respected you... now looks at you with disdain. There is nothing stopping me from cordially saying your suffering will **never end**."

Tojiro remained still, abstinent of showing any mercy through words.

"Do you still possess control of that Dragon? For having used it so many times, and for losing more control of it than over it, surely you acted to rule its will with your own." tempted the emotionless Kenji.

"Then leave if all you wish is to taunt and hate. I need none of it. I only need to find my own way now. Nothing more!" constituted the underlying Demigod of Death.

"You've said so more than once. All I must say is to go for that challenge. All you must wager…is that will of yours. Luckily none has surpassed but-"

"Everyone challenges the goddamn thing, yeah. I'm aware, Father. Now leave or become my foe." instituted the simmering Tojiro.

"Only when you wish to constrain that frivolous attitude of yours; which I eternally doubt…I'll leave you with temptation; **forge your weapons for the greatest war, my son**,"

From the trees and on the ground, purple flashes exploded, forming into fearsome beasts. Tojiro's ears keyed into the tune of nerve damaging snarls and gut breaking anger. Tojiro looked as his new position had become infested with black and violet colored Werehogs; their entire bodies being made of sinister Chaos energy.

"…For it shall be: _**Your last.**_ Prepare for it...With **all** your strength."

Kenji vanished through a white and crimson Chaos Portal, leaving the army of evil to face off with the demented Demigod, whose hands shook with hatred; Hatred for this existence of his. The beasts lunged from the trees. They charged across the ground; their pray before their very eyes. Steaming with crimson blood Chaos energy, his hands burned for utter violence that only he could wield. A Demigod of death, the very personification of his existence. It all began… _with this_.

"Tojiro-san! Why isn't he waking?!" exclaimed the highly understandable voice of a frightened Mayumi.

"Wait, wait, wait! He…he's breathing! He's okay!" called the voice of Chitose Nanbu.

The Demigod's eyes struck open as reality met with him once again, much like that darkness of the past. With the nuns and monk of Saienji Temple around him, the daughter of Amaterasu keenly watched. The white snow warrior of the cloak sat up to his eager return, smiles growing all around him.

As recuperation was kindred to the fervor of his journeys, Tojiro was sitting in the dinner room, feasting on meat buns and a bowl of rice. Tojiro slyly turned his restless eyes to the Nightmare Scythe, sitting behind him. Having successfully removing it from his body, he only surmised that things would change from here on out. Mayumi raged into the room by storm, closing the sliding doors behind her. A reluctant Tojiro raised a single eyebrow at her wide open expression.

"You must leave, Master Ankoku." she whispered quietly.

"Is that so?" responded Tojiro tiredly, continuing to eat his food.

A compromised Mayumi only blinked her clairvoyant and large eyes, bowing her head in defeat. As she walked over to the opposite side from where Tojiro sat, she took silence into her arms as she kneeled down before the table. Tojiro claimed to be upset, but in manner of him keeping quiet and solemnly eating his meal like it was his last; the complete end of the multi-verse wasn't something he wanted to waste time _pondering _over. Being the latter for its soon to be end, Tojiro heavily depended on focusing what he can do to stop it.

Her hands rested on her lap and her jeweled eyes were staring forward at him, while her head was inches lower. Tojiro raised a meat bun to his mouth, devouring it quietly.

"Master Ankoku if I may, the reason no one can locate you through your Chaos energy is that I-"

"Has Tatsuya really told you all the truths?" groveled the Demigod, resting his bowl of rice down on the table.

Mayumi's eager face revealed itself along with a hint of shock. The Cloakmaster arrogantly continued his glare, patience being abode and all.

"As you may know, God and every other Chaos user on the planet that has allied themselves with His forces, SHALL be hunting…_for me!_ As long as I waste time-"

"Master Tatsuya sent me to guide you!" expelled a loud Mayumi.

Tojiro's mouth gaped only inches, his spine resting back to remain in a genuine posture. Mayumi yanked herself back with clouds of blush on her cheeks, covering her mouth in the process.

"You sure have learned much if you interrupt whatever I have to say. Everyone that knows me does it. What is it that you wish to speak of, then?" complied the reticent Demigod.

"W-W-W-Well, I uhh, I should really apologize about being so rude to a great master." waved Mayumi's hands.

"Pointless to do it: so leave it be. Have no judgment held back; just talk." answered the Cloakmaster, resting his sleeves into one another.

Mayumi rested diligently.

An attentive notion set itself up inside her chest.

"After facing those two warriors at the Takanomiya Shrine, I placed a **Rift Clamp** inside your body. I also apologized to that family that you saved…"

"**Rift Clamp, **huh? What is that… exactly?" a stunned Tojiro responded.

"A special technique Master Tatsuya taught me," raised a more confident Mayumi. "It specifically acts as a force of Chaos energy that turns your energy based signature invisible, thus Lord Kami nor anyone can find you."

"God can just use his eyes. For that matter, can't anyone else?" complained the uncertain Tojiro.

"Due to your body completely being made of Chaos energy, you can't be seen by any powerful Chaos users that rely on their sensory techniques. As long your out of sight…you're out of mind.

"So as long as you don't hold a degree in Chaos techniques and are able to use your sensory abilities, no one can find me…" resettled the Cloakmaster.

"Correct Master Ankoku! You're just lucky, like always!"

"Good thing humans can still see me. Like Ikko, Haruka and their group. If I truly am lucky…not even Orion may find me." keyed Tojiro, sipping a cup of calming tea.

A daring wind with a exploding purple and black portal opened in the ceiling. Tojiro's eyes struck wide, reaching for a screeching Mayumi that was evilly grabbed by her flowing fiery hair from a stretched out furry arm of violet and ebony. Tojiro reached back for the Nightmare Scythe and sliced the arm off.

Like a fire hose it spat purple slime and kicked left and right. Tojiro shielded Mayumi with his defense, raising his cloak to melt the gurgling ooze. The arm retracted into the portal, only for sixteen more to come out in a bunch. Tojiro's teeth vividly gritted. A swing from the Scythe's staff, he used Airbending to slide Mayumi across the floor and out the sliding doors. The table flew towards Mayumi as her reflexes spoke. A cutting force of Chaos Fire saw her way, but Tojiro remained entrapped by the desolate arms that froze his body.

"Master Ankoku!" exclaimed the honorable Chaos user, shooting Chaos Spears to sever the arm, just as Tojiro tried to save himself.

"Leave it be Mayumi! Just make sure everyone else remains safe! Wherever I'm headed…DON'T YOU DARE FOLLOW!"

"What kind of foolishness is that?!" barked Mayumi, running into the middle of the room, grabbing one of Tojiro's feet.

One of the clawed arms slapped Mayumi against the wall with power enough to shatter it completely. Fang eyed and peering with anger, Tojiro allowed this demeaning force to apprehend him. The eyes of Mayumi stuttered open, watching the circling wraiths of wind vanish, just as the glowing red aura of Chaos energy surrounded Tojiro; Vanishing into the power of that evil portal.

A meaningful subordinate remained behind on the floor, those brave eyes suddenly infected with fear and shame. This is why…Osamu Tatsuya desired to reveal all of Tojiro's misfortunes to her. It was for her to know the feeling of watching a comrade suffer, no. Not even a comrade. But something….**morbidly cursed**.

_Continues in Chapter 79..._


	79. Chapter LXXIX

**THREE PART SPECIAL, CHAPTER 78-80: "AHEAD OF THE FUTURE"  
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**CHAPTER LXXIX: ONE MAN NIGHTMARE**

**DISCLAIMER: ****I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this chapter except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro Ankoku. He is my original character and thus owned/copyright by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.  
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_**Altered Past Dimension, Gi (Wei) Faction City, 1:45 pm**_

Between time and space once again, a swath of violet and black opened and the tangled Demigod was thrown out by the clump of muscular arms of fur. Tojiro lunged for the noble city of Ancient Chinese lore, steering to a mob of Chaos Spears that spun and screeched like drills. Tojiro swung his Nightmare Scythe like a propeller blade to collect all of the foaming Chaos energy on the blade of the killer weapon. After seething the Scythe with the dark Chaos energy, Tojiro flipped his hood over his head and forward spun, using the Nightmare Scythe as his only offense.

The army of growling Werehogs were slashed to pieces, more or less that still eighty percent of them remained crowded in the chaotic street. Tojiro used Chaos Control to appear on the ground before the heightened set of stairs to the large castle of the city. From where he stood, the entire street before him was crowded with these black and purple Werehogs. Their eyes remained filled with a violet aura, and the gruel from their mouth watered for chaos.

The city itself had several unfortunate fires, none of the city's forces had been called to deal with this madness; irritably making Tojiro stand straight up with the Nightmare Scythe held in his right hand backwards so the blade was behind him and pointing away from his back. A roar from ten of the Werehogs in front signaled their manic charge.

"Nowhere but up I guess. Bring it on!" chanted the warrior Demigod, holding the Nightmare Scythe with both hands.

Four Werehogs leaped off the ground, allowing their heads to sliced off. Tojiro jumped backwards three times in a row, each dealing out death with the Nightmare Scythe. A sideways swing lost one beast its torso. A diagonal slash lost another the veins and arteries in its neck to gush like a fountain.

The third gave an upwards cut to a Werehog's neck, to which Tojiro released a wall of Airbending to push it and all of the vile monstrosities down the wide and massive steps, their bones crunching and twisting on their way down. From the left, the resourceful Demigod grabbed one of the Werehogs by the snout, lighting it completely on fire as it howled.

Tojiro raised a wall of earth from the ground before him to avoid a mob of Werehogs from leaping on top of him. Tojiro leaped high into the afternoon sky, tossing the Werehog firecracker down towards the mound of rock he created.

"Chaos Shutter Blast!" spoke the wide mouthed Cloakmaster.

The corpse of the monster exploded in mid-flight to release a barrage of glass shaped Chaos projectiles that flamed with death. Like flies they dropped, the beasts of Tojiro's burden. Their bodies scrapped and torched while plasma splattered in the air and tainted the ground they dropped dead at.

A Chaos Portal opened behind Tojiro, a twin pointed javelin came flying out. With his cloak raised by his left hand, an ebony barrier with cloudy scarlet appeared around his body. The attack nevertheless cut through his unwilling barrier, corroding a deadly mist of Chaos Poison into Tojiro's body. With the force it traveled with, a disoriented Cloakmaster shot towards the lower part of the large stairs, pounding into the earth with a ten meter shockwave that roosted hundreds of the Werehog forces into the air. From within the chaos, Tojiro leaped out, a backwards swinging slash removing the jaws of four Werehogs.

A spray blast of Firebending from his clenched left fist sent them to Hell. Tojiro turned around with a direct stomach gutting, swinging the corpse of the beast to bash five onlookers, and then crush one Werehog directly into the ground with a splatter affect for the Werehog on his Scythe. The corpse burned off from the foul energy of the Scythe, leading Tojiro to arm Black Death in his left hand.

A shot for seven in one eye threw Werehogs flying as their ominous plasma flew like paint. Tojiro butted two Werehogs from behind with a swing from Black Death then completely disemboweled them both. Tojiro leapt back into a pack of Werehogs. An ignorant grimace opened up on the Demigod's eyes.

A single Chaos Trigger changed his legs into mechanical mode. He hovered in mid air and began whirling as fast as the blades of a jet turbine. With the Nightmare Scythe stretched out and firing away with Black Death, Tojiro mixed and blended the Werehog army into slimy chunks, beheaded corpses, or bits that couldn't even complete a puzzle; massacre was his name.

Tojiro dropped to the ground, placing Black Death in his holster after the chaos around him silenced itself, for now. A quick look to above at the stairs of the palace, the guards finally began their charge. Tojiro lifted his head eagerly to see and discover a haunting and filthy aura of Chaos energy originating from within the palace.

Tojiro's eyes were poured in with all crimson Chaos energy as he exploded across the steps, bowling through the army of guards by swinging the Nightmare Scythe horrendously without mercy. Blood clinged onto his clothes, continuously without mercy or fervor to think. A flash of red met shape as Tojiro leaped over the flying corpses of over fifty palace guards, shooting a tunneling red beam from the Nightmare Scythe's blade which he made stand.

Black smoke cleared itself into a decorated lobby of honor and loyalty. Statues amidst the sides and a floor of tan and white that glowed from lights above. Tojiro looked to a large set of stairs leading into the head chamber, where this city's leader sat.

"That source is in here somewhere…I know it." clinged the Demigod, his ears twitching.

From the left and right of halls on both sides, soldiers of spears, swords and black armor entered the room. Without regard, the Cloakmaster reverted to his Hedgehog form, lowering his hooded cowl to reveal to his foes who they were going to fall by; the face of merciless combat and over a thousand Chaos techniques: A warrior without care for those who bring even the most mild of suffering to the lives of others. Even at first the warriors halted in attempts to charge.

The Demigod remained outfitted with a monstrous determination to find this sudden source of vile energy in the walls of this place, albeit there will be nothing to stop him from doing what has to be done. The guard charged with a fury in their hearts as the light from the ceiling shined off their swords and spears. A conscious Tojiro slid across the ground with a chute of Airbending pushing him, yielding the Nightmare Scythe back with both hands for a sideward slash.

Embedding it with his evil Chaos energy unknown to any hate in the universe, a move on legs sent Tojiro spinning around as he ducked and swung the Nightmare Scythe left and right, arming himself with two spears in his left hand. A forward jab to the necks of two guards and a Firebending blast to six guards behind him cleared the Cloakmaster for breathing room. Tojiro used the two spears he held to catch four volleying arrows.

From atop the stairs in front of the head chambers door, archery troops with five in front crouched and six behind them standing straight up. Tojiro quickly felt shivering steel place itself in his back. The eyes of a man sick of human burden stormed with crimson as they narrowed, accepting the hate of feeling pain. A backwards upward cut caught two guards onto the blade of the Scythe.

Tossing the two spears at two archers kept the guards full of shock, and yet they forced their sweat to lessen as their brows focused on killing the intruder.

Tojiro punched an unwavering guard in the gut, using the corpse as a battering ram while holding the Nightmare Scythe back and firing Chaos Spears from its tip that straightened out. Like a mind of its own the merciless weapon launched red Chaos Spears that left bright burning scars once meeting a target. Tojiro leapt into the air, turning around to throw the Nightmare Scythe, which still carried two hooked bodies, throwing it towards the guards that remained, exploding into a sprinkler of yellow sparking bits of shattered glass shaped Chaos energy.

Looking forward, Tojiro tossed his human shield away to arm the Blade of Darkness in his left hand. While smoke of black and pure red flames gathered below in the main hall, Tojiro was profusely riddled with arrows. He only saw glints of their iron tips. Hardly no blood was shed. Tojiro landed in front of the line to cut them all down with a single slash, grabbing two guards by their faces and tossing them aside. Using Airbending to shoot their bodies into opposite walls the force crushed their ribs and the organs they so protected. Tojiro grabbed three arrows from his chest and drove one through the jugular of one guard and into the right cheek bone of the fellow guard behind him.

Tojiro lit their corpses on fire before swing his arms back with Airbending to launch them into the body count on the floor of the main hall. A direct arrow clinged itself into Tojiro's forehead, immediately he removed it and drove it through the guard's eye, snapping his neck afterward. Harmless to pain, Tojiro dodged a forward knife thrust, grabbing the arm of the guard but, taking a direct gutting to his stomach when a soldier from his right found an opening. Tojiro butted heads with the guard, grabbing his face with his right hand and gouging his bent metal finger claws through the cheek bones, tossing away the bloodied face of the man.

One last guard stood before him; the unlucky soul who callously attempted to stab the Demigod of Death. Tojiro melted the knife in the guards hands, causing a fatal cry of pain. Tojiro halted his advance; a woman's cry it was. Tojiro watched her cradle on the floor with her hand that began to deteriorate from the amount of Chaos Fire Tojiro created from disintegrating the knife.

"You don't tell me such a…short and worthless looking warrior is the cause for all this chaos? Isn't it?" muttered the woman guard.

Tojiro soullessly looked to the burning pile of bodies in the center of the lobby. Looking at the suffering human before him, Tojiro now realized that a quarter of the guards he had slaughtered were female as well. His pity, albeit having none, never showed itself.

"I am not responsible for the city's chaos. And as I blind as you may have been to notice their swift invasion, they are obviously under the control of _one_ fool." resented the Cloakmaster, his left index finger raising itself.

"Then…Then it has to be… _that man from the Heavens…_" she uttered, without revolt.

The Demigod's eyes slowly shifted, becoming a full and empty white.

"A man named…**Kazuto Hongo**. He… he has somehow betwixt the eyes of those he meets. It's a force that has our Lord and her company, under some… festive and obedient control!" the woman coughed and suffered, life draining from her breath as she fell onto her back.

"What have _you_ noticed? Speak with haste!" demanded the crouched Cloakmaster, holding the woman by grabbing the groove around the armor of her neck.

"He has been great to the nations… why do you wish to kill him? Are you jealous?" smirked the woman.

"The universe may end and so shall I. I have no reason to feel emotion. Now speak reason…" answered the Cloakmaster, patient with her slowly dying life.

"A man… a cloaked man was seen with Lord Kazuto. The guards kept quiet about it; we believed it to be a friend of Lord Kazuto-"

"So you didn't bother because Kazuto was too goddamn charming? Man, humans shall always be pathetic. Where is he now, then?!" responded the clueless eyed Demigod, slowly returning with his direct interrogation.

"Master Sousou is with him. Along with Master Kan'u, Kochu, Ryubi-"

"What did the cloaked man look like? To hell with the mindless human boy and speak of the conniving cloaked bastard you saw!" angrily roared the Grim Reaper.

"His cloak… **opposed yours…**" she muttered silently.

Tojiro knew it was his father: Kenji Haruki.

"What will you do? Is Kazuto that…bad of a man? No woman thinks otherwise…" slowly spoke the woman.

"If he's the reason for this evil Chaos energy; then my theory shall prove correct." the Grim Reaper of the Cowl spoke, letting the woman go as he pointed his hand to the burning flames.

The Nightmare Scythe, chipped into the ground with Chaos Fire around its indestructible structure, pulled up from the ground and lunged towards Tojiro's calling. It magnetized into his right hand.

"Do not harm our Lord Sousou! Stand d-"

"Or what? Is the existence of one supposedly trusting being so important above all else? My reason for being here is unrequited…along with those who fall by my actions. If this Kazuto is doomed by darkness, if my theory proves correct…this Scythe is going straight through his vile existence. Chaos Fear shall eat him inside out for allowing to fall to darkness and human desire." Tojiro executed with all damnation and merciless, his back to her and his eyes to the head chamber doors.

"You'll be hated by the land. Every army's faction shall hunt you for _his _death. You possibly can't assume such a role with-"

Her voice was silenced as Tojiro readied Black Death and guided one shot into her forehead.

"One life doesn't go before the existence of all. He dies for the sake of the continued existence of whatever fool lives in this world. Be it a man or woman. I don't tolerate idiocy with human feelings." readied the divulging Demigod, his left hand of yellow Chaos Lightning pointing towards the doors.

Morphing through the giant doors and clinging onto the other side were spears of lightning that spat the doors of their hinges, leaving the Cloakmaster of Darkness to march on his way with the Nightmare Scythe being used as his _walking stick_. He looked to see the room, on both the left and right filled with soldiers and spearmen. Tojiro stomped the Scythe once to create a large red barrier of Chaos energy in the broken down doors, his eyes looking from it, to what lie before him. Far ahead sat the blonde haired and royal leader of the Wei Faction: **Sousou Motoku**.

Guarding by her left was the to the death loyal Kakoton Genjo. Identical liberties followed to Sousou's right as the more calm and still caring and daring: Kakoen Myosai stood ready. After enveloping himself in those that outnumbered him in weaponry and faces of hatred; Tojiro looked far past that to see a young man in a long sleeve white t-shirt and black pants.

"_Definitely an individual from the present time. Seems he got here on accident,_" examined Tojiro with quelled emotions. "To all that protect that human! I am here to give you bull headed idiots a warning!" he yelled purposely.

"He's definitely a determined one." nervously motioned Kazuto.

"You and I are at odds then! You attack my palace and lay waste to my guards without hesitation; why do you so blindly seek Kazuto-dono's wrongdoing?" interjected the laid back Sousou, her right leg hanging over her left.

"Its almost like you people _HAVE_ to hate what the talking hedgehog says. Regardless, where are your allies? A guard spoke of others that were here!"

"If you dare to threaten my fellow masters…and especially Kazuto-dono: You will have no mercy!" surmised the still calmly wandering Sousou.

"So basically your logic tells you Kazuto is superb in every way because he's kind, genuinely smart in strategy and history; but you…fail to realize he's literally screwed? Pointless logic are for the weak and selfish."

"You fat headed swine! Do not mock Sousou-sama, nor Kazuto-kun!" roared Kakoton.

"Does your reaction count as proof to my logic?" Tojiro inquired, raising his left hand.

As Kakoton growled in fury, Kakoen only sighed with pity for her older sister's resentment to _hold_ in that anger of hers.

"You speak too much! What's your name and why do you seek such hostility towards me and my allies?" resisted the defensive Kazuto.

"Your allies? My friend they can't be your allies if you wish to control them without respect." said the outspoken Demigod.

The words filled their minds, and the ears and hearts of the black haired Kan'u Uncho, Ryubi Gentoku, Chouhi Yokutoku, and Kochu Kansho with her daughter, Riri.

"Kazuto-Onii san! What is that guy?!" exclaimed the short light red haired Chouhi, following up to stand by his side, readying her fearsome spear grooved edged weapon.

"What kind of assassin charges through without any strategy! Speak your name or die where you stand!" exclaimed Kan'u, stepping beside Chouhi, along with the eagerly angered faces of everyone else.

"The more you throw at me, the more of an example I shall set," wandered the Demigod with a pointless expression while his hand graced his forehead.

Announcing truth without betrayal, the Grim Reaper acknowledged the female warriors of this alternate time, "I am Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku: Last survivor of the Great Shade Empire! Son of Kenji Haruki and Okiku Kazumi: Sibling to no one," the Cloakmaster finely introduced while silence brought everyone to motionless.

"That man you so cautiously speak for and protect has defiled his life with an evil Chaos energy. It is a truly unruly power that another I suspect has passed to him! And since you all so cordially invited him into your arms and hearts, and definitely your beds if you had the chance: Kazuto Hongo is infected with treasonous powers that will lead you all to an unknown death of unspeakable efforts to contain! That! Is why I…am here…on this fine yet _putrid_ evening."

Freezing stares bombarded the Demigod of Death. Whether it be of fear or whole amounts of doubt, the Grim Reaper was out of line for many things in the eyes of these warriors. The Cloakmaster enveloped himself with a black fog to revert into his human form, whilst pulling his hood over his head to hide his face with the darkness of his cowl. His face was gone from sight and only the hindrance of his disquiet breathing left the fools before him in a crowded unison of confusion.

"This man has no reason to speak so outwardly in our own palace! And to one of our most trusted advisors! Sousou-sama, allow me to face him!" requested a definite Kakoton.

"Sure. And what will that much do?" Tojiro openly added with his darkened tone. Their eyes returned to his demeanor.

"What peace will there be in a world of chaos? War and famine sucks this world dry as you fight day and night; while not representing your own peace. You desire peace with more than one individual: _**Him**_." The Nightmare Scythe pointed towards Kazuto as he remained standing strong and firm with a cruel glare. Tojiro pulled the Scythe back, standing it up like a staff.

"I shall tell you one thing; don't _die_ for your lord. Serve her forever why don't you! I highly question how formidable your hearts will be after her blood stained corpse drops like a sack of hammers. It is merely that boy that I wish to slay…no one else in this room dies tonight."

"I'll slay you right here if I have to dammit! Don't you dare threaten my big brother!" shouted the short and broad force voice of Chouhi as she charged directly across the hall.

Tojiro strained his coursing eyes for the girl's bravery to uphold her belief but, had no respect for her foolishness. Tojiro readied Black Death and set the sight on Chouhi's forehead.

"Chouhi back away you idiot!" resisted Kan'u, charging at full force as well.

Chouhi watched Tojiro, her mildly dark azure eyes shortened by one loud bang. Chouhi's weapon fell to the ground as she did to her knees. Kan'u and her allies wavered in shock and disdain. Chouhi looked to see her hands for the sight of sights: Nothing. A bewildered face stretched her eyes. A frozen up corpse of one of the beastly Werehogs crashed onto the ground behind Chouhi, a bullet hole in its forehead. While Tojiro remained full of content, he placed Black Death in his holster.

Chouhi regained her weapon as Tojiro magnetized the Nightmare Scythe to his back, where a band of black with a glowing red stripe formed out from his cloak and tied around the center of the Scythe's staff. Tojiro prepared his voice again while the corpse of the Werehog continued to bleed across the floor with a putrid violet.

"I shall force bygones to be bygones with two formidable techniques. One that shall silence this boy's existence…and the other to alter the affects he had on this dimension so that none of his evil occurs. What say you? Any of you!"

"You nobly speak falsehoods, Tojiro Ankoku. Kazuto-dono has been nothing but a great influence to my retainers, myself, and my fellow lords. If you dare to harm his life, we shall do the same to your own." advised the wishful Sousou.

"And by what time that I hit a nerve shall one of your _fellow_ _lords_, come and attack me without a second thought?" rose the Cloakmaster in an outrage.

"All you do is talk pointlessly! From what I can see; you only wish to see others dwell in chaos like you have!" interfered a fiery Ryubi.

Kan'u, Sousou, Chouhi and the others joined in a regalia of surprise at Ryubi's unyielding voice to believe the Cloakmaster.

"Is that so? A precautious love…that is all in this world you can grasp onto, huh?" snared Tojiro, his fists clenching.

"Ryubi loves Kazuto-Onii-chan?" bothered a dot eyed Chouhi.

"Daring, isn't it?" motioned a blushing Kan'u, her gaze looking away, while Ryubi's eyes were hidden by the amount of red streaks on her face.

"Substituting another's existence for the purpose of enticing them for your own? Ryubi Gentoku, if you may, does his returned feelings mean more than the fact that you are going to die?"

Ryubi showered her body with a glum intake of fear. Tojiro's eyes remained fogged by darkness, just as his expression was.

"You all despicably throw all chances of continuing happiness into him because you have nowhere else to better it. And even with that Chaos energy that is so twisting and filled with infernal temptations to seek lust and unforgivable suffering: You still trust him, regardless of how your bodies will react?"

"You're empty with that talk of yours! You can't stand anyone else's happiness! You can't even stand a good person when you see one!" denied Ryubi, while Chouhi returned to Kanu's side with a fierce gaze as everyone with her did the same.

"If all these warriors intend to see my death a reality; then I don't mind the failure. I have been boiled, stabbed, poisoned, shot, hung, and even crucified."

The horror of death brought chills to the warriors, regardless of their so many years of fighting.

"And every single time it ended the same way! Fire and blood. Retribution by my hand engulfed them. People met their end by me because they believed their arrogance to be stronger than my so called 'hurtful truths'! They tempted weakness to their empty bonds so they could relinquish… _**ME**_!"

The floor began to twist with cracks, fires began to spread amongst the floor from Tojiro's feet.

"I seriously do not believe how clueless warriors such as yourselves live so long. And all for the sake of dire impressions?! You are only feeding Kazuto the power he needs to fulfill the thoughts from which his Chaos energy is commanding upon his weak humanity!"

"Your talk is wasteful and cheap! I know nothing of this 'Chaos energy' or the threats you make against our lives," exclaimed the enraged Sousou.

"Before your eyes are Kazuto's soldiers, those in debt to his army. If you do not surrender yourself or your weapons, you shall die this day!"

A clouded head of hatred and impermanence sat on Tojiro's shoulders, the flames becoming nothing but extinguishing hate. Tojiro raised his gaze from that anger.

"_Submitting that anger, eh? Aren't we confined to get what they want!_" uttered the dreaded voice of a laughing Roku Tatsumaki: The Dragon within Tojiro's conscience and the embodiment of his _true_ self.

"_Just silence that giant mouth of yours. I nearly forced myself to use your Chaos energy. This is my battle. So remove your voice_." commanded the Demigod's thoughts.

"I'll submit for one reason and one alone! If these are all Kazuto's soldiers, and if he is so trusted in skill, strategy and fighting as you see him to be; then amongst them all he is the master, correct?"

"Kill him!" ordered a brave Kazuto.

Tojiro prepared his fists, eagerly lunging forward to break the face of one guard then give a swinging diagonal kick to slam another into the ground. Tojiro dodged two sword swings and five spear thrusts merely by ducking and turning his back in the clearest direction. From behind a spear gouged itself through flesh but not even bone. Tojiro reached back to elbow the soldier in the jaw, using his corpse to grab and smash two others to the hard and embracing floor.

Tojiro kneed one soldier to the chest with prominent force that guided the unlucky screaming man to push away an entire row of soldiers, as to which Tojiro cleared by running forward and swinging his clawed right hand, spilling more than blood and bone. Halting with his steel hand coated by crimson, a direct downward sword slash hit him in the forehead, as to which he thankfully forced his left hand through the soldier and out the other side.

Six spearmen were charging towards the man with the hole in his body. With his hand exuding a Firebending sphere of death and chaos, all Tojiro did was strain his angered eyes to mortify the body he had his arm driven through but, also steam cook the spearmen that threw their corpses to the floor, having only to embrace death and the flames of darkness. Tojiro pulled his arm out, snapping the man's neck then tossing it aside, Tojiro ran forward to kick three guards to the ground with jump kicks. The eager Cloakmaster leapt back, firing Chaos Wind Chaos Spears. Soldiers wept and flung.

Their arms, torsos or legs waved across the air as blood trailed their horrid fall. The Demigod slid across the floor, looking over his shoulder and turning around with his arms yanked back. Two soldiers with dao blades ran the Cloakmaster through, surprisingly breaking through the force of his cloak and completely through his back. Tojiro remained silent with his head hung low. A cold shutter attempted to break over him, but he can never remain silent for long. Tojiro lifted his eyes of rage to grab to two soldiers up by their neck, digging his middle finger and ring finger up through their throats.

Their wind pipes clogged with rushing plasma as it forced itself out their mouths. Tojiro forcefully turned around and swung the corpses into the center of the room; while the Cloakmaster held onto their heads. Blood coiled from that empty spot, even the spinal cord of their corpses trickled with silence, stuck out in a cruel fashion.

"Your eyes can't be deceived with ease! I'll give you all that much! Until that fool falls dead by my Scythe, my presence remains here! Even if I must prove it through my own pain!"

Tojiro removed the Nightmare Scythe from his back, holding it out sideways with his right hand.

"The weapon in your presence is cursed with evil powers that only select few can wield," outwardly commenced the Cloakmaster. "For if anyone else were to wield it without having the correct Chaos energy, the wielder would imminently die from its dark and heinous powers."

"You are an avid speaker of belief, that much I see. But I doubt all that you speak is even possible." affirmed Sousou.

"And after what you and your cohorts have experienced, my words shouldn't be judged either. Magic, inflicted with war, you faced something like _that_ in the past, now haven't you?"

"Is he referring to the Crucial Keys?" whispered Kochu.

"Definitely sounds like it." answered the tightened gaze of Kan'u.

"If Kazuto can wield this Scythe, it proves that there is an evil emplaced within his body. Put in from another that seeks to rid the trust of any future companions I may come across. So what say you?!"

"We're not going to become anything but foes! You spoke harshly about Kazuto-kun without a second thought! And now you attempt to believe we will join-"

"Ryubi…" spoke Kazuto, his hand on her right shoulder.

A gasp turned her head as he stared directly into her solid blue eyes.

"Nothing will happen. I just have to prove him wrong," he urged.

"Tojiro! I'm on my way!"

Ryubi and Kan'u shared an enduring stage of shared feelings from their fleeting eyes as Kazuto stepped down and walked towards the Grim Reaper with a conjuring expression.

"_It definitely is a Chaos energy beyond my will. It was placed inside him unknowingly…and its affects are irreversible. Seems like my father is the one behind it: But I wonder…why?_"

Tojiro removed the spear that was stuck in his back, and yanked the dao blades out of his chest to toss them to the side, sternly hoping such a sight would change something in Kazuto; but it didn't. The Cloakmaster turned the Nightmare Scythe towards Kazuto, now standing three feet away from the Demigod. Kazuto's endurance remained ice cold with his glare. Tojiro remained unfazed, thanks to the fact that his face was completely obscured from sight.

"You're not going to lay a finger on _**any**_ of them. Understand?" willingly threatened the boy.

"That Chaos energy inside of you says the same thing: Interesting how you remain so calm when you see someone simply pull two swords out of their body like they were only taking off a band-aid. My theory is correct." complied the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

"This world isn't yours…**leave**." reprimanded the cold Kazuto.

"Grab the Scythe and show them your betrayal, you lowly fool. It's better to ensure their existence then have them die like you shall…"

Kazuto grabbed hold of the Nightmare Scythe's staff. Tojiro kicked Kazuto with a forced Airbending blast from his left foot.

"H-H-He retrieved it?" muttered Sousou, leaning forward.

Kazuto landed on his feet with the Grim Reaper's Scythe in hand. Kazuto's hands embedded themselves with a slimy purple Chaos energy that splattered to the ground around his feet. A quick look forward and Tojiro charged directly for him. A deranged expression drew itself upon Kazuto's face as he slashed through…a mist of red and yellow Chaos energy: **A Chaos Clone**. The barrier in front of the doors exploded, a gigantic mound of dead violet and black Werehogs fell in: With the _real_ Hedgehog transformed Cloakmaster leaping through with his right hand extended. The Nightmare Scythe flew out of Kazuto's hands and into the Demigod's hand while pointing a readied Black Death at the scoundrel.

Kazuto's eyes changed to a distorted purple as he shot two vortexes of black and salmon red Chaos energy at Tojiro. Firing purifying rounds of Chaos Water from Black Death, Tojiro cleared a path; only to see Kazuto leaping towards him with his hands bathed in the forbidden art of Chaos Fear. Tojiro readily blasted two fumes of Firebending from underneath his feet. Kazuto landed on the ground after his energy depleted from him.

A twisted smile enacted him to point his hands forward and release a singular force of Chaos Fear from his hands combined. Tojiro slid across the ground with his Nightmare Scythe tearing through the floor. Placing Black Death back in its holster and spinning the Nightmare Scythe like a propeller promptly created a blue Chaos Portal.

The Chaos Fear vanished through and into the portal, along with it. Kazuto shockingly opened his eyes wider than the madness that infused him. From the rear the Chaos Portal reappeared and out came Kazuto's attack. Wickedness had judged itself easily. Kazuto turned his back to the Demigod and jumped into the air, cancelling out the Chaos Fear attack so it would vanish. As he readied a batch of more Chaos Fear across his right arm, his eyes sank in size.

The Nightmare Scythe was thrown and delved straight through Kazuto's back. Tojiro raised his right hand up. The Nightmare Scythe came back down and Tojiro caught the very bottom end of its staff, turning around and slamming Kazuto chest first onto the floor that he screamed in pain from. Tojiro leapt his body over by using the staff to vault over to Kazuto's feet, readying Black Death and aiming it inches between Kazuto's eyes. As blood cradled around the floor, Kazuto could only gaze into the empty cowl of his killer who proved that his _unforgivable words_…were hollowed out to reveal pure and ugly truths.

"KAZUTO!" shouted Chouhi, fleeing tears from her eyes.

"Kazuto… Kazuto!" dropped the fleeting voice of Kochu's whimpering daughter.

"Kazuto-dono!" shrieked both Kakoton and Kakoen, a solemn storm enduring.

Ryubi and Kan'u remained like statues. They stood…as their hearts crumbled in seconds. Tears quaked, their eyes shook with no control. Kochu, with even tears, ran to retrieve her bow and arrows.

"Y-Yo-You are certainly...a cold hearted loser, aren't you?" stammered Kazuto's riveted nerves.

"Not as much to see a parasite like you to halt your indecent feeding upon _their_ bodies. That Chaos energy doomed your existence because you got off on it…but I wonder: Who the hell prompted you to use such Chaos energy that rivals my own?" rushed the Grim Reaper, leaning inches forward to push the Nightmare Scythe's blade further.

Kazuto screamed again and again, frightening his soldiers, and tearing into the lifeless shells of the female warriors that rendered sinking sadness.

"The name of the man who gave this Chaos energy to you…was his name given?"

Kazuto only glared as his eyes color retained their image. A grin formed to laugh at Tojiro mentally.

"Your life ends this night, boy. I told you that previously five times over. Was the man who gave you this Chaos energy named **Kenji Haruki?!**" shouted Tojiro without mercy.

An arrow struck Tojiro in the forehead. Kochu stood as everyone switched their lost faces to hers. Tears crawling across her cheeks, but her spirit to battle strong; yet hanging by a thread. Tojiro was frozen in place. Kazuto smiled through the blood coming from his mouth.

"Such an idiot. I knew you were a lo-"

Tojiro dropped Black Death and pulled the arrow directly from his head and slammed it directly through Kazuto's right shoulder. His fading scream echoed once again…leaving cold and tragic faces on everyone.

"Seconds are all you have left. Kenji Haruki… a man of the cloak with the same symbol on the back of my own bodily shield. Was he the one?"

"YES! Yes! You goddamn freak! It was! It was… KENJI…HARUKI! Now LET ME GOOOO!" detonated Kazuto's rage.

Tojiro slowly grabbed hold of Black Death once more, slipping it into the holster, standing to his feet.

"Your damned existence… followed by this accidental journey to this world… you have made great and foul decisions. Above all, making a pact to master and control the hearts of those you labeled… _yours_." expelled the angry Cloakmaster, looking to the female allies of Kazuto.

Kazuto coughed, his mind bleak with anger and pain. All because of Tojiro were his ambitions brought to ruin.

"This Chaos energy doesn't belong to my father. A greater evil influenced you. An evil that desired throw me off, an evil that wanted my father as a pawn. Whatever it may be, I'll find that evil and forsake it with the blade you have been slain by."

Kazuto's eyes returned to the sinister violet, as if his mind was broken and maddened with chaos.

"You're not even realizing it. You sought to punish _their_ lives as well with this fatal power. Your heart has become black. Cancerous with such a dark Chaos energy that even I have been stunned by. You spread minor amounts to them. Driven by excitement, control and ludicrous acts to take their purity. Driven by disgust and Chaos energy: Your existence shall cease… **with Chaos Fear**." acknowledged the ongoing voice of the Grim Reaper, grabbing the Nightmare Scythe.

Chaos Fear, the black and pale carmine red Chaos energy crawled across Kazuto's body; killing him instantly. Eating away the vicious Chaos energy he desired from the father of the Cloakmaster, the Cloakmaster had accomplished his mission. Tojiro raised his Nightmare Scythe as the remains of Kazuto's body began to vanish as the Chaos Fear swarmed over his corpse. Tojiro dug the Nightmare Scythe out from the floor, attaching it onto his back while looking forward to the silence and dread he brought upon everyone.

"Now… with the final act." he spoke, clapping his hands together.

A whirlwind of static dark Chaos energy appeared around him.

Slashes of wind swirled around the Demigod like an impregnable defense. Tojiro slowly separated his hands to reveal a white sphere with black Chaos energy coursing through the center. The fearsome fighters fell prey to the awesome nature that surrounded Tojiro. Without any more harm to hand out, Tojiro sought to reverse this world's history so that they would have never met Kazuto; resetting its time and space functions to a point in time where his influence of Chaos energy wouldn't have spread to their bodies.

"Chaos Rift! **SPACE-TIME CONTROL!**" exploded the Grim Reaper's voice.

The singular sphere combusted. It was harmless to physical matter. The technique swallowed the palace and the city in a huge silver dome with rays of white light shooting out. A black dome from within sparked and shot with lightning bolts as it pierced through the dimension's very fabric of control, changing it to make it a world where Kenji's influence upon Kazuto wouldn't have been released to anyone.

Tojiro's will speaks for itself. A fool that ignores the greatest of fools. Arrogance above stupidity. The choices of a being that no other…could possibly make. Tojiro carries the will that no one else in history can carry. A will more permanent than any form of humanity…the will of Death himself.

_Continues in Chapter 80..._


	80. Chapter LXXX

**THREE PART SPECIAL, CHAPTER 78-80: "AHEAD OF THE FUTURE"  
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**CHAPTER LXXX: REUNITED AGGRESSION**

**DISCLAIMER: ****I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this chapter except, (for in this chapter) Tojiro Ankoku and Ryu Kaze They are my original characters and thus owned/copyrighted by me. All other characters belong to their respective creators/owners.**

_**Touka Village, 10:15 pm**_

From within a pool of water lit by the moon, Tojiro laid in an wavering state of consciousness. Grasping his skull with his right hand, he staggered out of the water, removing his cloak in a hurry. He whipped it back and forth to dry it, placing it on the ground to spread it out. As long as his head was throbbing and his thoughts were clear Tojiro felt the technique did its job. However it is never conceded to believe everything in a plan goes well. Tojiro pointed his open hands to fill the cloak with Chaos energy, also feeding the Nightmare Scythe that lay under it, remaining solidly attached.

"These worlds just fail to realize the potential to show true importance." he sighed.

With moonlight glum upon the village and the Demigod setting his eyes upon it, he no longer wondered of the misfortunes that would later come of this. Killing a man who was tricked into harnessing Chaos energy is something that has happened so many times in the past. It has happened out of greed, hate, even the simple force to cause others great happiness, while others wallow in a whole new kind of darkness.

The charcoal furred hedgehog with his shallow and clear white eyes continued to watch the stars gleam and shine with the moon that resonated with it. Tojiro felt this world become calm. All the pain in this world seemed to silence at once but, the Demigod turned around, guarding his cloak and readying Black Death at the real image of Tojiro's status of a Nightshade: Ryu Kaze. Regardless of how he was holding his arms up, Tojiro took rest as Ryu and himself lowered their doubts.

"Think of me as an ally now? Your moralities must be well." seceded Ryu, his Golden Dragon Staff shining from the moon.

"I was ready to ask the same. What of Mayumi? She safe?" beckoned Tojiro, turning back to his cloak and sitting down in front of it, his hands stuck out to feed it more negative Chaos energy.

"Those Werehogs were only after you. No worries. No threat will come to her thanks to who's commanding them," began the stepping god, standing next to the Cloakmaster. "However, that alone is what keeps you on the run. You have jumped to so many dimensions and not even realized how much danger you're in."

"Does it matter now? It truly can't, Ryu. It honestly _can't_." urged Tojiro with silent dread.

"You sure seem calm. You've even altered this dimension to make sure no one else follows the source of those Werehogs Chaos energy: The very same Chaos energy inside of that boy you slayed, as well as the female companions he has met." said the dedicated Ryu, a smile appearing within that cowl of enigma.

Tojiro left his thoughts at bay this time, stirring his courage to ignore the recent past just so he could rest in this world. Ryu peered to catch a glimpse at the Cloakmaster's expression. It of course was the same as always; slowly and becoming enraged. Ryu sat himself down crisscrossed while resting the Golden Dragon Staff across his legs, looking to the moon. His short and dry sigh left Tojiro even more silent.

"How long shall you stay here, Tojiro?" abruptly quelled Ryu.

"If God can't find me then Orion can't either. I'll stay as long as I have the **Rift Clamp** inside of me."

Ryu, left speechless as his head was turned to the Cloakmaster. Tojiro glared at him out the corner of his eye, his eyebrow elevating.

"Mayumi must surely trust you… _to do what must be done I see_." exploited the slow talking Ryu.

Tojiro rigged his eyes upon his cloak again while Ryu looked to Tojiro's cloak. Growing much worry upon his brittle shoulders as they shrank his conscious thoughts to one. Tojiro vanished the negative black and crimson Chaos energy from his hands to hoist his cloak off the ground. He placed Black Death back into its holster, preparing his cloak as he wrapped it on.

It fell to his ankles and covered his body, his arms and fists stretched to clench. Tojiro looked to the moon with one brilliant stare. The moon made his empty eyes tighten with an unruly sense of duty…to watch this dimension.

"Ryu, if I may ask…"

"INTRUDER! Guards! Guards!" shouted a short and ear crushing voice.

Tojiro looked to see Ryu had been gone, for quite some time. The Cloakmaster grew several veins across the side of his head, blending well with stamps of anger. Tojiro turned his gaze towards an approaching threat that cried for battle. Tojiro readied the unsheathed Blade of Darkness without hesitation to swing it and himself to clash with a loud shredding clank. With his eyes closed in the middle of his careless swing, his now open eyes hindered.

His orange pupils returned to his eyes as they stared from the silver bladed and twin inferno red lined Dadao blade his _opponent_ clashed with him. Within those two shining lines on the left side of the blade, in Japanese calligraphy read; **Saintly Dreams**.

Even as the magnificently forged blade was true, it wasn't as magnificent as its user. While the rushing sounds of armor wearing guards armed with long spears, along with archers surrounding from the left and right flanks, Tojiro looked into a pair of brimming golden eyes. Long velvet red hair, a white night robe with a pink lotus design on the right hip of the clothing and a dark red silky sash around the waist, Tojiro had clashed blades with an unlikely foe whom he could never call; an opponent.

"Toji-T-Tojiro…?" spoke that caressing voice.

"**Yoko**…." sighed the breathless astonishment from the Demigod.

As the moon broadened down upon them, their was no mistake. Their blades crossed, their destinies were intertwined again, under this moonlight sky. Tojiro Ankoku and Yoko Littner faced each other in this unprecedented reunion.

With a stern and yet bothered stare the Cloakmaster gave to one of his most trusted allies, Yoko remained with her eyebrows crooked down and her mouth only a few inches open. She didn't look happy. She didn't even appear happy. Like Tojiro's identity of a hero or villain, she was stuck between both sides without a clue.

"_There is NO way she's just going to stand there. I wager this infraction to get worse in the next few seconds. I wager!_" barked the semi helpless Tojiro, his glare remaining a calm one.

Yoko fiercely set her mood right for seeing that the Cloakmaster was still alive, and for such a long time in fact. Yoko raised her blade back, stepping back with her visually angered eyes closed, her sword lowered to her side. Tojiro stood freely with his orange eyes wandering at her action. Yoko opened those soul shivering eyes. Tojiro sheathed the Blade of Darkness as Yoko waved her hand to signal the soldiers and guards that this cloaked hedgehog was of no danger, to them at least.

Without much remorse left in her body, Yoko charged forward by swinging her blue shimmering blade. The Demigod stepped back without a second's waste as the tip's cool swing whipped across Tojiro's chest. Yoko bent down to send an upward slice to which Tojiro grabbed the blade. Yoko's left hand rose, a flash of blue Chaos energy appearing. Tojiro lowered his left hand to unsheathe the Blade of Darkness once more, preparing to strike back.

Yoko and Tojiro spun around. Tojiro readied Black Death in his left hand while preparing to press the Blade of Darkness forward, only to watch Yoko smack the blade down with a bulked up silver MP5 sub-machine gun with a revolving barrel on both sides. She pointed the freakish weapon into Tojiro's forehead, while pointing her Dadao blade against Tojiro's belly. Tojiro raised Black Death to the side of Yoko's head, while she pointed her dubbed "Chaos Repeater," into the cranium of the Cloakmaster.

As fierce as they were in such a meeting, the bearers of eyes all around them remained startled and lost for words. Yoko, as brimming as those sunlight golden eyes shined, it was in distinct distrust. Her weapon was pulled back and the hand that held her Chaos Repeater fell. Tojiro's eyes rose as he slowly lowered Black Death to its holster.

"You better make up your mind soon, Yoko. I'm not going to be here forever."

Yoko sought to fall to the ground on her knees, her hands on the Cloakmaster's shoulders. The burning orange eyes of Tojiro raised henceforth ever higher. Yoko's weapons…they lay to her left and right. Harmless and open to attack by Tojiro who seemed very determined to end her life in such a light scuffle, remained still as water in a birdbath. Her hands seem to heat and cuff the Demigod with rage. An energy unlike _any other_. Tojiro's mind set off an alarm. A broken thought that he assumed would never meet fruition.

"Yoko… did you… did you truly **master Chaos energy?**"

A direct fist to the Cloakmaster's face sent him over the heads of the spearmen behind him, bashing across the dirt until his right clawed hand clamped itself into the ground. The _harmless_ Yoko rose to her feet with her Dadao weapon in her right hand and the Chaos Repeater vanishing with her use of Chaos Control. Tojiro sat up like a dead man. Eyes gone of pupils, filled with a blood swirling Chaos energy. The crowd cleared to reveal Yoko with her eyes cold like the moon, absent of any light to show to the Demigod.

Tojiro rose to his unbreakable legs, completely unharmed from Yoko's strike. For such a strong Chaos Punch, a normal being with little or no training in Chaos energy would have received a skull fracture. Due to the overgrowing nature of Tojiro abilities, and his arrogance, his body is irritably immune to such power.

Yoko stepped through the crowd of guards and soldiers with her blade in tow. Tojiro remained with a cold hearted glare that could melt ice. Strangely, Yoko wore the same idea on her face and frontal lobe. Through the crowd from far behind, the night robe wearing bodies of the short Chouhi Yokutoku and Komei Shokatsuryou emerged, pressed with surprise by Yoko's action.

"Yoko-chan appears out of control, Rin-Rin chan!" spoke Komei.

"It's just one intruder! I'll go help her!" announced Chouhi in response, a straight forward dash setting her off.

Yoko stood before the Demigod with him looking up at her. Yoko was a righteous human in many categories. This one seemed outlandish to her but, the past is the past; she didn't care about what Tojiro has been doing in his absence. Chouhi stopped only feet behind Yoko, only to be stopped by one brave call.

"I suppose mercy for the unyielding is unimaginable for you…Yoko Littner?"

Tojiro saw Chouhi stop by Yoko's left side. Stepping past Komei was Cho'un Shiryu. Within the wrap of her green night robe she stopped by Yoko's right, observing the Cloakmaster just as Chouhi was. It didn't take long for Komei to stand by Chouhi's side as well.

"_So that girl doesn't recognize me. The Space-Time Rift must've worked. But why wasn't Yoko with this shorty and her friends at that palace?_" wandered Tojiro's thoughts, looking from the three tired warriors to the eyes of seemingly angered eyes of a disappointed Yoko.

Yoko forced her blade out of sight with Chaos Control.

"Tomorrow… you tell me everything about where you've been hiding out from the rest of the world. Got it, _Cloakmaster_?" growled Yoko, arms on her hips.

"And what fraction of knowledge is handed back to _me_?"

"After we talk, we _duel_."

"Through what means Miss Littner?" simmered the Cloakmaster.

"**With Chaos energy**. Tomorrow, wake up at eight o'clock sharp, in the dining room. NO exceptions."

A fear in doubt held no marshal hold over the stare down of such once great friends. Whether for the best or worst, Yoko turned away to the being she trusted with the greatest fraction of her heart, leaving her mind to fully engulf in this crusade that would take place in the altered winds of this dimension's sky. Perhaps the glare on Tojiro's now resented eyes would give him greater sense that he changed more than this world's future.

_**The Following Morning**_

Within the shape of his brisk and eager human form, Tojiro opened the doors of his sleeping quarters to look down the far left hall. With his hood down, he stormed down it with the front of his cloak wrapping around him. Like a ghost he drifted with his scuffling feet. Unwanted feelings and thoughts of so called wisdom now reaping themselves of any form of rapture, Tojiro marched relentlessly on through the building until he crossed paths with Chouhi. She was waiting at the corner of the hall to Tojiro's right.

He sharply avoided eye contact to keep moving forward until he would reach the dining room. Chouhi remained gaped in confusion. She shook her head and gave chase to the Demigod with a cause. Chohui approached him, her weapon not in hand or in sight, walking by his towering side.

Tojiro felt her presence just by the sound of the banging of her feet running across the wooden floor and already was he bothered to a great degree. Chouhi looked distinctively close at the Cloakmaster's perception. His eyes were crowded as the force of his eyebrows were weighing upon them. He was still _venting_ from last night's excursion with Yoko.

"So do you mind telling me how you got here?" she spoke up, hands behind her head in a relaxing pose.

Tojiro's pace didn't change for a moment. Chouhi puffed her cheeks and bit her lip, she was ready to ask away.

"Why do you have a grudge against Yoko? Is that it?"

Tojiro's pace suddenly increased with great velocity. Chouhi halted as Tojiro stormed forward, around the path by the center courtyard and taking another subtle left to where the dining area was. Chouhi was dazed of course, her arms falling limp at such a record breaking speed walk. The doors to the dining room swung open with Tojiro's right hand holding the left door open. Tojiro looked forward, his eyes opening widely. The face of a girl with overflowing light brown and tan hair stood dressed in a lemon yellow night robe. She stood with a plate of meat buns in one hand and a basket of other contents in the other. Tojiro would assume this to be a thief but he found it impossible by the very appearance of this girl's state.

"Are you-" stammered the girl.

"Tojiro 'Neo' Ankoku. Yes. And you might be… a fellow warrior of this place?" began Tojiro, looking to the food items she was holding. "And you are also a very hungry human."

"You misunderstand! I was only preparing something, uhmm, well; Something to travel with!"

"And you've done so accordingly. I believe so…at least." raised the left eyebrow of the Cloakmaster's dazed expression.

The girl placed the items on the table. Chouhi ran under Tojiro's extended left arm that remained on the door, hurrying to sit down at the table and gaze at the food with star shaped eyes.

"Rin-Rin! You can't just run in like that! Where's Aisha?" pummeled the girl on instinct.

"I ran into her room and she was still getting dressed! She screamed and I ran!" quickly replied Chouhi.

"Figures. How could you?!" pestered a hinting blushed face of the girl.

"No worries Sui! She'll be down sooner or later!" acknowledged Rin-Rin with her waving right hand.

"Why are you all dressed to travel? ARE you traveling?" spoke the girl named Sui.

"Maybe?" quietly resisted Chouhi with her left hand etching across the back of her head.

"You didn't even tell Aisha about this, didn't you?" rendered the stern eyed Sui, disappointed arms crossing into one another.

"Miss Sui?" included Tojiro.

"She'll know! Don't worry! I have it under control!"

"Why doesn't anyway ever listen?" wandered Tojiro's voice, reaching into his cloak pocket.

"If you pull of something like Batai always does, I won't forgive you so easily!" exclaimed the morning girl.

"Stop yelling! You can trust me you idiot!" called back the squirming arms and clenched fists of Chouhi.

"Miss Bacho! Excuse me!" rattled the Demigod's voice.

Surprised did the girl turn to Tojiro while Chouhi remained stunned at how he knew her name.

"How-How do you know my name Tojiro?" responded the upfront Bacho.

"Never mind that. For _now_," spoke the Cloakmaster with his Death marked headband tied around his eyes. "Do make your appearance…decent."

Bacho looked down to see that the sash around her was untied, naturally revealing her swimmingly curved legs and underwear. Tojiro's head was already turned and he blinded himself, having no need to have a fist in his face. Bacho yelped with a feverish gasp and hid behind the table;_ adjusting_ to her problem. Tojiro was gazing at the ceiling, looking from right to left. Chouhi looked to Tojiro with an adjusted gaze of her own. Tojiro looked to Chouhi making her shoulders shiver.

"She done?" he asked silently.

Chouhi nervously chuckled by Tojiro's determination to clear his obscenity. Bacho rose up, having fixed and closed the top and bottom of her robe, flipping her swimming hair down her back, while Tojiro loosened his headband, looking to the glowing cheeks of Bacho's face who fiercely fixed her gaze and attention to setting the table.

"So Tojiro! How long have you been traveling? Any confrontations with rival armies? Bandit hordes? You look like a foreign warrior to me!" called Chouhi's hyper energetic attitude.

"I've been traveling for millennia." spoke Tojiro without hindrance of lies.

"Amaziiiiiiing! Is that true? Wait! If you've been traveling for however long you said…how come you're all young?" responded the pointing Chouhi.

"It has a lot to do with luck I think. And a bit of Chaos energy now that I imagine it."

"_Chaos energy_. What is that exactly?" pointed a frustrated Chouhi.

"Nothing you should know of, I assure it." answered the solemn Reaper.

"Tojiro…." a shallow voice sheered.

Tojiro turned his back to the table and set two paces back to see Yoko standing in the doorway.

Her attire was her red Team Dai-Gurren leather jacket, her waist tight black shorts, long black boots that went up to her knees, and her flame bikini was black but with violet flames. Her gorgeous fiery scarlet hair covered the right side of her face, and a long ponytail storming down her back to just above her ankles was tied in place. Tojiro remained nearly hunched over by the sight. His conscience quickly fixed that. Yoko stepped to one of the chairs at the table.

"I safely assume you're going to live up to your end of the deal? If you can title it as such." spoke the Demigod angrily.

"It's exactly as you say it. I told you the conditions and a warrior like you should be bound by such codes. I know that all too well." waved Yoko's chilled voice, sitting back against the chair she now sat in.

"And facing me won't solve the complaint on your mind. I don't know why I survived that night, Yoko! And neither should you!"

"There shouldn't be excuses for what you've done! Never!" roared the resilient Yoko as her hands slammed onto the table, leaving her to rise to her feet.

The situation beckoned chaos. Chouhi and Bacho were on the levels of complete distraught thoughts. Yoko was extremely calm for many times in the past, the many times she fought in _this_ dimension. Nothing captivated her to be foolish or outlandish in battle. The fact of temptation in society didn't lead her astray either. But as Chouhi and Bacho looked to Yoko _now_ and saw how this stranger Grim Reaper riled her with only words.

Complex words that have savagely changed a freedom fighting sharpshooter into a no nonsense Chaos user; Yoko has changed in the time that Tojiro has been gone from the center of time and space, having hidden himself in altered worlds where no one would look. Yoko sat back down with her undiscriminating feelings keeping her voice quelled.

"You have know idea to believe what shall happen to the entire human race if I don't follow this journey alone. If you join me for even a second, my father won't allow to pass the moment up of using you against me."

"Your father? Didn't you defeat him all the while back? At Tokyo Tower?" raised Yoko's eyebrows as she turned to face the Demigod in her chair.

"Until recently, I found out he followed me after I sealed the Nightmare Scythe within my own body. I don't know for what reason but the **Fires of Retribution** let me go. Kenji, my father, followed me to the dimension to dropped me in, telling me to arm myself with new weapons; weapons that could help me turn the tide in whatever war this shall shape into!"

"I knew something about Chaos energy after you died Tojiro, and for all the while that you were gone, I couldn't even find a hint of your Chaos energy! Not even a single signature! So how did your dad find you?!" exclaimed the obnoxious Yoko, her right hand clenched on the table.

"I have no thought _how_. It doesn't make any sense. None of this does!" shouted Tojiro as he looked away from Yoko with a darkened face stretching his expression with rage.

"What's going on Yoko? Is there something wrong with Tojiro?" asked Chouhi perceptively.

"Indeed there is! The whole blasted world and every supernatural being and Chaos user is out to murder me! It won't work! NONE OF IT SHALL! And while I suffer and listen to all this nonsense, my damn father makes one move after another to subplot me!" angrily roared the Demigod.

"Yelling at her won't solve your problems! And neither will complaining about what's-"

"You don't have ANY idea!" thundered the Cloakmaster, strips of his cloak dropping to the ground and rising to the roof as black spiked tentacles.

The vile aura of Chaos energy that surrounded him was quickly _doused_ when a resourceful Yoko splashed him with Chaos Water, a thin and yet powerful amount to eliminate the negative aura of Chaos energy from around the Demigod's body. Yoko sent herself and Tojiro upon the curved down roof of the main building, while far away was the sunrise caught between two peaks.

"That help?" squandered the lifted eyes of Yoko.

Tojiro turned away from Yoko with a brisk flow. "Hardly."

"Tell me what's going on then. I'm not a complete enemy to you."

Tojiro swiftly swung his gaze to Yoko, "Then what shall I title you?"

Yoko hindered her eyes by staring towards the gracing rays that swam across the land, to the grassy lands below the mountains and around the village.

"Just someone who's disappointed and afraid. That's a good start, huh?"

Tojiro looked at Yoko with earnest eyes. Distrust didn't sprout, but understanding did.

"It's bitterly serious for me Yoko. For what has been occurring, for what _may_ happen, I don't think I can win this war." summarized the Demigod with his head and eyes staring at the fiery star in the distance.

"Tojiro you haven't even said anything I want to hear and _already_ you mention the 'W' word!" Yoko barged with her arms snaked into one another.

A familiar glare shot from Tojiro's perceptive pupils.

"War, Tojiro. That 'W' word. Not wh-"

"I know! Damn. Why must you remain so effortless?" keyed in the Cloakmaster with razor teeth.

"I'm only joking, give it a rest!" replenished the cool Yoko as she sat down with her hands gripping the furnishings of the roof.

Tojiro locked his body cold, of ice his emotions became. Looking down at Yoko from the corner of his eye gave him urgency but, how? In what meaning would there be to tell Yoko that he was to become the instrument of the entire end of the multi-verse? Of Earth? Of every single land that dwells with human kind?

A meltdown of Chaos energy that will rip through space and time, tearing away at the very fabrics that hold these dimensions together. With Paragon being the sole pillar for all our worlds, having it fall will give destruction to every planetary dimension; so that nothing shall exist. Only worlds of white. Nothing in them but a hollow howl, waiting for its void to be filled…_by anything_. It did sound complicated at first but Tojiro wasn't a thinker when it came to enhanced choices. Yoko's persona was opposite. A will of wills. A passion that locks on and fires without a hint of regret. Tojiro stared down with a feverish glare that made him angry. So calm in this daylight wind with her brilliant crimson hair floating along the sliding breeze.

"Yoko, this concerns me losing-"

"Something about that pillar of fire that killed you right before my eyes?"

Tojiro fully turned his eyes to Yoko. He heard a light form of concern hinder in her voice so gently. It sounded scarred more than scared.

With a cold sneer and glare she spoke, "I've had the closest people to me die in my eyes even before I met you, Tojiro. You don't need to trip around the subject," her voice shot of emotion. "Just tell me what has got you so depressed that you can't even tell me straight."

"I was prepared to tell you. You interrupted me." straightened out the Cloakmaster, sitting a few inches away from Yoko.

Everything for balance nothing for continuation. The world and its people cease to remain the same. Even these two challenging friends are much like everyday life. With his mood set, Tojiro despised the silence.

"Yoko, without my soul and as a Nightshade, thus without a heart; my body's Chaos energy isn't working to its highest proficiency."

Yoko looked out of the corner of her daring golden irises, fearing no fear.

"A Nightshade lives on the Chaos energy that they are indebted with. At my state I have amassed many forms of Chaos energy. It is thanks to the Fires of Retribution that my body is beginning to die. Without my Chaos energy…**I shall undergo a tremendous shutdown of my body's powers, forcing all my Chaos energy into a final meltdown**." wavered his focused voice as he continued to stare out to the sunlight.

Tojiro's hazy eyes turned to see Yoko had finally reactivated her emotion. A gaze full of fright that made her eyes shake, but she seemed so calm, and resented the fact of Tojiro becoming _completely_ obliterated.

The Demigod's eyes shunned themselves once more, the next was going to be the best of the worst. As he plucked his eyes open, "**Yoko, I'm going to die, and the rest of the multi-verse will be going with me**."

Shocking. A revelation worth nothing but a dreaded fate that not even a small town deserves. Not even the smallest life form deserves such a rude awakening of words. Yoko's relief was gone. It left her body completely to leave a shell behind, a withering shell to crack. Her eyes left Tojiro's as she crept her knees up to her chest. Her eyes gone from her swaying scarlet hair. Tojiro led his eyes astray to look at the rising star of flames.

"You didn't know this for a long time, right Tojiro?" arose Yoko's voice.

Tojiro glared without worry at her, even when she wouldn't give her expression a seconds' viewing to the Cloakmaster.

"Only recently, Yoko. I'm planning to get stronger. More abilities must await me out there somewhere in the bottomless world of Chaos energy."

Yoko hardly felt accustomed to Tojiro's dexterity and determination. His calm attitude that only believed in winning at the end, forgetting all what it takes to start something and get through it. For any challenge at least, Tojiro would see it through to the end with the greatest determination of all. Rising to her feet spoke the half exhausted Yoko Littner.

"Did you come about this so quickly? Is power all that needed to win any war? Is that all that matters? **Power?** I thought it took the user of Chaos energy to decide whether they are powerful are not!"

"Yoko I'm going to have to get stronger no matter what. I already faced-"

"The amount of techniques and abilities?! Do they really matter more than those who will stand by your side?!" yelled the lucid Yoko.

"Yoko calm down already!" stood the Demigod of Death.

"**You're the one who taught me THAT!**" echoed her gritting teeth as she turned to him with eyes…empty of tears.

Tojiro gazed into a visually stunning glare like his. Swept with anger. Anger controlled by fear. A fear so great that sadness could not even enter Yoko's mind; absent from existence.

"You have no idea what has been occurring Yoko. God Himself took time to face me! He is the second greatest Chaos User today! Only Osamu Tatsuya can be recognized as his equal!"

"I don't care if God kicked your ass or vice versa! Your life is at risk and now you decide to enclose your life to only yourself?"

"AND SO HE DID!" shouted the Cloakmaster as his burning eyes locked with Yoko's.

An uncertain sharpshooter stepped an inch back.

"I couldn't even land a single hit. But HE DID! God landed plenty enough to annihilate my very Chaos energy out of existence! God has some form of Chaos energy that I've never seen or recognized before! Whatever that source is, I'll have to create something stronger! No matter the cost of what! I'm going to find out what my father is after! I'm going to make sure he stays down for good this time!"

"You're after vengeance then?" snapped a decent Yoko.

"My father is far more of a warrior that can even outmatch Ryu Kaze's abilities. Back when I slayed him at Tokyo Tower, his Chaos energy was far different than it is now. It had a certain select idea to it. He allowed himself to face me without even attacking with his own strength, but instead with the use of some kind of breed of Werehog. My father isn't doing this to make me suffer, Yoko. He isn't even doing this on his own! I demand to face this journey with MY might, not throw your life or anyone else to stop his motives."

"And beyond what pile of corpses do your beliefs stretch? You think the fact of **finding select individuals and training them in Chaos energy will make them weaker?** You're an amazing guy dammit! Why do you think I even **liked you**?!"

"I refuse to forge bonds with people to create Chaos Users. They'll only die at the hands of whomever aligns themselves with Heaven and its forces. Where's the security in that?!"

Yoko gritted angrily to the Demigod. "Is it so wrong that you do things with friends by your side?! You can teach people! I know people who are cut out to learn Chaos energy, Tojiro! You don't need to accept all of the world's burden on your shoulders!"

"BECAUSE _**NO ONE**_ ELSE DESERVES MY PAIN! I can handle it all, Yoko! ME! And me ALONE!"

A furious Chaos Punch hook from Yoko to Tojiro's jaw tossed him out of Touka Village like a football. Flying across the lengthy grass field, the Demigod slammed face first into the ground, his corpse bouncing into five wild forms until his right hand dug into the earth. The halt had him on his feet, assimilating his mind of care and overthrowing it with hate. A flash of orange Chaos Control energy threw Yoko into appearance, standing twenty feet away from where the Cloakmaster stood.

"Apart from you sealing that Scythe inside yourself, leave it where it belongs! That weapon already handed you your own suicide!" appointed the clenching fists of the sharpshooter's angering will.

"It's power shall assist me greatly. But for a mere duel against you, I do concur." spoke the Demigod, pressing his left hand to his chest.

As Yoko held her arms out, her palms opened up to make appear her destructible, chaos ringing electro powered sniper rifle.

"That blade from earlier wasn't yours. I figured its Chaos energy was far too powerful for _you _to handle!" dawning a red portal on his belly to then place the Nightmare Scythe, now changing into Chaos energy, into his body.

"You've done everything you can to fight for what the right of being true! This is different! We can save you and everything else if you only trust in me!" conveyed the desperate Yoko, resting the sniper rifle on the tip of its barrel, leaning on it.

"And I wager death! Death for all those that deem themselves able! Those who request danger! The dangers that only my being can handle! Teaching whoever you have in mind the arts of Chaos techniques will bring them down with me! And I shall NOT be the one to relinquish them in their final moments!"

"You've cooperated with people in the past before! Far more than you can even count, Tojiro. What makes this so threatening? You'll be the one training them!" exhausted the sharpshooter.

"Within the boundaries of Chaos energy it is **always** different! You have to be a fool to believe that Chaos energy does not bring suffering to others! Especially me, Yoko! I refuse to feel absolved after I see those that I meet and train die and break down from this so called war that is about to happen! I refuse to accept that!" recessed the agitated Cloakmaster.

"Then this duel shall settle whatever happens! It's like I said, we were going to fight after we talked, _and we talked_!" Yoko resumed desperately, aiming her weapon at Tojiro without raising it above her waist.

Within the airs of this land the two friends and eagerly combatants stared each other down until infinity. If hatred was to grow amongst them, then so shall it be. Their bond has led them on many paths. Many fortunate to become something great while others sank into an empty ravine of resentment. Tojiro and Yoko. May their choices continue to rival one another. A fierce bond even stronger than that of the rivalry and hate between the Cloakmaster himself, and Orion.

"Power has definitely brought you far…hasn't it Tojiro?" began Yoko willingly.

"Only _you_ can halt me at random. But what shall you do by the time it all ends? Stand by and smile? Or simply grovel and shake with fear? Detesting everything I do…one after the other. How far will _your_ Chaos energy take you…I wonder."

"Only in combat, Tojiro!" rang Yoko's voice, firing away her sniper rifle. Tojiro swung with vertical slashes from his Blade of Darkness to do away with the ten bullets she fired.

"_No Chaos energy was on them. Testing my speed, I see_." wandered Tojiro's thoughts, lowering the Blade of Darkness to his right side.

Yoko ran forward and held her sniper rifle up to release seven more shots. Tojiro stood idle and swung his sword without making an eager step to change his position. Yoko strapped her sniper rifle onto her back, endorsing her fists in red Chaos energy.

Tojiro bent forward and dodged a sideways swing of Yoko's stretched out fingers, continuing to drive the back end of the hilt of his sword into Yoko's stomach. She stumbled back, watching as Tojiro leapt forward with a static yellow Chaos Sphere in his left hand. Yoko readily armed her sniper rifle and shot Tojiro directly up the chin. The action threw him into a back flip. Not a speck of blood traveled from the impact point, but it still hurt the Demigod.

Yoko used Chaos Control to shoot herself back thirty feet while Tojiro lay stunned on the ground, sitting up as if his wound was but a mere paper cut. Clinging to reality he rose with dignity and sufficed this moment to point the Blade of Darkness forward. A brisk and furious red shield of Chaos energy appeared before Yoko as she held her weapon defensively. Tojiro averted his eyes, shutting them entirely, engrossing his mind in thought for a moment.

An absent visage of Chaos energy flowed out of his blade, seeping back into his body. Yoko was able to recognize the Chaos energy receding. Yoko lowered her sniper rifle thus diminishing her shield. The Cloakmaster stomped the ground once. A rock carried Yoko straight into the air. Tojiro armed Black Death and fired without mercy. Yoko held down the trigger of her sniper rifle to charge a magnificent sphere of blue and yellow at the front of the barrel.

Her eyes burning intensely, she summoned forth her first attack. "Rain Bolt!"

From the barrel a giant sniper bullet exited from the sphere, swirling itself like a drill. The Cloakmaster placed Black Death back in its holster and lowered the Blade of Darkness back in his hands. The bullet began to burn with an intensifying heat, collecting as much force as it could carry. Tojiro swung his Blade of Darkness downward to launch a crescent moon blast of Chaos energy with spikes exuding from the front. Yoko, hovering in mid air with small bursts of Chaos Wind coming from under her feet, raised her right hand out. Tojiro spotted her movement. The huge sniper round suddenly exploded by the moment she clenched her hand, releasing fifty bolts of Chaos Lightning. Tojiro's crescent slash released many of the incoming attacks from sight, but it easily lost power and died off. Tojiro readily swung his cloak to release a momentous red and black shield of Chaos energy.

The furious exploded with a shower of lava shaped fangs exploding into the sky like a storm of fireworks. Yoko appeared on the ground through Chaos Control to stand before the pit of sparking yellow flames. Yoko placed her rifle on its butt with her left hand, standing ready for Tojiro's expected. Shooting out of the flames was the hedgehog transformed Tojiro. Yoko raised her gun and aimed. Tojiro swung his left hand to knock the weapon out of Yoko's hands with Airbending. Tojiro clamped his right hand around her neck and pinned her to the earth while pointing Black Death to her forehead immediately afterward. Tojiro looked full of merciless hate. This hate that none should bear or contemplate.

A hate tainted by a Chaos energy that's dwelled within the very nerves of every cell, corner and edge of his corpse. A being who felt remorse for those who believe Chaos is the one way out of anything. A power of thought and creation. Chaos energy was his birthright, but it's not his existence. Tojiro raised his gun away with fear, stepping back with a cruel message exasperating from his blood boiling eyes, absent of mercy or lies for good. The skies bantered with darkness as the sun began to become consumed by storm clouds.

"You desire your will to be the best? Do ya'?! Is it really…the best you got?" he snared, lowering Black Death. A bashing bolt of lightning slithered across the sky as thunder accompanied it.

Pointing Black Death at Yoko once more, Tojiro exhausted: "IS THAT ALL YOUR WILL CAN DO?! DEMAND?!"

Yoko rose to her feet with ease, caution free of the wind's grip and now pounding itself into Yoko's conscience.

"I'll believe in your word. Just this once! Do you understand? I'm going to listen! And by the time I find these people you desire for me to train, their fate is _**done**_. Their lives shall belong to this war, you got it?"

"Good! You find it so hard, but all you need to do is relax!" complied Yoko.

"YOU'RE STILL NOT LISTENING YOU INSOLENT BRAT!" exploded the fearsome Demigod.

The sky shunned itself in darkness, covering the sky in red and black. The light of evil surrounded Death itself with crimson and fire. The earth's grass began to die and wither. Yoko looked upon Tojiro with no hope. No hope for the continuation of mankind. Tojiro's Imperial Tsukikagegan took over as the symbol appeared in his eyes. A black X with a crescent moon above and below, and a crescent moon to the left and right. Tojiro's Dragon; Roku Tatsumaki's Chaos energy was now under the Cloakmaster's control.

"I stand here, prepared to break my most sacred rule: **to NEVER disrespect the lives of others**. Peaceful lives you damned ingrate! Those that cry, bitch and whimper about the most simplest things can find themselves on their knees… begging! ONLY TO FIND MY BLADE CUTTING THEIR INDISCRIMINATE HEADS RIGHT OFF!"

The sky coursed with a bloody aura. Tojiro's Chaos energy was harshly inflicting the world around him thanks to his condition.

"And _now_, you have the foolishness… the pure lunacy to say I should relax about **tearing apart my very beliefs?!** I SHALL NOT… stand for that logic!"

Yoko was left with bitter. Her eyes shaking at Tojiro's unforgettable rage.

"But it's okay… because you'll probably die by the end of this war. Along with everybody else I forge a bond with! Everyone! Everybody I meet will show me their ludicrous kindness: Pure warriors that seek refuge in worlds they view as a world of peace, while it is a burden to those who hate it!"

Thunder continued to buckle the heavens with ferocity the more Tojiro spoke with his divine hatred, unknown to all.

Tojiro regrettably placed Black Death back into its holster, looking at Yoko as his Imperial Tsukikagegan vanished and the red of his eyes returned to a solid white, an orange eye returning to both. Yoko stared at him as he reverted to human form.

"I'll do whatever I must. But learn this Yoko, okay? When I find these people, when I show them how I act, they'll end up believing in me. Apparently I have a skill for that and it's despicable! But when I meet them, and if my father, Heaven, or any other supernatural nutcase comes after them to get to me…and if they were to pay with their lives?" abruptly rambled the Cloakmaster, reaching back to hold the Nightmare Scythe in his right hand.

"_**Their existence is mine. Zero exceptions.**_"

Tojiro shot into the sky with a boost of Airbending, propelling himself towards the giant mountains as rain began to fall across the land. Yoko remained frozen and stiff by the beating rain. Her hair became wrinkled and sappy from the falling storms. The sky ceased its bloody aura, engulfed by a petulant gray. Yoko looked to see the fiery orange line follow Tojiro's path towards the highest peak: lonesome. The Cloakmaster fell to sullen hands as he agreed to break his most valued belief, shivering in the rain throughout the whole day; fully aware of the pain he would later bring to the lives he would always seek to protect. The war hasn't even started…and he's already lost something he won't gain back: His meaning for existing as a Chaos user.

Upon the crag of a mountain top with a flat surface of earth and several stones of wet rock; Tojiro remained sitting at the top with his back laid against a slab of stone. Far ahead of his view, a gigantic spherical hole laid imprinted in another mountain. Tojiro laid with his hood up. Soaked and brisk by the rain, Tojiro's eyes were gone along with his visage. His left hand was steaming, bleeding even! Tojiro looked to the sky for as long as he could without much promise on his mind. Tojiro formed the Shadow Clone Jutsu hand sign. The palm of his right hand glowed a brilliant silver. The orb stretched out into a stream of light that connected to the symbol of the Great Shade Empire on his forehead. From that, Tojiro's eyes opened to reveal two rays of green. He looked to his right and stared from up and down to create a familiar silhouette.

Tojiro lowered his arms and crossed them. The silhouette of silver broke free of light, revealing itself as the most important arsenal in Tojiro's number of skills: His Hedgehog form. With blank white eyes and the hood over his head, Tojiro rose to his feet while the clone stared at him knowingly.

"Chaos Clone: Splitter Regeneration. A complete technique. Now, this is only a reconnaissance. If the techniques is perfected while you're out there, keep going on to the next dimension after another. Got it?" spoke the Demigod.

"You're not even sure, aren't you? That's what you are Tojiro. Plain and simple. Not a thought at all." spoke the Hedgehog Tojiro.

"You're Tojiro no matter what or how you act dammit. Just go to the dimensions that have a trace of Yoko's Chaos energy." Tojiro continued, surprisingly clear of anything obnoxious.

"Understood. First location seems to be back on the Omni-World. Center of the universe and she just has to start there, huh?" spoke Hedgehog Tojiro.

"Seems so. You have all my Chaos abilities, the Blade of Darkness, all three stages of the Nightmare Form, the Trigger energy that activates my human form, and energy from the Rift Clamp. You should be able to handle yourself." began the Demigod.

"Energy from the Chaos Trigger? Wait, wait, wait; you gave me only a bit of your Chaos energy that activates your human form?" questioned the Hedgehog.

"That means it'll only last for a while before you return to Hedgehog form. That's your basis form once you're free roaming."

"You should've just said you gave me everything," pressed the disappointed Hedgehog. "What about the Nightmare Scythe?"

"I mine as well seal it back inside my body, shouldn't I?" reacted the Demigod.

The vortex opened on Tojiro's belly, causing the Nightmare Scythe to revert to its energy form, drawing itself into the portal as it closed shortly after.

"When you leaving? It should be now. It's the best time." recoiled the Hedgehog, waving his right hand to create a black and red Chaos Portal.

"I must still speak with Yoko. I can't just leave without a word. She'll definitely suspect something. Go on ahead for now. I got issues to settle with her tomorrow for what dimension I'll be heading to first." matted out the restless anti-hero, looking to the sky as the clouds ceased to rain upon him.

"Lingering distrust. That's good enough for me then. I'll relay whatever information through your Night Glare. Keep in mental contact." repelled the silent Hedgehog, jumping into the portal as it vanished.

With affective intuition, the dark sky had covered him in silence. Tojiro granted his thoughts to the wind and left his hate lingering away from him. All that mattered was the logic he had in mind and the chaos he was about to unleash. With his right hand raised, a furious Rasengan charged out of negative Red Chaos energy suddenly began ringing with a high pitched wind gust.

Tojiro raised it up, a shuriken forming around it with brilliant speed. Tojiro threw it towards the scarred mountain, watching it explode with a gigantic sphere of red and silver wind mixed in-between. The very explosion made the thunder from earlier quake with fear. The lightning never appeared again for that entire night: For the dark skies had already covered the sun for the entire day.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Following Morning<strong>_

Upon its emergence, Touka Village remained in a splendid show of light from the sun. From yesterday's chaos it brought hopeful beginnings of a dangerous turn for this frustrating war Tojiro had decided to start. Upon his flesh and blood return in human form, Tojiro arrived in the center courtyard to find Yoko standing before a large mechanism forged from black iron. A vortex creator of immeasurable strengths and uses.

Curved spikes stuck out from the top left and right and pointed towards the center sides of the outside shape, each glowing with Space and Time Chaos energy. The resilient and focused Space Chaos energy glowed white with an aura of blue massing inside. The versatile and untarnished Time Chaos energy was black and contained a mess of red Chaos energy within it. Yoko sensed him without a single twitch of muscle.

Tojiro stopped before the massive portal, still unactive and waiting to be _used_. Yoko looked from her corner at the Cloakmaster's new appearance. A white cloak covering his body. The inside completely stitched with black fabric. The vivid symbol of the Great Shade Empire printed on his back marked him as his own army. Yoko looked towards the portal once more with sense, her eyes shut while her eyebrows remained raised.

"Not a word of, huh? Your mind is all that's worked up. And ironically it's the only thing working. You can't say anything to me?" graced Yoko's voice, turning her head to the weary Tojiro.

"I only think the mission matters. Muster an army to battle whoever I can, whenever I can. Accept the victories…along with the losses. That's it." Tojiro feverishly stated, refusing to taking his eyes off the portal.

"The dimensions you're heading to aren't all necessarily _coated_ with my Chaos energy you know. Some people I met and others I haven't. There are those that are ready to help you." admitted a definite Yoko.

"And the fact of me being the end to all life just through a catastrophic meltdown of pure Chaos Wrath doesn't worry you. I'm aware. I'll do what I shall to make my life as long as possible. As awkward as it sounds."

Yoko turned away to look at the portal; a certain frown changing forms into a warm smile. "_He'll never lose that attitude. Won't he?_"

Tojiro stepped to the vortex machine and pointed his hands to the left and right, powering the machine with Time and Space Chaos energy respectively. Yoko stepped an inch forward at Tojiro's desperation to get started. Blended with red, blue, white and black Chaos energy, the center of the machine created a vortex of several colors; only while a strip of yellow Chaos energy was cut down the middle.

"After you reach the dimension Tojiro look for the trail of my Chaos energy. It'll lead to the place where I went to observe your first group of students. They look really exhausted and hopeless, maybe a bit overzealous but with Chaos energy training, they'll be stronger than before. You got all that?" announced the instructive Yoko.

"Always with the hopeless types, huh?" regarded the Cloakmaster, raising his hood over his head.

Yoko's eyes took an innocent turn. For the only one that was shown while the other was covered by her crimson hair, she stared at the Demigod who was preparing a deadly offensive in the beginning of a great dimensional war. Looking over his shoulder Tojiro's two crimson filled eyes glared deeply at Yoko. A hindering light was vacant within Tojiro's body. It was something Yoko saw but could not admit to be true. She only looked at him with a figurative eye that only watched as two huge scarlet filled eye sockets continued to seethe through any emotion Yoko had. Those burning eyes soon vanished and darkness appeared as Tojiro turned towards the portal.

"I haven't forgiven you…" exited Yoko's voice.

Tojiro's right foot halted in motion, touching down and slowly dragging itself back.

Yoko's fists shuttered slightly while Tojiro remained absent to her presence. "I haven't forgiven you for staying in hiding; four months and you were alive the whole time," she grieved, keeping hold of her dignity. "But I'll still believe in you. **No matter what, I'll believe in you to the end.** You just have to trust me while you do that." turned the unsettling Yoko.

Tojiro looked back a last time. Turning full circle to her now came as an option but, Tojiro read into such a choice and found it to be a regret. Tojiro leaned his attention to the portal and stepped on through without grievance or mistake of what he was doing. A new war was bred this day.

**つづく**

_To be continued  
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**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

-Tojiro Ankoku surfs across a sky.- "The purity of another dimension falls."

-Tojiro Ankoku remains on all fours on a damaged street, facing a humongous dust cloud.-

"Another challenge in a mythological beast ambushes the Nightshade." -A gigantic golden bull with glowing scarlet eyes stares down the puny Cloakmaster.-

-Tojiro slides across a street of ruin, firing a beam of Chaos Water of from the claws of a "Katar" weapon.- "A champion crowned by darkness, unsure of Yoko Littner's will to believe in him, yet never forgive him, lies dormant."

-Tojiro falls toward the giant golden bull with the Katar weapons ready.- -The giant beast releases a storm of missiles from its mouth.- -A shroud of Chaos Light spans out to protect the Cloakmaster.-Tojiro tackles a very large Cyclops, battering it through several obstacles.-

"In his silence, Tojiro faces a newfound power... in his very own alternate forms."

-Tojiro Ankoku looks to two silhouettes, leaving them with an unsure mission. He grips his chest before turning to a turbulent, light blue Chaos Portal.-

NEXT TIME!

_**The Nightmare Wars:**_

**CHAPTER LXXXI: THE NEW LEASE  
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